We need to talk about the pork bahn mi sandwich at Wednesday’s Table in Southold.
We at northforker have often lamented the lack of ethnic cuisine on the North Fork, but this menu item — with roasted pork shoulder, pickled vegetables and some of the spiciest sauce you have ever had — offers something very different.
I loved the flavorful pork and the crunch from the pickled cucumbers, carrots and daikon. Top it off with some cilantro and fresh baked bread and you’ve got yourself one special sandwich there. Probably one of my favorites on the entire fork. (The North Fork Food Truck offers a bahn mi sandwich as well, which is also delicious.)
I know I’m not alone here. A quick Yelp search yields more than a dozen people raving about the place with cell phone picks of this colorful hero.
A word of caution: This sandwich comes in both a spicy and non-spicy version, so be warned that the heat is not for the weak. After eating the hot version, my mouth was on fire the entire drive from Southold until Orient. I must have sounded like an expectant mother in a Lamaze class as I frantically tried to suck bursts of cool air over my tongue.
It didn’t help.
Keep that in mind when they ask you which version you prefer.
Wednesday’s Table is quietly one of the best lunch spots around. The interior, with its very North Fork-esque exposed cathedral ceiling beams and a cute covered patio, is charming. The menu, featuring other standout options like the short rib sandwich and chorizo egg sandwich, has lots of tasty choices. And the service is always fast and friendly.
The only reason it has taken us about a year before featuring them in “What’s for Lunch?” is that we usually do our restaurant scouting on Wednesdays. And somewhat ironically, this spot is closed that day.
Owner Lena Tanzi and her sister, executive chef Linh Trieu, have a perfectly good explanation why.
Their father, Phil Trieu, a Vietnamese immigrant, worked six days a week to give his wife and six kids a good life in America. His only day off was Wednesday, when he would cook for his family, giving his wife a break in the kitchen.
Doesn’t that make you like this place even more?
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