I love hue tu bo kho. the nam vang not so much.
Forget the "love". Why no recipes?
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[[Some ingredients stay secret, as they must.]]
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Just the richness and variety of Vietnamese noodle soup makes the 20 hours plane trip to Vietnam worthwhile.
Having lived in southern Vietnam for many years, I would have to say that "em" as the term for the wife is more than just dearly affectionate. It's much more and only the Vietnamese understand the depth and nuance of its meaning. I applaud Ms. Nguyen and Mr. Lin for naming her restaurant "Em."
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"....that makes you feel rich just to live in New York, with all the world in five boroughs"
america is great already. thank you for the reminder. what a wonderful writer you are. don't stop.
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Can't wait to try when I am back in NY. My cousin lives in Bensonhurst. Now we have a new place to go besides Spumoni Gardens (Which is also an excellent place!). I lived in Vietnam for 3 years and especially loved Hu Tieu. Most people know Pho but in Saigon IMHO the Hu Tieu is the better choice.
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What a great story!
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My mouth is watering. Do you think you could figure out a way to share the wealth of NYC restaurants with the hinterlands? We'd sure appreciate it.
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I have spent a fair amount of time for business reasons in St. Louis and I feel your pain. But the opportunity to enjoy such culinary diversity comes with the appreciation and celebration of diversity--in all its cultural/racial/ethnic/national origin/gender spectra. It's something we here on the Left coast are fortunate to have had in spades for decades. Thus the wealth of culinary treasures in restaurants of all stripes, and the glorious farmers markets' offerings. I love the varied produce from my wonderful local vendors--who include people of Cambodian, Somali, Sudanese, Iraqi, and Pakistani origin, who are always happy to teach you how to cook with particular fruits, herbs, spices, and vegetables. If the hinterlands were more welcoming to "different" people, perhaps the culinary landscape there would a tad more interesting than breaded deep-fried ravioli and egg foo young sandwiches made with white bread.
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Seems to me that NYC needs more Vietnamese restaurants, the food is amazing there. I only visited N. Vietnam but was totally impressed.
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This is the best love story/restaurant review combo I've read. Putting Em on my visit list!
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Looks tasty to me!
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A true example of the way to man's heart through his stomach! It's not only amazing that NYC has so many cuisines but within each cuisine, there are variations.
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Sounds like nothing for a vegetarian there.
Will not be eating at "Em."
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@ SmartenUp
I am with you about Em, but not for reasons of vegetarianism. I dislike all flat noodles and Italian pasta that is not cylindrical, like long macaroni. Besides, the sandwiches in the photos look like Newyorkized versions of the Vietnamese, both -- to me -- of questionable taste.
Really appreciate your thoughtful and insightful commentary. I could not have figured it out on my own, even though the first sentence in the article discusses the various pork products that are featured in the dish.
Did you not read to the end where the reporter writes about a mango shake?
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The sandwich with pate and head sausage does not sounds newyorkified. The opposite, in fact, given the gratuitous vegetarian swipe by the other commenter. As for your dislike of all flat noodles and non-cylindrical pasta - man, that's a really particular and creative aversion.
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