Rosendale Ramblings By Sari Botton

In case you were wondering, the official sandwich of Rosendale Ramblings (every blog needs an official sandwich, right?) is the tofu Vietnamese banh mi from Market Market. I get mine “Sari style,” which means open-faced on wheat-free bread. They are kind enough there to carry wheat-free bread for me, and to have unofficially named this permutation of their sandwiches after me. I get my sandwiches there open-faced because that wheat-free bread is so dense, two slices is too heavy, and it would detract from the taste of whatever’s in the middle.

This sandwich – of tofu, jalapenos, shredded cabbage, carrots and cilantro with a special sauce – is juicy and spicy and tangy, not to mention both chewy and crunchy. And good for you. I am not a vegetarian, although I subscribe to Michael Pollan’s philosophy of eating mostly plant matter for our sakes and for that of the planet. In a given week, I will eat mostly vegetarian meals, but I will also get in some chicken, fish, and maybe even beef and bacon.

Anyway, I eat the banh mi at Market Market so often, it’s almost embarrassing. There are plenty of other great things to get there. I will often order the fresh tacos – especially when they’re shredded chicken or pork. Now and then I’ll go for the tempeh reuben (“Sari style,” of course), which used to be the object of my obsession before they introduced the banh mi. The local-beef burger with kimchee is another favorite. And the turkey BLT with bacon. And the lox platter. And…and…

All of those things are great. But I’ll confess that now and then, I order them instead of the banh mi just so the staff won’t think, “What’s wrong with her? She had that yesterday and the day before.”

I hear it’s also really good in its intended form, on hero bread baguette.