Buffalo Rising Online

Dec 31st 2007, 9:49am By Christa Glennie Seychew

This past season of Fantasy Foodball made it clear that Buffalonians have a hankering for banh mi, a traditional Vietnamese sandwich that is very popular on the West Coast, but is unavailable in Buffalo. Well, that’s what we all thought at least.

In a casual discussion about Fantasy Foodball with a local chef, I found out that Joe’s Deli on Hertel Avenue does in fact include a banh mi among their lengthy list of offerings. A lunchtime trip was in order.

Joe’s Deli has been open for about a year and a half and is located in the building at the corner of Colvin formerly occupied by Mastman’s delicatessen. The owner’s passion for quality is obvious. The chalk board mounted on the wall behind the counter lists sandwiches with street cred from all over the country.

My lunchmate, writer Sarah Rose Stone, opted for Joe’s version of the muffaletta, a sandwich native to New Orleans. I was glad that Sarah suggested we swap halves. Comprised of fresh Sahlen’s ham, salami, provolone and a salty, piquant olive salad on a hard roll, it was quite good, the best I’ve had in Buffalo for certain. Sarah, a muffaletta fan, was equally pleased.

I ordered “The Body”, nicknamed after Chef Silvati of Lombardo’s Ristorante located just a few blocks away. I don’t know the whole story, but I imagine that it was at his request that this beauty made it onto the menu. “The Body” is actually a very traditional banh mi sandwich made of Sahlen’s ham, spiced fresh pork loin, pickled carrots and jalapenos, fresh cucumbers, mounds of leafy cilantro and a healthy swipe of housemade sriracha mayo served on a baguette.

The first bite was bright- it’s been a long time since I’ve had a banh mi and the abundant, uber-fresh cilantro caught me off guard. By the time I finished the second bite, I knew that I was in trouble. Would Joe’s become a weekly habit for me? I’m a sucker for sweet pickled vegetables, especially jalapenos, and these were dangerously hot and utterly delicious. Additionally, the bread was a revelation; something they must have sourced from one of Hertel’s many bakeries. The baguette was perfectly crunchy and a shiny, deep golden brown on the outside while remaining soft and yeasty on the inside. This sandwich was divine but wouldn’t have been nearly as good without the bread that encapsulated it. Is it possible that a lack of depth and texture in my lunchtime sandwiches has gone unnoticed by me for some time? It must be. I must go back for more.

If the idea of banh mi doesn’t tempt you, Joe’s has so many sandwiches, I assure you that you’ll find one or two that strike your fancy. If you’re lucky, like me, you’ll discover one so good you’ll find yourself thinking about it at odd hours of the day- odd and unfortunate because they’re the hours that Joe’s isn’t open.

Maybe one of them will be the VJR, a sandwich I ordered up so that the husband could take it along to work with him that evening. Usually too busy to call me, he somehow managed to fit in a quick chat. “Tell me again, where did you get that sandwich from?” was the first thing he said when I answered the phone. You know it was a good sandwich if he consciously chose to begin a conversation about food with his overly talkative, restaurant-crazy wife. Thinly sliced Sahlen's ham, salami, spicy cappicola, provolone, mayonnaise, mustard, and sliced tomato are all brought to life with a healthy addition of fresh (really fresh) basil.

But wait, there’s more, lots more. I won’t go into all of them here, but there’s also a classic Cuban, a veggie served warm with herbed cream cheese, a Reuben, beef on weck, tuna- well, you name it and it’s likely that they not only have it, but that it will be made with thoughtfulness from the highest quality ingredients available.


Joe’s Deli
1322 Hertel Avenue, Buffalo 14216
716.875.JOES