The Bánh Faux Mì was not our first attempt at a bánh mì-style sandwich. That honor goes to the Sitka Sushi, but—great sandwich that it is—it didn't fully scratch the itch.
With Country Pâté having a singular home (The Hedonist) outside the deli case, providing the body for bánh mì-style sandwich round 2 fit right in its wheelhouse.
Smoked Ham naturally followed as a complementary protein, and countless debates over relative portion sizes of the meats led to the creation of the "half-portion" of Smoked Ham. (The half ham portion would gain additional usefulness when we dropped Mortadella and the Italiensk needed a replacement ingredient).
The BFM is made on a buttered hero roll. Those two divergences from typical bánh mì construction alone account for the "Faux" in the name. The BFM also spurred the invention of other staple ingredients on our sandwich lines: quick pickles, and our pickled veg medley.
[Warning: Slight factual errors may be present in what follows. We're aiming for vibes above pure fact. If you, or someone close to you, can contest what we're saying, please comment below.]
The O.G. BFM was probably built something like:
Buttered hero, hoisin, sriracha, indeterminately-sized slices of country pâté, whole portion of smoked ham, fresh cucumber slices, hausmade kimchi, cilantro, done.
Ingredients were swapped out here and there (sometimes smoked pork loin, if we ran out of ham, which surely amplified the richness of the sandwich). Fresh cucumber gave way to quick pickles. Perhaps even both at times(?) Sometimes we tossed cukes into a container with hastily-stirred rice vinegar, brown sugar, a dash of salt for a few minutes when quickles ran out.
A version of our pickled veg medley took over for kimchi.
A modern Bánh Faux Mì goes:
A buttered hero roll containing two thin slices of Country Pâté (about half of what goes on The Hedonist), a small squiggle of hoisin, a half-portion of Smoked Ham, a layer of quick pickles, pickled vegetable medley, cilantro, and sriracha.
It may be our most iterated upon sandwich, but all the while a top-tier example of NWS sandwiches. Perhaps not the indeterminately large pâté portion/whole portion of ham days.
Sandopedia: The Hedonist
Northern Waters is "Home of the Hedonist!" It's an evocative sandwich, a nostalgic trip for the collective Midwestern consciousness they grew up with liverwurst sandwiches. Our Hausemade country pate is joined by mayo, mustard, cornichon picklesm red onion, and lettuce on a hero roll. Here's to the cult classic!
Sandopedia: Silence of the Lambwich
The Silence of the Lambwich is NWS’s answer to the problem of wanting to have a gyro type sandwich on the menu, but not fully committing to the features of the classic gyro. The warm, mild spice of our curry roasted lamb toasted with red onion and olive oil vinaigrette co-mingles with a tangy red curry yogurt sauce, wrapped in the pillowy embrace of a just-barely toasted naan. The fresh crispness of basil, chopped cucumber, and diced tomato balance out the flavor palate.
And of course the name, a customer favorite, often ordered with a twinkle in the eye, was the product of a staff contest to select a name for the business’s first stab at a lamb sandwich.
Sandopedia: The Big Dipper
Allow us to reintroduce The Big Dipper! The Dipper is one of our premier HOT sandwiches, composed of your choice of Porketta, Pork Loin, or Salami Mix with sliced green olives and peperoncini, melted together with slices of provolone cheese on a buttered demi-baguette!
This ooey-gooey savory explosion of flavor is served alongside a dish our hausmade Zesty 3-Pepper Sauce—for dipping! Hence the name.
While The Big Dipper is served hot when you order it in-store, it’s also an awesome sandwich taken to-go! There’s something special about all the melty-oily goodness of the ingredients cooling down and congealing into something greater than merely the combination of its parts.
Whether you eat it hot out the oven, cold after a night in the fridge, an hour or two into a trail hike, or reheat in your broiler, you’re going to have a good time!
The Big Dipper also has a partner sandwich called the Squealy Dan: Once its own distinct menu item, we realized it is close enough in character to be considered a modification of the Big Dipper. A Squealy Dan is your choice of Porketta, Pork Loin, or Salami Mix with peperoncini, melted together with slices of provolone cheese on a buttered and black-pepper dusted demi-baguette! Dip sauce optional, but encouraged!
Whether it’s your standby (fun fact: we used to call the Squealy Dan “The Old Standby” because of its popularity as a staff-morale sandwich), or whether you’re just trying to break out of your cycle of endless Cajun Finns, we’re certain you’ll sing the praises of the Big Dipper!
