Bale French Sandwich Deli (Linda Vista Road, south of Genessee)

I believe this general neighborhood is referred to as "Little Saigon" with good reason. As to the name of the deli - I don't know what the hell it means, but I can tell you that the bahn mi sandwiches and all the other delish Vietnamese items are totally D.G.! For $1 (I'm not kidding) you can have a steamed sticky rice ball filled with pork and wrapped in banana leaf. They serve Vietnamese coffee iced or hot for $1.25 (and it's a good sized shot in the ass for that much), and then there's the sandwiches. Let me not wax too philosophical about them - but GodDAMN are they making me drool right now! The baguette is just right (crunchy crust that has pieces shatter off as you bite through) with a soft and chewy texture inside. The marinated pork loin, ham, marinated veggies (daikon & carrot), cilantro, and fresh jalepeno (no onions for me) just add so much layering to the flavors. It makes you want to just cry with gratitude. Besides this, they have some fried bananas, summer (salad) rolls w/peanut dipping sauce, various dumplings (which I haven't tried, I'm still too much in love w/the bahn mi), and hot dishes for lunch. They're located in a strip mall nearby Rite Aid & an Asian supermarket. Try them - you won't be disappointed.