really does this surprise anyone?

I got a sandwich at Saigon Deli on Sunday.

Who the hell wants a non-hazardous banh mi? That's what gives it flavor. That and a good hot pepper.

Considering I have eaten approximately hundreds of sandwiches from both establishments without incident, I am not terribly concerned.

I got a tofu bahn mi from Saigon Deli on Monday. It was yummy.

I got food poisoning from a banh mi from Saigon Deli in 2007. Barfed for three days. Never again.

I think King Co has some of the most strict health standards for restaurants in the country. I’m not surprised by closures etc Your home kitchen is more dangerous than either of these places. That wonderful little family run trattoria you ate in outside Rome, yeah .. it wouldn’t pass either.

"Will you still get banh mi from one or both of these two places?"
Why no 'I don't know..' vote option?
I've enjoyed bahn mi from Saigon Deli... but now I'm simply unsure about our future together.

How bad does a place have to be to finally get shut down? There are places still open in Seattle that are disgusting beyond words. I'm shocked we don't see dozens of eateries closed weekly

I know there are like 3 Saigon Delis within this block and I can never keep them straight. But I went to one of them yesterday, the one in the strip mall on the NE side of 12th/Jackson, and I'm sure it's doing all of these things too. In particular, the rows upon rows of delicious things on styrofoam trays wrapped in plastic wrap (salad rolls, pineapple, um...other stuff that I don't recognize...) that are just sitting out on a stainless table. Haven't gotten sick yet, but what?

The hand washing thing is what worries me.

A lot of the other stuff is probably worse at your average picnic or BBQ, even if it's not great.

from what i understand, the method used by these outlets - steam tables constantly restocked form the back, the noted shrink wrapped items - are not means that are recognized by the city or county.

as a regular consumer of these foods, and something we regularly serve to the family, i am not worried -- other than to say if you wanted to clear out a community and redevelop low lying buildings into a gleaming new extension of downtown served by an expensive streetcar, this is a good start.

let's try to save Little Saigon...

On the plus side, if you go to the Stranger page for this deli, you'll find that one of the stupider racist gun nut trolls who comes around here claims to have gotten sick and thrown up in his car from their food and now can never enjoy a banh mi ever again.

The KIRO investigation showed some footage of Seattle Deli's kitchen that certainly gave me pause. Come on, they could put a lid on the items that are sitting out in the back room, etc. And sanitize things properly. I have worked in food service and I know that it can be done -- and is done by many Asian restaurants on a regular basis, so spare me the comments saying "they are being mean to Little Saigon."

Meh... unless you're immunocompromised, it's probably fine. Just load it up with fresh jalapeños and hot sauce.

-immunologist

I'm continually dismayed at the disgusting state of Seattle restaurant kitchens *and* bathrooms. So much gross out there, and that's just from what I can see & experience as a customer.

I wish we had the letter grade system (which must be prominently displayed by the entrance) like they do in So. Cal. I lived there when it went into effect and it made a huge difference.

whenever i consume a sandwich from this area...i feel tired for several hours. interesting.

The thing that makes me stay away from a place is when the health department cites them for ignoring their order to fix or undo a violation. Then no thank you, you know?

Are there roaches or flies on their food? Do they wash their hands and use gloves? Do they keep their hair off the food with hats or hair nets? Are their dishes clean? Their bathrooms? Are they ethical about throwing away whatever's expired? That's what I care

And yeah, my personal kitchen would be written up for so much that it would make the first minutes of the evening news.