"Where do you wanna go?" "I dunno. Where do you wanna go?" "Banh Mi?" "Oh, yeah. That sound good".

Of all the places my wife and I frequent for lunch, there is no doubt that there is one restaurant that easily holds the record for the "most games played". True, it is only around the corner from the office, but so are 10 or so other restaurants.
No, there is something addictive about the food over at Banh Mi and Co. Let's start with the menu. It's simple, designed to be like a Chipotle. Pick your protein - tofu, chicken, pork or beef. Then pick your delivery method - Bowl of soup, sandwich, salad, or spring roll. However, within those selections, you can find a different way to satisfy your palette each time you are there. I would say we average 2-3 visits a week. We're trying to cut down, but it is so hard sometimes to resist the urge for the flavor.
Today for example was a Pho' (pronounces pha) day. Sort of misty outside. Chicago yet again not knowing if it wants to head full on into winter or pretend to be Seattle or San Francisco weather (without the mountains) or something for a bit. The broth of the Pho is rich without being heavy or too oily. When it is served you immediately say, "Oh, that's a big bowl, I could never . . . " and then you do.
I tend to get the beef. The key to eating it is not to rush into it. I always ask to have the lime and jalapeno on the side. Do this. Otherwise you'll burn your fingers in the hot soup.  Squeeze the lime over the top of the soup. Get as much as you can out of the lime. DO NOT forget to add the lime.  It's important as a balance to the salty sweetness of the soup and onions. Then mix slowly, separating the noodles with either a fork or your chopsticks. This technique will both mix the soup flavors and cool the broth till you can eat it.  Then just wait. Check your phone, email, facebook, twitter, instagram, email, text, whatever. Just wait. After maybe a couple tweets and liking a few photos of friend's kids being adorable on Facebook, the soup should be ready. The key to all of this is to let that fresh sweet onion and green onion meld with the meat and broth. It's incredible what a difference this will make to the richness of the broth and in turn, your experience with the Pho'.

Beef Pho at Banh Mi and Co. after Mixing and patiently
waiting for all the ingredients to start really developing.

What we eat:

1. Pho. Yes, we talked about that. The chicken pho can be a bit drier so I stick with the beef this days. The pork looks quite good as well.

The Pho' before adding the components in and stirring. 

2. The Banh Mi: I order the Lemongrass Chicken. A mayo spread on the bun takes care of the potential dryness of the meat and if you get the bread on a good day, it's fabulous. Warm and toasty. Nice crunch, but not enough to like cut the roof of your mouth or anything. The tangy pickled carrots and cucumber are so perfect in this sandwich. Wow, Pavlov. I am actually salivating. I've seen people come as a pair and order three different sandwiches to share so they can try the different flavors.

Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi. Simple and delicious.

3. The tofu spring roll. A good way to get your Banh Mi and Co in without overdoing it and passing out after lunch. It's a much lighter meal than the Pho or the Sandwich. I pair it with a small chicken and rice noodle soup, but the wonton is also very tasty although sometimes a little oily.

My wife gets this one. Lemongrass Chicken in a noodle salad. The noodles are buried below because she orders a "special" of course. That is, her usual of "less noddles, more salad". They have it pretty much already in the computer when they see her coming. 

We go to the Banh Mi at Briar and Broadway, but there are other locations. One in downtown Roscoe Village, one at Clark and Belmont, and a couple downtown. Note, the Banh Mi at Roscoe and Broadway is not of this small chain of restaurants and is not, in our opinion of the same quality of food. If you run into Lee, the owner, tell em' we sent ya. He may be moving so fast you can't catch him though. Enjoy. If you go enough, I can pretty much guarantee any of these may become your "Usual".

The Full Monti "Whiz Wit"

Are you a Philadelphia native who is tired of everyone telling you that the Italian Beef Sandwich is just as good as the Philly Cheesesteak? It is good, but it ain't no Cheesesteak.  Are you a Chicagoan ready to try something just a bit different? Tired of hearing the argument over Gino's vs. Pat's vs. Tony Luke's? Have you just watched so many of the Rocky movies lately that you can' help saying "Youz Guyzzzz" to everyone you see on the street and you want to meld that with an appropriate food type?

Well, there is a place in Chicago where you can get a very authentic Philly Cheesesteak. Monti's. Located just south of Lawrence on Talman. I've only been there once, but I can promise to go back in the near future and I highly doubt I will stray from one item on the menu. Philly Cheesesteak with Onions, mushrooms, and of course, the whiz. (At Pat's in Philly this would be a "whiz wit") Well, they call it cheddar cheese sauce at Monti's I think, but it's pretty much the whiz or a more natural version of the beloved philly cheese sauce that would typically comes in a very large can. Monti, the owner was quick to explain that every thing they serve is natural and healthier or something. I don't know as I was salivating so heavily, my ears clogged and I just couldn't concentrate. Natural, farm fresh . . . huh? I just nodded and ate my food as my eyes rolled back in my head. Oh, and there is nobody sending you to the back of the line here if you order incorrectly.

What I Eat: The Cheeseteak. My wife got the chicken steak. She was healthier for sure. I'm sure it was good, but I wouldn't know because she never even offered me a bite. I think maybe as her last bite was shoved in her already full cheeks she said, "you want a taste?"
The steak is chopped finely, more like Gino's than Pat's. Pretty standard really. The flavor was great. I have been to Philly's best and can tell you that those are not the correct flavors of a Philly Cheesesteak. It's all wrong. At Monti's the steak is a bit fatty, maybe that's ok, but I would be interested to see if it is the same next time. The onions were really nice and sweet and tender. The whizzy like sauce was nice and runny, not clumpy. And then there was the bread. Amoroso rolls from Philadelphia. I seriously don't understand why they can't make rolls like that here. They are incredible. Warm and soft. It melts in your mouth and is gone in a heartbeat. The bread makes it for me. My only real mistake was ordering an 8 inch long vs. a 12 inch. The bun for the 8 inch is too small for the steak and it all kind of falls out. I also ate it so fast that my brain got really confused and asked me to consider ordering another. Fortunately, my wife reminded my brain that my stomach would be very unhappy with me if I ordered another sandwich.

In the end, a definite recommendation. Careful if you go on an Eagles gameday. Learn more about the owners on their website or just go in and chat with Monti. A native Philadelphian transplanted to Chicago.

There are no more Tastykakes at Monti's. They stopped serving those when the company was purchased by a larger corporation and changed their policies and ingredients. I was kinda bumbed about that one. I was expecting to eat a lemon or cherry pie and drift into memories of my youth.  

The decor and location doesn't feel very "philly", but you just have to get over that and eat the Hoagies (pronounced "Hoewgee" if you are from philly). Some college pennants are on the wall, but that's it.
No signed photo of Dr. J or anything. 

The fries were excellent. I mean perfect. Not greasy at all. Perfectly cooked and salted. As you can see, the 8 inch hoagie roll is too small for the meat. I was confused about seeing a fork on my "plate", but understood that was a result of the smaller, though delicious roll.