Quick Links: Shakes & Sandwiches

Speaking of strawberries, the New York Times Nutrition page had a recipe for making the ultimate strawberry shake today. The secret is, apparently, a very ripe banana. (The Thai versions are entirely strawberry but they're closer to smoothies; I can see how a banana would give a shake a nice texture).

I also recently found a story highlighting the ultimate in faux gourmet--cheap Asian sandwich-esque offerings, posed as an alternative to the classic bahn mi. The photos are beautiful even if a few of the offerings sound a bit unappealing (stir fried noodles in bread?). However, they forgot to mention one of my favorites, the as yet unphotographed (by me, anyway) sesame pancake sandwich. The bread is crispy on the outside, soft and airy inside, and stuffed with beef, carrots, cilantro, and chilis. I get mine at Prosperity Dumpling, on Eldridge Street in Manhattan. As the first Yelp review (at least when I checked) says, the beef sesame pancake is divine. Yes indeed.