BaoHaus 01-27-2010

Location: 137 Rivington St.
Time: 7:30pm
People: RB and myself...joined by the wonderful owners of BaoHaus.

Feelings: There has been a lot of press over a new Taiwanese Gua Bao sandwich joint, BaoHaus. How can I resist trying such a cleverly named place with a cute website full of the owners' family history and photos? I felt like I knew them already before going into the place. They were even nicer in person and made us feel at home.

RB ordered their special, Broccoli Fob ($7.95 for two baos), which was spontaneously created about three hours prior to our visit. Yes, this is a Ramen and Friends exclusive! It is a clever pun of Broccoli Rabe but made with Taiwanese sausage instead. The sausage had a nice bite to it, and it tasted like well made Broccoli Rabe with Taiwanese sausage in its place. He also took home Chairman Bao ($7.95 for two baos, with Niman Ranch pork belly). The pork belly was tender, very well seasoned, and pleasantly fatty, and it complimented the sweetness of the steamed bun.

I thoroughly enjoyed my vegetarian baos called Uncle Jesse ($6.95 for two baos, with pan fried tofu). It had a little bit of peanut, Taiwanese red sugar, and their "Haus" sauce. It tasted clean and polished yet had layered flavors. The tofu literally melted in my mouth! I am not sure what exactly is in the Haus sauce, but Calexico's crack sauce might have found its competition here. This dish is a good example that tofu doesn't have to be a bland food. Tofu is like sponge and can taste whatever you add flavor to. All vegetarians and tofu lovers should try this since it's not everyday you find a good tofu sandwich!

The nice BaoHaus people let us try their Salt & Vinegar Peanuts and Sweet Bao Fries after our bao-tastic meal. The peanuts were something I have never tasted before. The eight hour boiled peanuts were salty and tangy at the same time and wonderfully soft. These could be highly addictive. The Sweet Bao Fries were my favorite and extremely satisfying. They are sweet fried slices of bao drenched in delicious sweet black sesame sauce....healthy, isn't it. Yes, this is equivalent of delicious glazed cinnamon toast but only better and less sweet. I usually get terrible heartburn and stomachache after deep fried anything, but I did not feel sick at all. They tasted fresh, and I could really taste the sesame.

BaoHaus not only serves fresh and flavorful food but you also feel their creativity there. They really seem to be enjoying their business and having a lot of fun doing it. That is the way food business should be. I love their sense of humor and laid back attitude while taking their food seriously. I wish them best of luck, and I hope to see more restaurants by this family in the future.