After Tueday’s awesome quesadilla, I returned to Bear’s Den with the hope of finding another flavor explosion. When I saw the chicken banh mi I thought: “perfect!” Last year, I ate an awesome awesome awesome chicken banh mi sandwich from the DUC. Banh mi sandwiches always bring the flavor.

Except today. BD’s banh mi (which is one of this week’s chef inspired sandwiches) was disappointing. The baguette was soggy even though the chicken was bland and dry. The slaw served as the only real source of flavor but the pickling wasn’t strong enough to bring much to the table.

I added some of what I think was pickled diakon from the topping station but that did nothing except add more acid. None of the other toppings seemed applicable. Some cilantro, cucumbers, or a spicy chili sauce would’ve been great (I just realized that I should’ve walked over to the Stir Fry station!).

The DUC’s banh mi had a lot more going on. The  chicken was moist and slightly charred, which added smokiness to the acid in the slaw. It was all stuffed into a hollowed out, super crunchy baguette. But that sandwich has been M.I.A. since last spring.