Banh mi ban!

Fatty Dog | Fatty Crab

No stranger to Vietnamese sandwiches, Zak Pelaccio put one on the menu at Williamsburg’s Chickenbone Café back in 2002. And seemingly unfazed by the recent banh mi boomlet, Pelaccio says, “I don’t know why it’s become an obsession recently but it’s long overdue. It’s a great sandwich and Americans love a great sandwich, right?”

True that. Adding to the fray, Fatty Crab has recently seen the birth of the Fatty Dog, a staff favorite that worked its way to the dining room of the restaurant's new Upper West Side branch. Pelaccio describes the high-low hybrid as “a banh mi meets the Chicago-style dog.”

This is no gussied-up Ballpark Frank, of course. The sausage is crafted in-house using Berkshire pork, shrimp paste and XO sauce, and is splayed out on a Martin’s potato roll slathered with aioli. Garnished with chile, radish and garlic as well as cucumber and cilantro, the result is funky, fiery and refined. ($10)

Suitable sub? 5 stars. Who knew what the world needed right now was a Malaysian haute dog? The ingredient combination is unique enough to hold the attention of even the most jaded palates.

Fatty Crab Uptown (2170 Broadway near 77th St., 212-496-2722)