A long time ago, when visiting Boston of all places, some friends took me to try some traditional Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwiches. They were simple. They were amazing. They were memorable. So much so that to this day, if I see Banh Mi on the menu, we must try it. Unfortunately, Banh Mi is a rarer menu item that one does not find to often in the United States.
So imagine our surprise when we saw that the new Kings Island Miami River Brewhouse would be carrying a Texas style Banh Mi on the menu!
The Miami River Brewhouse Banh Mi is a premium menu item, not currently included on the Kings Island dining plan.
The baguette style roll is served with smoked tri-tip, cucumber, carrots, cilantro, and topped with a special sri-mayo (sriracha and mayonnaise). As all meals at Miami River Brewhouse, the meal is served with a side of tater tots.
We have to make a disclaimer. We realize cilantro is an ingredient that guests either love or hate. For us, we love it, and it is a staple ingredient in a lot of versions of traditional Banh Mi. Cilantro also packs in a lot of flavor which really adds to the sandwich.
Fresh, crisp vegetables are also really important to the Banh Mi sandwich. That is why you will see it paired with cucumbers and carrots.
Banh Mi can also be served with a large variety of meat options. Kings Island chose to go with a smoked tri-tip for this version.
The sandwich flavors really come together nicely and hit on all the aforementioned aspects of a great Banh Mi sandwich. However, the tri-tip really fell flat on the day we ordered it.
The meat was tough. After taking a bite of the sandwich, the meat was so tough, it pulled entire pieces out of the sandwich rather than breaking apart at the bite.
We are hoping this was just a case of a tough cut of meat and not indicative of how the sandwich will remain the entire season. We will try this again in the future to see if it improves.
Despite the meat tenderness, the sandwich was really good with classic and new flavors that create a great Banh Mi option.
Fact Sheet
What: Texas Bahn Mi
Where: Miami River Brewhouse (Kings Island)
Calories: Unknown
Cost: $13.99
Dining Plan: No
Pros: Sticks to the classic Banh Mi roots with great flavors
Cons: Meat was tough, and we are hoping for a more tender offering in the future
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