Elite Event: Lunar New Year at Joju

I’m on Filipino time.
I came late to the event (doors locked, but thanks for opening them for me, you Elite person, you), the eating contest was on, and… I am writing my review super late, as well.
Here’s all I can say, because my memory is A-​W-​F-​U-​L:
I loved attending an Elite event with such a small group of people. Gave the whole thing a different feel from the rest.
Banh Mi at Joju is awesome. I will be back.
Love them little green cupcakes.
After leaving the event and driving around the corner, only then did I realize that I was right by my co-worker’s house. I’m glad passing a geography test wasn’t a prerequisite for becoming an adult, or I’d be Billy Madison’d right now.
Thanks again to the owners and staff of Joju and also to Jando for pulling this off. Joju is a great little space (emphasis on both «great» and «little»), so the split session idea was perfect.

It is a dream come true to have an elite event at Joju! Joju makes such delicious banh mi sandwiches. You know when you find something you love and you just stick with that same item every time? That’s how I am with Joju. I am extremely happy this event allowed me to try the other sandwiches and bubble tea flavors. I was particularly fond of the caramel pork!
Overall, the event itself was a blast. The crowd was great, the food was flowing, and the eating contest was entertaining. I attended the 7:00pm session and really enjoyed watching Hooney, Ron & Josh down that Joju Monster. Congrats Hooney!
It was so great the meet the owners. They are such great hosts and I really do hope they expand and maybe come to Flushing (:D!!!). Thank you Joju for the free banh mi card, green tea cupcakes, and welcoming us into your home.

Pros:
* Commute to Joju from midtown Manhattan isn’t bad at all– overall a 20 min train ride and less than 2 min walk from Elmhurst Stop in Queens. It takes the same amount of time to go downtown.
* The staff was so friendly and welcoming: owner Scott made sure to give a little speech and he and his crew made constant rounds with food. Co-​owner Julie was so sweet and refused to charge me when I wanted to take a Bulgogi sandwich home for my sick BF who couldn’t make it, many thanks!
* Joju serves the best Banh Mi sandwiches I’ve had in NYC– I used to think Banh Mih Saigon was good but this place tops it by far. The bread is perfectly toasted, ingredients fresh and generously placed in the bun, and meat flavorful, tender and moist. The Kimchi Fries (seasoned & battered french fries topped with mild spicy mayo, kimchi, & chopped scallions, cilantro, & jalapenos) were also a big hit, but sadly too spicy for me. Along with the classic offerings, I like how Joju also serves modern and innovative sandwiches from the Bulgogi to the Lin-​Sanity with Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken.
* Scott can also bake, as he used to open a bakery prior to Joju. He made a plethora of Green Tea Cupcakes just for this event and they were delicious! I usually don’t like Green Tea desserts but these were addicting.
Thank you Jando (who rocked as an MC for the eating contest) and Joju for a stellar event!

i knew i was in trouble when i read «infamous banh mis…»
i knew i was in trouble when i rsvped to «Lunar New Year…»
i knew i was in trouble when i got into my first Queens event of 2015
i knew i was in trouble when i took the F train instead of the R train…
…because i was a ½ hour late: my juju* was all off when i got to JoJu seewhatididthere.
*juju means magic. derr
i saw the shining lights of JoJu amongst the sprawls of retail eateries on Broadway, stepping in from the chills of a wintery spring Sunday. got scanned in by the mayor of Queens, Jando, who kindly grabbed a few of us Tiger Lagers and offered me one as the warm embrace of this cozy eatery took hold. ah the crisp chill of Tiger beer – cold to hold, but warms your insides.
as i surveyed the digs of this small snug restaurant. 5 – 6 small tables, banquette seating and chairs flush to the right side of JoJu. there’s eclectic art and décor elements all about which is a silent indicator that this is a casual place for small comfy eats and chipper conversations. some functional wall décor like menu items and promotions on the left side as well as a wall refrigerator full of various soft drink choices. the back of JoJu is where the counter, register, and kitchen is… everything is in plain sight AND the overhead lighting is nice and bright as you really want to see all the colors of your food (banh mi’s) and drinks (bubble tea) here.
**attention BANH ME is pronounced /​BUNN MEE/​, per Jando. stop saying BON like you’re french or sumthin’ lol**
i missed two rounds of BANH MI* i think. but no matter because within minutes of getting there… two of the owners Scott and Julie had a ton of food come out just for ME – okay that’s a complete lie!
a lot food did come out but totally by coincidence, though. immediately i got to sample a BULGOGI banh mi, a CARAMEL PORK banh mi, some kimchi fries, and some banh mi fries. let me tell you something if at that moment I could have unhinged my mouth and stuffed all 4 sample dishes in my piehole all at once i would have.
TALK ABOUT DELICIOUS! yaaaaaaaasssssss. the BULGOGI banh mi was just the right amount of soft crunchy crusted bread, crispy fresh veggies, spices/​sauce, and delectable grilled beef… all mashed together as one explosion of sugar, spice, everything nice – and SAVORY!
it’s hard for me to type this but the CARAMEL PORK banh mi (a new banh mi for JoJu) was actually better than the BULGOGI one. shocked at the sheer deliciousness of this sweet & savory piggy combo. i must have gone back for 2nds, 3rds, 4ths… needless to say, the CARAMEL PORK paired well with the Tiger Lager. i could totally MARCH through MADNESS with this flavorful sandwich insanity all game long! the pork’s saltiness and sweetness really sucked all the components together into a vacuum pocket of deliciousness surrounded by baguette! WINNER.
the BANH MI fries were good. filling. rich. carby and the right amount of greasy saucy soakage in the taters. i really hearted (though my heart probably hated me for it) the KIMCHI fries. a nice level of heat, fried carby goodness, creamy saucy with veggiesque toppings. Definitely hit these bad boys of spuds multiple times with a vengeance!
Scott, a co-​owner of JoJu, is also an accomplished baker and he made us some mini Green Tea Matcha Cupcakes. talk about the right amount of everything: matcha powder, sugar, frosting, cakiness, and baker’s magic. honestly, i would have paid Scott for a tray of these green tasties on the spot. ridiculously addictive. even though Unilocal Elites were stuffed to their gills with banh mis, fries, bubble teas, etc. they polished off the tray of these cupcakes quickly. green with envy? you should be.
Kudos to Jando and his team for putting together quite a big show in such a small restaurant. the food, the drinks, the desserts, the hilarious BANH MI eating contest that Jando MCed (not sure what was more entertaining. seeing people gorge on 2 lbs banh mis OR Jando’s unintended yet hilarious double-​entendre-​filled color commentary). the Queens game level is straight up at A-​class royalty.
A huge thank you to Scott, Julie, and the rest of JuJo who made their restaurant our home for the night. So gracious, friendly, and inviting. I now know I have missed out on much by not knowing of this shiny cozy eatery.
drops the mic so i can double fist a banh mi & kimchi fries like a bawsss!
i out!
p. s. my juju is now fixed thanks to JoJu’s magical eats!

Jando and Joju (JaJoJu?)‘s Lunar New Year Event was probably one of the most casual and chill Unilocal events I’ve been to in recent history… and for a Sunday night, that’s perfect!
Restaurant co-​owners, Scott and Julie was super sweet, hospitable and very passionate about their goal of bringing traditional Banh Mi sandwiches and other awesome Vietnamese foods to an area (and borough) that didn’t have any before.
Highlights of this event for me were the banh mi (which I learned are actually pronounces, «Bun-​me») french fries, the green tea cupcakes baked lovingly by Scott (fun fact: he’s also a master baker!), the perfectly chilled Tiger beers, the hilarious Banh Mi eating contests, learning how to say «cheers» in Vietnamese «YOOOOOOOO!!!» and getting to open the door every once in awhile to tell people that they couldn’t enter because we were having a «private event» and getting to hang out with Jando and Anderson.
This was also the first time I’ve attended 2 Unilocal Elite events in the same night without having to rely on public transportation! Huzzah!
Thank you to the awesome folks at Joju, Unilocal and Jandito for hosting and executing such an awesome event. I can’t wait to be back! YOOOO!!! :)

Unilocal Elites poured into Joju for this installation of Queens’ elite event. They’re a renown sandwich shop featuring some of the best banh mí in the city.
It is a smallish venue, therefore understandably handling two sessions (7pm and 8:30pm) worked great at getting folks in the door. Joju was awesome enough to let us stop by, close early (6pm for this private event) and sample their viet fare.
Little did i know that I «volunteered myself» into the banh mí eating contest, which had the #9 JoJu Monster (with extra jalapeños and running egg) and a full bubble tea for us to gnaw on. It was a great show of showmanship and although I was able to complete the challenge, Hooney utterly destroyed us (myself and Joshua). Well done. Was it really 1.5lbs? We weren’t left empty-​handed (we brought home a gift card and ensuing heartburn).
Beyond that, I wasn’t able to enjoy the other banh mí being passed around which looked scrumptious, but I did get to try the banh mi fries (two of them!) which were among the most talked about on Unilocal.Wooo! Flavor in every bite! …and the Tiger beer, my first ale from them! I’ve been spouting the good gospel even before this event. I’ll love you even more now!
Thanks to Scott, Julie, and team Unilocal Queens for being fantastic hosts and organizing this one!

I was looking forward to trying this place out… as I walk in Jando informs me I’m not allowed to eat!
What? this is torture! Apparently I «volunteered» for the banh mi eating contest and I had to watch as everyone else enjoyed all the yummy samples… it’s cool Jando, I’m not bitter or anything.
The contest was cool, mostly cause I won and that monster banh mi tasted really good. right amount of spice and packed with tons of flavor. The strawberry bubble tea was good too, not sure why people kept insisting I should use a straw, really?
After the contest, I wanted to try the fries, I managed to eat 2, that’s about all I could handle.
The owners were really nice and welcoming and made sure everyone else ended up in a food comma, great times!
I’ll be coming back here to down some banh mi sandwiches and eating at a much slower pace this time.
another great event!

I was in the second section, in the moment Jando scan my party pass, he told me that I and my friend was not allowed to eat. I thought he was joking, but when he make sure that all the staff of Joju knew, that Hansel, Roje and I were not allowed to eat the snacks, because we were the «volunteers» to enter the banh mi eating contest, I notice that he was not kidding.
So the contest consists of eating the Joju Monster sandwich.
The Joju Monster a vietnamese with ham, pâté spread, head cheese, and bbq pork with 2 eggs to top it all off but wait there more we also had to drink the strawberry lemonade with some fruit on the bottom.
Even though I lost the competition, I loved the taste of the Monster, and had a lot of fun the only bad thing after eating this I saw a few good snacks but I could not eat more, because I was very full.
Congratulations to Hansel for winning the competition.
Thanks to Roje for making it more interesting.
Thanks for the audience for making it funny while the battle was going on.
Thanks Jando, the staff of Joju for bringing this one up.

Ahhhhhh so it has been months since I last wrote a review and an Elite Event awakened my review fingers. So «here I go».
Jando and Unilocal team definitely set up a great lunar new year event. On a weekend. With two time sets. Worked out perfectly for me :). Coming from a gruesome 12.5 hour shift at work with just a 10 minute bathroom/​water/​juice break, I looked forward to this event. At my most favorite place in Elmhurst. Ahhhhhhh Joju! It’s been awhile… I missed you *hearts* *hugs* *kisses*
March madness it was at Joju last night. Joju owners was mad to be raining Bahn Mi’s, bubble teas, tiger beer and those bomb ass fries throughout the night. But hey who am I to complain? Keep ‘em coming boys! And to top that off, matcha mini cupcakes. What!!! We were spoiled silly.
Soooooooo. If no one said it yet, We love you Scott and wife and other owners and Joju and Jando and Nelson and Unilocal and uhhhhh…
Chuc Mung Nam Moi! Yooooooooo!

Its funny, I found Joju about a year and a half ago, through a Unilocal search and here I am attending an Elite Event here.
Joju is a small eatery, specializing in Vietnamese bánh mì sandwiches. Bánh mì is what their most known for, but their bubble teas and fruit drinks are also delicious as well.
I’ve sampled some of their menu in the past, but after attending this event, I can now say I have sampled most of their menu.
The owners were very gracious and friendly with the vast amount of food, as well as personally delivering us different things from their menu. The lemongrass chicken and bulgogi bánh mì were my favorites. The kimchi fries were a good compliment to the bánh mì and the different flavors of fruit drinks, as well as the tiger beer, helped wash down the food nicely. The matcha green tea cupcakes, for dessert, left me stuffed.
The bánh mì eating competition provided for some good entertainment, with Jando MCing. The owners speech about the history of Joju and how it came about, gave us a good background of the eatery itself.
Travel here was easy as this location is right by the Elmhurst Ave. subway stop.
Big thanks to Jando and the owners of Joju and the staff, for throwing a great event.

Hi.
My name is Nadia Z., and I am JoJu-​holic.
Yes, I am the one that drives from Staten Island and Williamsburg JUST for their sandwiches. It is inevitable — they are simply the best!
So, when I saw the Event listed at Joju — being addicted to their banh mi as I am, I had to get there. Add the fact that it was a weekend event (love those), and sweeten the deal with bear hug from Jando — I am sooooooo there…
I cannot talk enough about their banh mi — the bread is perfect, the veggies are perfect, everything about it (if you ever visit, try pork belly — it will change the world as you know it).
We got to sample chicken, beef, BBQ pork and new caramel pork (lots and lots of all kinds), both kind of fries and tons of bubble tea to wash it all down.
And, yes, Tiger Beer to keep us happy!
Entertainment at high value: Jando with microphone, Scott telling the story behind the JoJu’s name, and of course, The Eating Contest. 3 brave souls volunteered to try — 1.5 lb of tear-​inducing spicy decadence and huge cup of bubble tea to be consumed as fast as they could. Alright, that was fun to watch and cheer! Wooohooo!!!
Small group — awesome event!
Thank you, Queens!!! Thank you, Jando and everyone who made this happen.
Happy Lunar New Year to all — cheers to Tiger Beer & JoJu!

Joju, ohh how I love you. I was stoked when I heard there was going to be an event here, one of my favorite places to eat in Elmhurst. Good planning by Jando to split the event into 2 sessions to prevent over crowding. The banh mi heaven, iconic kimchi fries, and Tiger beer delivered a pleasant evening. The highlight of the night I’d have to say was the epic monster bahn mi eating competition. Congrats to Hansel– the new Unilocal eating champion!
There were variety of sandwiches to sample from– chicken, bulgogi, and caramel pork, caramel pork being my favorite! The kimchi fries spiced up evening with jalapenos hidden inside!
In the end, the green tea cupcake sweetened the night. I’ll be coming back to try the monster bahn mi! Thanks to Jando, Julie, and Scott for the amazing time! Yoooooo!

«It is better to have tried and failed than to have failed to try.» Thought I’d start with this particular axiom to usher in the fact that I lost, but not for lack of trying (kinda…). My opposition (a tip of the hat to our winner Hooney, and fellow participant Ron) put on a masterclass on how eat your hearts out, while simultaneously, the owners of JoJu (Scott and Julie) as well as the rest of the JoJu staff demonstrated why they may very well be the best banh mi joint in the five boroughs.
Verbatim: «there will be a short Bahn Mi eating contest…»… information that was conveyed in the event description; and it was by these words I set up my day by. Having not been to JoJu since 2014, and experiencing banh mi withdrawal… this «contest» seemed like a win-​win. In addition, I was able to satisfy a primal desire for competition as well as score a consolation prize in the form of one free banh mi with my next visit (with the free banh mi card distributed to all with attendance to this event… that made two for me!). Killed four birds with one stone on that one… many thanks to the ownership for devising a clever and fun «contest!»
Upon crossing the threshold separating the toasty and inviting interior of this little banh mi shoppe and the cold desolate exterior that was an unseasonably chilling late March evening, I found myself caught between a rock and a hard place. Tasty bites were offered from the start (chicken banh mi, banh mi fries, kimchi fries, beer, etc…) but it was an exercise in restraint not to partake; I needed to be at full strength in order to take on such worthy competition.
When Hooney, Ron, and myself finally got started on the aptly titled «JoJu Monster», again I found myself on the straights of Scylla and Charybdis (mythical impediments which barred the hero of the «Odyssey» from reaching the shores of his home on Ithaca, in case you didn’t know that). Why the dilemma you ask? Well, either I eat at break-​neck speeds in the hopes of winning, but at the expense of denying myself an opportunity to enjoy (what may have been) one of the most tasty banh mi I’ve had in this city to date (as well as tearing the roof of my mouth and voice box to shreds with half-​broken-​down pieces of crusty bread)… or, I eat at a relatively slower pace, taking in the tastes and textures, but then risk my chances of being competitive in the contest. Alas, a difficult decision needed to be made… a decision made all the more easier after being provided a front row seat to witness the resolve of my adversaries in demonstrating their acumen at eating in all of their (messy) glory.
And it was with that that observation that I concluded this: banh mi is meant to be enjoyed at a walking pace (as opposed to the full sprint required to win said contest). Am I using this as justification/​excuse for losing??? Maybe… haha… but with all the flavors and textures associated with a banh mi (especially the JoJu monster… i.e. the one I was required to cram in order to win), it’s certainly a sandwich that was designed to be savored. The creamy pâté, the savory meat slices, the acidity of the pickled veggies, the spiciness of the jalapenos… all brilliantly composed/​polymerized together within crusty bread (which was devastatingly jagged if not chewed and broken down with ample time… as also attested to by my competition)… yes, though I ate faster than normal, I pulled my proverbial punches in order to enjoy this masterpiece of a sandwich (served along with a large milk tea with pearls in it no less).
In the end, while I may not have been the victor on paper, I am of the mindset that there were no losers at this event this night. Delicious wares were sampled, the company was a pleasure, and even some friendly «competition» was bore witness to. A standing ‘O’ to our fearless leader Jando for knowing how to pick places, impeccable planning… expanding the Unilocal faithful’s horizons to some of the further reaches of Queens with stunning success. And keep up the excellent job JoJu, I can’t wait to have another banh mi under your roof… I’ll be savoring every bite, slowly and deliberately ;)

My favorite banh mi place and was so happy when I found out there were hosting a Unilocal event. First time I had JoJu was way back when they were a part of the Summer Stunner in 2012. I was hooked and since then, I make the trip out to Elmhurst just for these awesome sandwiches.
I attended the 7pm session and while this place is pretty tiny it fit all of us Unilocalers. We started off with an entertaining banh mi eating contest with Hoon, Ron, & Joshua. They had to eat the #9 which is their largest and spiciest sandwich. Hooney swallowed his sandwich and bubble tea and won! WOO!
Scott & Julie went around offering different types of banh mi and bubble tea concoctions. I had the strawberry bubble tea which was very good. They were super generous with everything. I tried the chicken, beef bulgogi, and caramelized pork (their newest menu item). The pork was super tender and delicious. It’s my new favorite banh mi. They also gave out banh mi fries and kimchi fries. At the end they had green tea matcha cupcakes for everyone. Although its not on their menu, they made them especially for us.
Thank you SO much to Jando, Scott, Julie, and the whole staff at JoJu for such an amazing event!

Ladies and gentlemen, banh mi’s and bubble tea’s, may I present to you, my 200^th Unilocal review! *YAY*
(Okay… so I cheated a little and held back some reviews just so I could save #200 for something special but you can’t blame me because this event totally deserved it!!!)
First off, THANK YOU, Scott and Julie, the owners of JoJu, for welcoming us in on a chilly Sunday evening and presenting to us such good food! I’m sitting on my bed with my laptop right now, unable to move, in complete post-​JoJu bliss. The Lemongrass Chicken and Bulgogi sandwiches had always been my long-​time favorites but now I’m adding Pork and Caramel Pork to the list! We also had a choice between Banh Mi and Kimchi fries. (The banh mi fries were loaded with flavors and kicked off a yummy party in my mouth!)
In addition to food, we were also offered Tiger beer and different flavored bubble tea. There was also a banh mi eating contest featuring 3 daring elites: Josh, Hooney, and Ron against the JoJu Monster sandwich and her accomplice, a large bubble tea. Hooney turned out to be the monster as he tore open the plastic seal to the bubble tea cup and chugged the bubbles in one move, winning the contest and the JoJu gift card. Congrats!
Towards the end, we were surprised with a Lixi (free banh mi card inside) for checking in to the event page and homemade Matcha Cupcakes which Scott personally baked for us! It was such a sweet and lovely gesture!
Huge monster thanks to Jando, Scott, and Julie for such a spectacular evening!

So so so so stoked I was finally able to visit JoJu (and it was an Elite event, no less.) I went for the 7pm session, enjoyed beers with some of my favorite people, and was constantly pushed to enter the JoJu Monster banh mi eating competition, which consisted of the JoJu Monster (what I imagine is what starving mountain creatures would eat considering the size of the darn thing), and a large milk tea with tapioca.
I sat down with Ron and Josh, and was all systems GO when. well when they said «Go!» Jeez the sandwich is ungodly delicious, decadent, dense, complex, yet simple, not spicy (let’s change that!) and large. Usually, they have one fried egg on it, but they decided that they hated/​loved us, so we got two fried eggs on our banh mi. The first half disappeared. The second half made me wish I had an adult with me. But lo and behold, yours truly won the $ 25 gift card for more banh mi!
I really and genuinely love this place, and a big thank you to Jando, Unilocal,Julie, Scott and the rest of the JoJu crew for a great event, and I promise I will be back sooner than later to redeem this gift card!

OMG what an awesome event!
I was so excited for this event since Jando told us all to come hungry! It’s been awhile (3 months, I think) since I last attended a food event so naturally I had high anticipation! And this place did not disappoint!
Upon arrival, we were greeted with two trays full of chicken and pork Vietnamese sandwiches. The owners Julie and Scott gave us a brief history of this restaurant and told us more food coming! We later had kimchi fries and they were amazing!
About half an hour into the event, the highly anticipated food contest took place. Three Unilocalers opted in the contest and they had to finish two full sandwiches with bubble tea. Hooney won the contest so congrats to the big winner of the night!
Afterwards, there were more food and drinks coming and they kept us Unilocalers happy!
Thanks to Jando and the owners who put on this wonderful event!

I’ve been meaning to try Joju forever! This was a fantastic event well worth the trek to Queens.
Joju is a pretty casual spot easily accessible by train so that was a plus. The event was split up into two waves due to the tight space and I attended the first one. We got to sample chicken, pork and caramel pork banh mi as well as kimchi or banh mi fries. The food was generously offered and kept flowing. The caramel pork definitely stole the show — the minced caramel pork was bursting with flavor and had just the right level of sweetness to it. The accompanying carrot, radish and cucumber was also crisp and generous. The kimchi fries were addicting — saucy and spicy, the perfect side. For drinks, a selection of bubble tea and Tiger beer was offered. I grabbed a random one which happened to be mango lychee — so sweet and refreshing!
There was a banh mi eating showdown with Josh, Hooney and Ron that was super exciting to watch. Those banh mis were massive, weighing in at 1.5lb. They had to down a large bubble tea too. I didn’t know who to root for. Hooney ended up being the champ!
Owners of Joju were in attendance and absolutely delightful and so, so hospitable. It was great to hear their story of how the shop came to be. We got a taste of an off menu treat — Scott baked mini green tea cupcakes for us that were so cute and delicious!
We received a red envelope for checking in – one free banh mi! I would have come back without it but that was a nice touch. Thanks for a great time, Joju and Unilocal Queens! Yo!(that’s cheers in Viet, supposedly)

Great food–
Tiger beer–
Bubble tea —
And Unilocal elite. What more do you need?!
Great time.
Good job Jando!

Not that I like playing favorites but… Well, there’s a reason why I travel to Queens so often. And, yes, Queens events are a big reason as to why that is.
First, a quick introduction: Joju is a small eatery in Elmhurst that’s long been lauded for their creative takes on the Banh Mi, the traditional Vietnamese sandwich. While you will find the typical pâté, ham, and head cheese fillings, there’s also options featuring Caramel-​glazed Pork and Bulgogi Beef, all with the requisite pickled vegetables (carrots, cucumber, radish, and cilantro) as well as an optional egg, cooked to your preference. I’d visited once before and enjoyed what my friend and I sampled, so needless to say, I was excited to make a visit again for the YEE.
Although I arrived a bit early for the second shift, it gave me enough time to catch up with a few Unilocalers from the earlier time slot and hear how Hooney destroyed the eating competition. As people slowly trickled in throughout the evening, the staff at Joju made sure we had plenty of things to try, from the delicious Vietnamese Coffee, to the well-​spiced Kimchi Fries, to (of course) their excellent Banh Mi. They were thankfully served in smaller cuts so we were able to try the Lemongrass Chicken, the Caramel Pork (a soon-​to-​be menu addition), and the Bulgogi Beef. Each of these are sandwiched in a perfectly crusty baguette, topped generously, and filled with unbelievably tender and flavorful proteins.
I have to commend Hansel, Gerry, and Rojé for downing the Monster Banh Mi and a large drink in front of us all (and Jando’s nonstop commentary), and to Hansel for emerging victorious [1]. But more importantly, many thanks are in order to Jando and Nelson for coordinating and overseeing two back-​to-​back sessions of us, and to the owners (Scott and Julie) and staff at Joju for being such wonderful hosts and making sure we were all properly fed and watered throughout the evening. If there’s any takeaway to be had, it should be this: Queens (and Joju) is well worth the visit, regardless of where you’re traveling from.
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[1] It was well worth the pain for the $ 25 gift certificate, in my opinion.