Vietnamese Cuisines
Hanoi House Elevates St. Mark’s Street’s Asian Food Scene
St. Mark’s street has long been a haven for cheap and quick Asian food of all sorts; a mecca for NYU students in search of affordable, filling dinners, or late night, alcohol-absorbing snacks. Yet its myriad holes-in-the-wall have rarely qualified as dining destinations unto themselves — making the just-opened Hanoi House a rather unique, exciting bird for New Yorkers at-large…
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Summer Sips: Vietnamese Iced Coffee
Now that iced coffee season is in full swing, you may find yourself craving a little variety from your daily cold-brew. For those willing to venture into sweeter realms of coffee on the rocks, Vietnamese-style iced coffee (Ca Phe Sua Da) may just be your summer salvation. Restaurant Girl dishes on where to find some of the best Vietnamese iced coffee in New York…
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The Slanted Door
Some may say this modern Vietnamese eatery, which opened in 1995 and relocated to the Ferry Building in 2004, has become too mainstream and lost some of its authenticity. Well, I’m glad I didn’t let any of the naysayers deter me from revisiting The Slanted Door because James Beard Best Chef Winner, Charles Phan, is still making magic in the kitchen. Sure, the drinks are undeniably trendy and the kitchen often takes a Westernized approach, but the food with its exotic Vietnamese flavors is as exciting as ever. Not to mention the amazing view of the bay (via floor-to-ceiling windows) from just about every table in the restaurant. While Slanted Door is technically not a seafood restaurant, they happen to have a terrific raw bar with locally plucked, California Yellowtail Sashimi and a beautiful dish of wondrously fresh Wild California...
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Best New Find – Bear
If you’re not impressed by the Swarovski crystal chandeliers or Venetian-tiled floors at this showy Long Island City spot, you’ll still be won over by its unique menu of New European food. The offerings change every night, so sit back and put your faith in the hands of the chef. Kickstart your evening with The Vodka Special, which features three small bites like Eggplant Caviar, Ukrainian Lardo, or Red Potatoes with Sunflower and Fresh Dill, plus several shots of vodka. They’ve also featured some great entrees recently, like Veal Dumplings, Buckwheat Pilaf, and a Pork Loin Sandwich. And be sure to ask if they’re serving their Home-Made Chocolate Truffles for...
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Not So Traditional Turkey Pho
Sandwiches, casseroles and pot pies are great, but why not step up your Thanksgiving leftovers game this year by adding a Vietnamese accent to your standard turkey soup?
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Rouge et Blanc
If you haven’t been to Rouge et Blanc, the Ceviche is a perfect excuse… to start anyway. But there’s a lot to adore about this French-Vietnamese sleeper in Soho. The small plates menu make it ideal for a date or a light dinner where you can share and sample the scope of the menu, which includes Vietnamese Sausage and Hanoi Chicken.
Read MoreBia Garden – Reviewed
*** Three Stars Address: 154 Orchard St., btwn. Stanton & Rivington Sts. Phone: (212)780-0100 Cuisine: Vietnamese street food Vibe: Hush hush backyard beer garden Occasion:; Group dinner; Beer binges; LES dining. Hours: Dinner; Seven days a week, Sun-Thu, 5p.m-12a.m., Sat & Sun,5p.m.-2a.m. Don’t Miss Dish: Crispy pork belly; Duck nem sausage; Baked whole fish. Average Price: Appetizers, $10, Entrees, $15, No dessert. Reservations: No reservations accepted. Cash only.Capsule: An exotic beer oasis on the Lower East Side. Think La Esquina by way of Vietnam and you’ve got Bia Garden, which recently opened on the Lower East Side. If you’re not the kind of eater that hunts down restaurants, you might miss it. But it’s worth discovering. There’s a dinky grill out front, the kind you’d find in someone’s backyard in the suburbs. Step down a flight of stairs...
Read MoreIndochine's Vietnamese Bouillabaisse
By Chef-owner Huy Chi Le Serves 4 Ingredients:Seafood 2 dozen freshly cleaned mussels12 shelled & deveined large prawns1 cup calamari rings½ lb medium scallops Vegetables2 cups finely shredded Chinese cabbage½ cup fried minced shallots4 sprigs Asian basil (for garnish)4 lime wedges (optional) Broth4 cups fish broth (chicken broth can be substituted)2 cups coconut milk2 tablespoons finely shredded kaffir lime leaves½ tablespoon shrimp paste2 tablespoons garlic chili paste (more or less to taste)½ tablespoon curry powder (or paste)5 tablespoons undiluted Vietnamese fish sauce4 tablespoons tomato paste1 tablespoon sugar Procedure: Bring the broth, coconut milk, shrimp paste, chili paste, fish sauce, tomato paste and sugar to a boil; reduce heat; add the curry powder and lime leaves; simmer at medium heat for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Add the mussels and let simmer for 2 or 3 minutes....
Read MoreBar Bao
Redefining Vietnamese on the upper West Side. 100 W. 82nd St., (212) 501-0776. Mon.-Wed., 6 p.m.-1 a.m.; Thurs.-Fri., 6 p.m.-2 a.m.; Sat., 5 p.m.-2 a.m.; Sun., 5-10 p.m. CUISINE Vietnamese VIBE Cozy meets cool upper West Sider. OCCASION First date, group dinner, neighborhood outing. DON’T-MISS DISH Daikon duck hash, cuttlefish with salsa verde, duck fried rice. AVERAGE PRICE Appetizers $11, entrées $20, desserts $8. RESERVATIONS Recommended When I was just an eater and not a writer, I used to dine at a number of Bao restaurants – Bao Noodles, Bao 111, and also Mai House, where Bao was in the kitchen. It was like a chain of Bao restaurants, a chain in time, not space. Now there’s Bar Bao on 82nd Street. If you order one way at Bar Bao, it’s like eating at an old Bao restaurant. Order...
Read MoreMai House
186 Franklin St., at Hudson St. (212)431-0606 TYPE: Modern Vietnamese VIBE: Earthbound sleek OCCASION: A hip date or group dinner DON’T MISS DISH: Fresh dungeness crab DON’T BOTHER DISH: Duck leg confit DRINK SPECIALTY: Buddha’s eye cocktail PRICE: $55 & up HOURS: Dinner, Monday – Saturday, 5:45 PM- 11:30 PM. Lunch hours are imminent. RESERVATIONS: Reservations are recommended, especially on weekends. RESTAURANT GIRL RATES (1-10): 7 (very good) FINAL WORD: Drew Nieporent of Nobu fame gets back in the game with modern vietnamese of the exotic wild boar sorts. CHEAT SHEET: DRINK: Buddha’s eye cocktail or a Mai-jito NIBBLE ON: Shrimp chips START WITH: Hot mushroom spring rolls ORDER: Fresh dungeness crab FINISH WITH: Almond banana cake With a number of prominent restaurants in his back pocket (Nobu, Centrico & Tribeca Grill), Drew Nieporent has set his sights…across the...
Read MoreLollipop Lounge
27 East 61 Street btwn. Park & Lexington Aves. (212)752-8900 TYPE: Thai Vietnamese tapas VIBE: Adults-only candyland OCCASION: A furtive affair or commitment-free dinner date GO WITH: Party types DON’T MISS DISH: Yellowfin tuna lollipops DON’T BOTHER DISH: Beef lollipops PRICE: $30 & up (bottles are big bucks) HOURS: Dinner & drinks, Monday-Friday, 5 PM-3:30 AM, food service stops at 12 AM. RESERVATIONS: Recommended, especially when it comes to bottle service INSIDE SCOOP: Get your hands on a lollipop necklace (membership has its privileges) RESTAURANT GIRL RATES (1-10): 4.5 FINAL WORD: Alluring for late-night nibbles, naughty nights, & last licks… The owners of Geisha & Serafina plan to stir up a little trouble on the Upper East Side with their newest venture, Lollipop Lounge. An homage to the orally fixated New Yorker, this uber-sleek subterranean lounge screams sex &...
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