Eat Well

Life ain't easy for a banh mi addict working in the CBD. Picture this: just another typical Monday morning, sitting at your desk, regretting that 7th Abita Amber at French Quarter Fest yesterday, when the clock strikes noon and you are all of a sudden overcome with an insatiable craving for mini loaves of french bread stuffed with assorted pork products. You at first contemplate a 25 minute drive to pickup Dong Phuong but then realize it would be near impossible to avoid getting sriracha on your tie while crossing the Industrial Canal. Pho Tau Bay and Tan Dinh on the Westbank are out because you forgot your toll tag at home. The cravings are only getting stronger

What do you do?

Answer: Hop in your car, drive down Canal Street to Broad and stop at the Eat-Well food store. "Wait, are you talking about that place on the corner? Where if I'm stopped at that red light I always make sure that my doors are locked?" Yes, yes I am; and no, the neighborhood is not that bad.

While Eat Well does offer the requisite tall-boys, 40ozs., and pork rinds which are to be expected in your typical corner store, it also has a deli in the back which serves a variety of sandwiches, steam table fare, and a decent banh mi. Heaping piles of honey chicken and yaka mein are dished out from behind the counter, while pairs of housemade springrolls lie on top of the counter just waiting to be snatched up as impulse purchases.

The banh mi is only offered in one evolution - a trifecta of sliced roasted pork, sweet and sticky "barbequed" (though more like stir-fried) pork, and gelatinous pork loaf (a cousin to head cheese). All three are stuffed on a roll from Hi-Do Bakery along with shredded carrot and a few slices of cucumber, wrapped in butcher paper, and paired with a drink of your choice for $4.99.

While it's not the best banh mi in the city, it will most certainly hold you over until your next score.