Catfish banh mi

Back in Houston, and of course there's a little food to discuss. It's a work trip, so it's not as if each meal is special: time is short, control is shared, and logistics are tied to who needs to be where, when. So here's what has been up:

1. Some takeout from Whole Foods: ** 1/2
2. Fage Greek Yogurt from Whole Foods: ****
3. A few bites of corporate campus Thai food: ** 1/2
4. Homemade Indian snacks (Paneer Pakoras, sliced kiwis and mangoes) at my colleague's cousin's house in Sugarland: ***** +
5. Dinner at Vegas-themed Gringo's Tex-Mex in Sugar Land: * (apologies to the lovely hosts, may they never see this post!)
6. Lunch at India's:  **** (Zagat: "Excellent")
7. Dinner sandwiches at...remember the catfish banh mi at Givral's, "for the Lenten season?" I had it! **** 1/2

First, some mis-en-scène.

Bellaire Blvd. in Westchase has a pretty amazing strip of Asian, mostly Vietnamese, strip malls and commercial complexes of various vintages stretching a few miles. To the East of Sam Houston Tollway:

And now, back on the downtown side of the Sam Houston Tollway, but not by much, the sublime Catfish banh mi and accompanying Café du Monde Vietnamese coffee (ca phe) before hot or iced (hot!!!) water was added:

Hopefully, you can see the perfect cooking of the fish and the SIZE of the seeds-in (hot!!!) jalapeño pieces in the sandwich, as well as the light, flaky, freshness of the baguette. Abundance of cilantro.

Want a glimpse of less ethereal food locales mentioned above but not featured? OK! Let's Go:

And at the above establishment, a salad Xx bigger than your head (Ho-Hum-Food Department):

A lunch well remembered

Houston. April 9, 2011. I found D'Amico's and was delighted by my very first muffaletta sandwich.

The olive relish had a crunch to it which was unexpected and incredibly welcome. Also, not too much bread.

The restaurant was full, but I liked the side room with retail walls better than the main area, maybe because there were windows and I am a daylight hog. It was so serene in there, away from the crowd.

I also liked, while I was waiting, considering the lunches that I didn't order that day:

And who doesn't love an Italian treat without having to buy the box/tin? Genius!

If you go:

Also visit the nearby Menil Collection.