Albert T.
Yelp
We stopped by Bread & Circus Sandwich Kitchen for a quick sandwich lunch on the way to Pipestone. This restaurant is quite large, with tons of tables inside and out. Over half of the outside dining space is covered and can be enclosed and heated in the winter. We decided to get takeout since we still had several hours left on our drive, but opened the boxes and started eating as soon as we hit the road.
Vietnamese Fried Chicken Sandwich ($12) - The star of this dish is quite weak. It's supposedly a buttermilk marinated chicken thigh, but I could barely tell this was a thigh given how tough, dry, and stringy the meat is. The chicken is very lightly breaded and even though it's fried way too long, somehow there's barely any crisp on the breading. Very strange. The chicken piece itself is quite small and doesn't reach anywhere near the edge of the bun - this results in plenty of chicken-less bites as you eat. The bites of chicken you do manage to get are disappointing as the chicken is thin and doesn't make a notable impression due to the sheer lack of mass. It's drowned out by the textures and tastes of the other ingredients. The rest of the ingredients kind of clash with the chicken as well. The "banh mi pickles" only seems to consist of carrot and onion and, while tangy and acidic, also exhibit a very strong fish sauce flavor that I did not enjoy. It especially clashes with the cilantro aioli on top of the chicken. A major problem I noted was that the pickles are quite wet and soggy, resulting in the vinegar (or perhaps the fish sauce?) soaking into the bottom bun and becoming mushy. The sandwich is missing a requisite layer of hydrophobic fat on the bottom (typically a Vietnamese mayo or pate in the case of an actual banh mi) to prevent the soggage. Yet, even though the pickles are wet, the entire sandwich as a whole feels very dry, like it's missing enough fat to add moisture and help meld the flavors. Unfortunately, the best part of this sandwich is the bun, which is quite soft and fluffy. (2/5)
Pork Milanesa ($15) - I thought the VFC was dry, but this is even more so. The pork is fried well, giving a nice crisp due to the breading on the exterior, but it dries out the interior quite a bit. The breading is seasoned with herbs and spices, and tastes kind of like if you had a generic "Mexican" flavor potato chip. The pork is sandwiched between two slices of Texas Toast. I think there's a good reason Texas Toast is not used in more sandwiches, other than patty melts. While it's toasted and buttered perfectly, it's thick and only accentuates the dryness of the meat. It also adds additional crunch to the sandwich but the pork is perfectly crunchy already - there's really no need to add more. It would be better on a softer bun to give some contrasting textures. The chicken has two pieces of Oaxaca cheese melted on top and some pineapple salsa - both not added in nearly enough quantities to counteract the dryness of the meat and the bread. Taste-wise, this sandwich is fine. Construction-wise, it could use some work. (3/5)
Both sandwiches are served with kettle cooked chips. They're not overly salted are fine as an accompaniment.
I came into this restaurant excited for some of the inventive sandwiches. I came out thinking that the sandwiches here just aren't designed or constructed very well. The flavors aren't well layered, the ingredient ratios are off, with bread and meat completely dominating everything else and the textures are a bit boring. Overall, the food here is just kind of okay. Bread & Circus Sandwich Kitchen is not somewhere I'd want to revisit in a hurry.
Bathrooms - Two all gender rooms in the back, ADA accessible.
