Lee's Cafe: Banh mi gets a starring roll
The South Philadelphia Vietnamese shop uses rolls from the nearby geniuses at Artisan Boulanger Patissier.
Lee's Hoagies? Well, maybe Lee's Vietnamese Hoagies.
Lee Quach has owned several Asian restaurants in South Philadelphia, including Cafe Nhu Y (which closed last year) and International Smokeless Barbecue (which he founded and later sold).
He is the Lee behind Lee's Cafe & Bistro, a stand-alone, family-run shop that opened a few months ago at 522 Washington Ave. (267-273-0922), in front of the Oriental Supermarket.
The first floor, open daily at 7 a.m., is a counter (with one table for dining) stocked with bao, rolls, banh mi (hoagies), and pastries.
The second floor is a dining room (open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.) whose menu runs the board, including pho and other soups, vermicelli, and broken rice.
Lee's has gained a following for the banh mi - well-stuffed creations served on crusty rolls baked by James Beard Award finalist Artisan Boulanger Patissier, whose own shop is on Mifflin Street near 12th. (Artisan, owned by Cambodian-born André Chin and Amanda Eap, also makes Quach's pastries.)
Most banh mi are $4.50.