Vietnamese Restaurants

[JustJoel]

I’m surprised there’s no forum for restaurants, but I guess since this is mainly a cooking site, restaurant stuff belongs off topic...

You can’t throw a dead cat in La Vegas without hitting a Vietnamese restaurant these days. Thing is, they’re all pho and banh mi!

Vietnamese cuisine is one of the most complex and subtle cuisines on the planet as I understand it; a mixture of Asian and European cuisines that rival the most complex French orItalian techniques. So why can America only come up with soup and sandwich restaurants? I would love to experience some true haute Vietnamese cuisine! (Preferably when someone else is picking up the tab!)

 

[Andy M.]

It's kinda tough because we're scattered around the world. It does little good to rave about a great restaurant in Boston when only a couple of folks can take advantage.

 

[JustJoel]

You’ve certainly got a point there. But then what’s the point of our nightly dinner menus? We rarely post the recipes, and I’m not popping by Boston, or Albuquerque, Or Essex, or New Zealand for dinner anytime soon! It’s inspiration! Tell me about the chowder you had in Boston, post a pic, and maybe I’ll try making a facsimile of it!

Maybe one day I will get to Albuquerque to try that amazing chili!

So, have you got any high end Vietnamese restaurants around. I’ve done google and yelp searches and all I come up with is soup and sandwiches for Vegas. San Francisco and NYC seem to have their share...

 

[caseydog]

Houston, Port Arthur and other gulf coast cities in Texas have a huge Vietnamese population. There is a really cool fusion going on between Vietnamese and Cajun. A lot of Vietnamese restaurants serve crawfish, when in season.

Like all immigrants, Vietnamese immigrants adapt their cooking to make use of what is fresh and local in their new hometowns. The massive Vietnamese move at the end of the war to the USA led to a lot of Vietnamese moving to Houston and other places along the Texas gulf coast, because there is a lot of similarities between Vietnam and the Texas gulf coast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efNFAEleGnM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rk8BdXJBUI

CD

 

[buckytom]

Your argument is somewhat contradictory, Joel.

You say Vietnamese food is complex and subtle, but then you refer to Pho and Bahn Mi as merely soup and a sandwich, which they are not.

I agree there could be a restaurant thread, but like Andy said, we're few and far between.

And stop throwing dead cats, for fecks sake. What do you think Pho and Bahn Mi are made from?

 

[Rocklobster]

We go to a few in Ottawa, Ontario, but they are basically noodle houses..

 

[JustJoel]

Your argument is somewhat contradictory, Joel.

You say Vietnamese food is complex and subtle, but then you refer to Pho and Bahn Mi as merely soup and a sandwich, which they are not.

I agree there could be a restaurant thread, but like Andy said, we're few and far between.

And stop throwing dead cats, for fecks sake. What do you think Pho and Bahn Mi are made from?

Sorry. Pho can be as complex as a French onion soup, but it’s still soup. Same with banh mi. It’s a sandwich - ingredients encased in bread. Both delicious in their complexity or simplicity, they still are what they are. To say that that’s what Vietnamese cuisine consists of is like saying Italian cuisine consists of a slice of pizza and a bowl of minestrone.

I’m not a fan of reading about restaurants that, even if I could visit the cities, states, or countries in which they’re located, I probably couldn’t afford, if I could even get a reservation. But if one of you, whom I consider to be friends, posts a “review” of a little restaurant attached to a country inn in Vermont, or posts some pics of a fabulous fish sandwich from a beachside shack in Florida, or a sumptuous Creole dinner at a five star restaurant in NOLA, I feel like I’m personally involved, and I can ask you questions. Reading a restaurant review is just that. Reading your thoughts on a recently visited restaurant, or diner, or seafood shack, is communication.

Sorry about the “dead cat” thing. It is kinda gross, especially when referencing Asian food. I really don’t know where I picked it up. I’ll try to find a more “palatable” metaphor!

 

[Cooking Goddess]

I dunno about others on DC, Joel, but as for myself, I just don't enjoy eating out that much anymore. As my cooking skills improve, the restaurants I'm willing to spend money at are fewer and fewer. Locally, I'm down to two! Otherwise, I'd rather take the same amount of $$ to the grocery store and buy quality ingredients for two or three nights of meals for the two of us - with leftovers, usually! And there are just so many times I can rave about the Irish pub's "Now Famous Irish Potato Pizza" and still make it sound new.

 

[caseydog]

Sorry. Pho can be as complex as a French onion soup, but it’s still soup. Same with banh mi. It’s a sandwich - ingredients encased in bread. Both delicious in their complexity or simplicity, they still are what they are. To say that that’s what Vietnamese cuisine consists of is like saying Italian cuisine consists of a slice of pizza and a bowl of minestrone.

I’m not a fan of reading about restaurants that, even if I could visit the cities, states, or countries in which they’re located, I probably couldn’t afford, if I could even get a reservation. But if one of you, whom I consider to be friends, posts a “review” of a little restaurant attached to a country inn in Vermont, or posts some pics of a fabulous fish sandwich from a beachside shack in Florida, or a sumptuous Creole dinner at a five star restaurant in NOLA, I feel like I’m personally involved, and I can ask you questions. Reading a restaurant review is just that. Reading your thoughts on a recently visited restaurant, or diner, or seafood shack, is communication.

Sorry about the “dead cat” thing. It is kinda gross, especially when referencing Asian food. I really don’t know where I picked it up. I’ll try to find a more “palatable” metaphor!

Not sure where you are going with this post. Its a soup and sandwich. Its either good or not. Eat it, or don't eat it.

As for cities/state/whatever... sorry if Houston is out of your budget or not good enough for you. I was just trying to introduce you to something new and different. I personally love how foods get mixed as cultures combine.

I do know what you mean, though. I don't go to Vegas unless I'm paid a lot of money to go there. Yeah, lots of strip mall asian food joints... and strippers. I don't care much for either of them. If I lived in Vegas, I'd want to... wait, I'd never live in Vegas. Never mind.

If you ever find yourself in Dallas, I'll take you out for a good meal, and pick up the tab.

CD

 

[luckytrim]

Pho !

 

[buckytom]

No, that's just soup.



Brb, gotta go feed the cats...

 

[luckytrim]

It's Pho ! Of Course it's soup !


a type of Vietnamese soup, typically made from beef stock and spices to which noodles and thinly sliced beef or chicken are added.


Had it in 'Bravo Pho' ... the local Vietnamese Restaurant....

 

[Just Cooking]

No, that's just soup.



Brb, gotta go feed the cats...

To whom?..
Ross

 

[jennyema]

No, that's just soup.



Brb, gotta go feed the cats...

Umm... I got it ...

Luckily, Boston's Vietnamese population largely lives in my neighborhood so I have a lot of great Vietnamese food to eat anytime I want it.

But, guess what … I still order Pho most of the time.

And there is a bahn mi place right around the corner from my office and that's lunch quite often.

 

[buckytom]

To whom?..
Ross

Rofl!!!

 

[Rascal]

We eat out a lot, and have travelled extensively through Asia. The Vietnamese Korean Chinese Thai places here are all authentic to me, cooked by immigrants, some second generation. We are also in a dinner club that eat out once a month.

Russ

 

[medtran49]

I think pretty much all of us would post recipes and/or links if asked about an interesting dish we've mentioned on the dinner threads.

Ditto on spending $$ at restaurants. We'll go for breakfast or lunch once or twice a week, and there's a pizza place and a Thai/Japanese place that are our go to for take out, but high-end places that we go to for special occasions are few and far between, and 1 old fave got dropped off the very short list after our last visit. If I'm spending $150 and up for a meal for 2 then I better get a delicious meal and great service! If not, won't be back.

 

[buckytom]

I haven't had good Vietnamese in a while, come to think of it.

I'm craving those spring rolls with the chewy skin that's semi-transparent so you can see a shrimp and cilantro inside. What do you call those things? (besides Vietnamese Spring rolls)

 

[JustJoel]

Not sure where you are going with this post. Its a soup and sandwich. Its either good or not. Eat it, or don't eat it.

As for cities/state/whatever... sorry if Houston is out of your budget or not good enough for you. I was just trying to introduce you to something new and different. I personally love how foods get mixed as cultures combine.

I do know what you mean, though. I don't go to Vegas unless I'm paid a lot of money to go there. Yeah, lots of strip mall asian food joints... and strippers. I don't care much for either of them. If I lived in Vegas, I'd want to... wait, I'd never live in Vegas. Never mind.

If you ever find yourself in Dallas, I'll take you out for a good meal, and pick up the tab.

CD

I’m not sure what you’re talking about, CaseyDog! I never said anything disparaging about Houston, nor would I. I’ve been there several times, had some great food and fun times I don’t know where you came up with the idea that it’s “not good enough” for me!

And fusion is how modern Vietnamese cuisine was born. The Vietnamese are probably the best in the world when it comes to incorporating new techniques and foods into their already eclectic gastronomy.

The Asian restaurants here on and around Spring Mountain, where “Chinatown” is, are some of the best in the country, I’d wager. And the mix is incredible. I think nearly every Asian country is represented. Las Vegas is a lot more than “strip malls and strippers.” And it’s not all about the Strip either. And I don’t think I’ve ever been in a city with so many int’l markets. Everything from Phillipino to Korean to Indian, and everything within a half hour drive.

What I’m “doing” with this thread is just trying to spark a conversation. I’m really sorry you infer insults or slights where there is no such implication.

And I will take you up on that offer for a Dallas dinner! Probably not any time soon though. Travel is simply not in our budget right now...

 

[Rascal]

I haven't had good Vietnamese in a while, come to think of it.

I'm craving those spring rolls with the chewy skin that's semi-transparent so you can see a shrimp and cilantro inside. What do you call those things? (besides Vietnamese Spring rolls)

my wife calls them spring rolls in condoms,lol.

Russ