I am from Vietnam and have long given up eating in any Vietnamese restaurant in NYC. None of the ones I have tried served authentic Vietnamese food. One restaurant added sesame oil into Pho Bo. Sesame oil in pho? OMG, so wrong in so many ways. Some of them serve Banh Mi (French sandwich, they claim) and I stopped eating it after the first bite. If you inspected these restaurants, you would see that chefs/cooks are not from Vietnam, hence don't know the cuisine well. Just like a sushi/sashimi chef is not trained in Japan but learned it on the job. Well, maybe I will try this restaurant because the female chef is from Vietnam. Wish me luck!
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Aah, I would love to go around the city and eat with you, Ms. Mishan!
Any chance of NYT publishing a recipe or two? Clearly these are well thought-out and -prepared dishes.
You lost me at the head and feet part.
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This place looks great, and eager to try it soon. Would be worth knowing if the birds used are cage free and have any other unique characteristics, which as an essential ingredient, add to the food being served. Despite that, the clear message is that focus on the part of chefs and making what's served are pivotal, rather than having a multitude of flavors and being the genius in the kitchen, yields extraordinary and satisfying results.
I salute the author on her routinely superb writing, detailed and precise, which I always read regardless of being across the country and unlikely to be a customer. I appreciate the information about why things are done in the dishes, and the evocation of the passion of the chef. I look forward to the day when Pete Wells lets Ms. Mishan review one of his expensive but usually boring restaurants, and perhaps we will learn more about why such places exist.
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I remember Chef Andy Ricker saying that he thought some of the most successful new Pacific Rim restaurants in the U.S. might feature just one dish, like chicken, do it well and become successful as a result. I was schooled on Vietnamese food by some chef friends in Westminster, O.C., CA. Wish Bep Ga was closer would love to try their Pho looks really good!
Andy's book 'Pok Pok' is one of my all-time favorites and I've cooked more than 20 recipes from it. I found it also to be a easy gateway to cooking Vietnamese food-also one of the world's great cuisines. I was saddened to learn that he had to close Pok Pok in LA and his noodle house in Portland, OR. the latter due to folks not wanting to pay $14 for Thai noodles when they can get a bowl of Pho for $7 down the street.
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OMG. Com ga Hoi An. Such delicious memories.
Small in setting but BIG on flavor! Delicious!
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I love Asian food and my mouth is salivating. I have been to Thailand and Vietnam, loving the soups and chicken dishes which were memorable. Since I live in theHudson Valley, I will have to make a pilgrimage to this restaurant, hoping it doesn't disappear before I get there. I do hope they get to have more than two tables.
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