Summary
"Ah," I answered, "fancy sink." And fancy it was, a long floating trough that appeared carved from some glittery blue lunar rock. He ran one hand carefully along the basin's rim like a meticulous carpenter. " Whaddaya think it's made of?" he asked me, as if I was also a carpenter rather than someone who can't put together Ikea barstools.
Had we been washing up in the restroom of a Garces or Starr establishment, the conversation wouldn't have been so unusual. But you don't see many sinks like this in restaurants devoted to the homestyle cooking of Southern Vietnam. I said as much to the hipster-dad, who indicated the space-agey Dyson Airblade fixed to the wall. "Dude, waitll you check out the hand-dryer."What is "authentic" anyway? I say it's not a concept defined by atmosphere (or lack thereof) but by soul and honesty, which the food at Vietnam Café has in spades. Think goi du du ga, an addictively crunchy slaw of green papaya and carrot similar to Thai som tarn, with an added forest of Vietnamese herbs and a splash of fish sauce that enhanced rather than overwhelmed the other flavors. Finely veined grape leaves hugged sesame-seasoned ground beef in another classic Vietnamese snack, bo nuong la, the [Lais] have been making since opening their Chinatown restaurant Vietnam in 1984. At the Café, these u marni bars were so uncommonly juicy I swiped the last one while my dinner guest wasn't looking. And I don't even like grape leaves.See the full content of this document
Extract
Saigon Style
Saigon Style
Vietnam Café is back and better than ever.The hipster-dad waved his hands beneath the swan-necked faucet. "Automatic," he explained, as I smeared hoisin fingerprints all over its satin nickel surface."Ah," I answered, "fan...See the full content of this document
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