Eat Out. Lee's Sandwiches.

Confession: although (and in my defense, because) I've lived off delicious Vietnamese food all my life, I'm really, really bad at describing what any of it is and at recommending any good places to eat it other than my mother's kitchen. Sorry, friends.

Thankfully, I've come up with a good stand-by that's always done a good job of impressing the uninitiated. Lee's Sandwiches is a fairly new franchise and totally commercializes Vietnamese cuisine, but what a livesaver it is, and delectable at that. The shops specialize in banh mi--the go-to baguette sandwiches traditionally filled with pork, pate, pickled carrots, cilantro and chili peppers (although Lee's features many varieties)--but also sell some of the best coffee around, boba, baked goods and other desserts.

The best part? The foot-long sandwiches run about $3 each, making it a perfect, cheap lunch (or dinner or breakfast or snack). The worst part? Most Lee's in Southern California are based in the O.C. (here's a list of store locations). Pick and choose your battles..but their coffee is pretty awesome (and addicting).

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: Lee's