**** Farm Market & Sandwiches has closed
A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that Bale on Linda Vista was gone (again) , and in its place was Farm Sandwiches and Market. With a name like that, I almost expected a little mercado making tortas on the side. A bit confused I decided to drop by a couple of days later......
And noticed that not much had changed, except the name. The shop still made Banh Mi and the market side, though looking a bit worn was still trucking along.
Even the sandwich sign looked the same, as were the prices....... for some reason, I couldn't recollect seeing Bo Dao Phong (a peanut butter sandwich) on the menu before! (no kim chi peanut butter banh mi, though).
Since I was here, I decided to order a couple of sandwiches. This might have been my most unfortunate decision of the week. The guy in front of me started snickering when I placed my order. When I asked him what was up, he shook his head and told me he had ordered a dozen sandwiches, and was still waiting for them 25 minutes later. There was one woman who also placed an order for two sandwiches right before me. She was smart enough to leave and returned for her sandwiches later. The poor guy waited another 25 minutes for his sandwiches! Then it was my turn to be the poor guy......
Pacing the floor, I noticed how worn down this place is looking.
Half open containers, partially cut fruit, the place looked quite disheveled. Meanwhile, I looked and noticed that there were three people working on making sandwiches. The woman returned for her sandwiches, and still had to wait ten minutes. It really looked like the folks making the sandwiches were walking under-water...... another ten minutes, and my sandwiches were ready. Forty-five minutes for two sandwiches......
Carrying the bag to the car, I noticed how heavy these sandwiches were.
I started with the Dac Biet (House special combination - $3.50) first.
The bread (from Le Chef..... standing around so long, you couldn't help but pick up on things) for both sandwiches was severely under-toasted. Thus the always pleasing flaky-crusty texture was missing. The sandwich was stuffed with generous amounts of a very bland Cha Lua (defatted pork sausage) and a tough and bland BBQ Pork. The pickles were really cut thick and didn't have much flavor either. I won't even go into the very old and thick cilantro stems.....
I thought I would fair better with the Nem Chua ($3) Banh Mi. Nem Chua, a naturally fermented pork based sausage, is one of my favorite things.
In spite of having all of the sort-comings my other sandwich had, this was a tad better. There was quite a large portion of Nem Chua in the Banh Mi. Still, it was a lot milder than the sour-tangy-salty notes I love in my sour sausage.
I must admit, the folks looked to be trying real hard, but really seemed like they were not up to the task. I don't think I'll be rushing back for Banh Mi from here.
Farm Market and Sandwiches
6959 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA
Wow, that's a long time for two sandwiches!
I remember when I was a kid, they had banh mi with peanut butter and condense milk!
Posted by: The Food Detective | Monday, 21 March 2011 at 08:33 PM
too long a wait! :(
Posted by: kat | Monday, 21 March 2011 at 11:09 PM
At least they still have their "A" from the health inspector!
Posted by: Alyssa | Tuesday, 22 March 2011 at 06:21 AM
I don't understand how it can take so long to make sandwiches. I would have been really annoyed...
Posted by: kirbie | Tuesday, 22 March 2011 at 09:24 AM
Hi TFD - Actually, that sounds like a nice Banh Mi.
Hi Kat- Yes......
Hi Alyssa - They did indeed!
Hi Kirbie - I was a bit... but I saw how hard the folks were working. They were just not up to the task.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 22 March 2011 at 10:22 AM
Lol I am sorry I can't help but LOL on this post. The nem chua looks like it has a touch of food color too.
Posted by: Yummieyummy | Tuesday, 22 March 2011 at 06:05 PM
Bale was good, and convenient when it was next to Vien Dong (Thuan Phat)the new location was not an improvement for me.Too bad- I really liked the original location (now a water store?-how lame):(
Posted by: Chris | Wednesday, 23 March 2011 at 02:04 AM
Hi YY - I'm glad you got a laugh out of this!
Hi Chris - Actually that place has the Missus's favorite fro-yo, you should check them out when the weather gets warmer:
http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2009/07/durian-froyo-anyone-flavaful-yogurt.html
Posted by: Kirk | Wednesday, 23 March 2011 at 07:05 AM