What I'm eating this week! - Kim's Sandwiches and Cafe

I don't know how this place has made it past my culinary radar for so long. Kim's has been open for over a year now and I just found out about it last week.

Before I go into detail there is something that you should know about me. I'm sure many of you have gathered from my previous emails I'm not the white tablecloth kind of person. I serve it but don't necessarily enjoy that type of dining.

Many of my most memorable and delicious meals have been in your average dives and hole in the wall kind of places. That's not to say if you were to take me out for a nice dinner at one of Portland's many fine dining establishments I wouldn't go. It's just that eating with the locals, especially in my locale, is more my cup of tea.

This comes from my parents love for the little places. Growing up was a nice balanced mixture of fine dining and downright dives.

One of my sisters I believe is very hormonal. Once a month she sends a very sentimental email to all of us (I'm one of seven kids) with some sort of "remember when" poll. There was one recently where she was asking about favorite food spots growing up. Of course 80 percent of our answers were your typical mom and pop hole in the walls. I think what makes those places so special to me is that they are real. There's nothing fancy to distract you, the food is honest, and most importantly you can be yourself!

Anyway back to Kim's.

Kim's is a memorable hole in the wall. ANYTHING that says Gift and Sandwich shop has GOT to be good! As soon as you walk in you are either greeted by the ever cheerful Kim or her daughter Chantelle.

What they serve is banh mi, which is a French-Vietnamese style Italian, or where I'm from "grinder". Of note is the bread, it's a typical sub shape with two exceptions. The texture and the flavor. The bread is made with a combination of rice and wheat flour. This allows it to have an amazingly crispy exterior (when expertly toasted) while being billowy yet chewey on the inside.

The flavor? Indescribable!

My first experience was last Monday. I ordered the combination banh mi (the house specialty) which is a combination of pate, headcheese (yes, HEADCHEESE!)mayonnaise, jambon (ham), cha lua (bologna),pickled daikon radish, julienned carrots, cucumbers, sliced onion, soy sauce, and cilantro, stems and all. It is very rare that I am so moved when eating something, in fact there are only a few times that I can recall having an overwhelming feeling when eating something.

This sandwich almost made me black out! My senses were overloaded!

The sound of the crispiness and feeling the texture of the bun. The sight of the fresh vegetables and meats and the smell and taste of this masterpiece was overwhelming. Seriously.

Few foods have EVER made me so happy I wanted to cry. This is one of the them.

How much does one pay to be so close to culinary heaven. Is there a price? Well here's the really weird part of the experience. A ticket to culinary heaven only costs $2.75!!!

I challenge anyone to find such a deal in this state!

I went back again the next day to see if there was some sort of fluke. Nope,2 for 2. Then the day after and the day after. For 5 days straight I ate there! All for the sake of you of course and it's cheaper than making my own sandwich at home. Everyday was consistent and it ended with the ultimate climax. The meatball banh mi!

This was an amazing combination of the bread, vegetables and their meatballs. The flavor was like the inside of a dumpling. The thing that threw me off was the texture. One would expect that "give" or slight "rubberiness". These were tender and with the mixture of the "sweet and sour" type sauce with mayonnaise this sandwich was decadent.

For those less adventurous or for those dining with a "plain Jane" the usual turkey ,roast beef or ham sandwiches are available. My advice is to ditch the stick in the mud and go with someone that you can share the true experience with!

The only two downsides are the fact that there are only 4 seats in the place and it's cash only.
Kim is planning to get rid of the gift shop since she "can't compete with walmart" and is going to expand the seating area. But who needs it now? Looks like spring is finally here so you can grab your sandwiches, pick your favorite spot outside and make fun of the other people with their boring sandwiches!

Kim's is located at

261 Saint John St
Portland, ME

(207) 774-7165
Open everyday 9am to 6pm

Call ahead and she'll have it ready for you!
Tell her Chef Dave sent you!
Next week...Chelada, Yummy or Crummy?