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THE BEST: Vietnamese

Fat Guy

By Fat Guy
in New York: Dining

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Fat Guy

Fat Guy

Posted
Posted

We were discussing the best Vietnamese in Chinatown, but it's not as though New York has such an embarrassment of riches when it comes to Vietnamese -- so I figured it might be best to open it up to the whole area.

Has anybody tried O Mai in Chelsea or Bao 111 in the East Village?

Also, what's the deal with the thing in the Museum of Natural History?

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

Lyle

Lyle

Posted
Posted

Also, if possible, could someone tell me where in Manhattan are there large concentrations of Vietnamese restaurants/businesses? In greater NYC?

Rice pie is nice.

tommy

tommy

Posted
Posted

Bao 111 used to be Vicala, if i'm not mistaken. same owners, similar idea. i found Vicala to be the typical slightly-upscale vietnamese/french blend. mrs. tommy returned from Bao 111 the other night, proclaiming it slightly better and more focused than Vicala. i'll have to give it a shot.

this thread is bound to produce a diverse and iffy list. for example, some people will no doubt mention "viet nam" as one of the best in the city. while i used to like this place, i've found it horrible in the last 5 years. and if anyone suggests L'Annam, i'll just lose all hope. :shock:

tommy:eats.com
scamhi

scamhi

Posted
Posted

My standard in Manhattan in Nha Trang.

Recently we went to Truc Mai 6102 7th Avenue and about 61st Street in Brooklyn. Food was very good to excellent. Mostly vietnamese diners. If you aree still hungry there is a good Banh Mi joint across the street Ba Xuyen 6011 7th Ave.

LESider

LESider

Posted
Posted

Here's a short list by food item of my fave Vietnamese dishes in NYC

Pho:

Pho Bang at 5 Pell St

Pho Bang (Mott/Grand))

Cong Ly (Hester/Chrystie)

Grilled Pork Chop:

Green Bamboo (Mott/Canal)

Nha Trang

Bahn Mi:

Bahn Mi (Forsyth/East Broadway)

Bahn Mi (Broome/Mott)

was recently at Vietnam on Mott below Canal. pork chops were ok and grilled fish was good but not recommended overall...

Pan

Pan

Posted
Posted
Has anybody tried[...]Bao 111 in the East Village?

I was trying to figure out why I hadn't heard of this place. This is why:

Bao 111

111 Avenue C, New York, NY 10009

(212) 254-7773

Yep, Av. C and 8th. I don't walk on Av. C that often. The question for me is, since it's a 20-25 minute walk to Chinatown (alright, maybe 30 minutes for Baxter St.) and would probably take about 10 minutes for me to walk to Av. C, what's the cost-benefit analysis?

Michael aka "Pan"

 

tommy

tommy

Posted
Posted (edited)
The question for me is, since it's a 20-25 minute walk to Chinatown (alright, maybe 30 minutes for Baxter St.) and would probably take about 10 minutes for me to walk to Av. C, what's the cost-benefit analysis?

it's more upscale than your average chinatown place. has a decent wine list. service is probably a bit more polished. dishes are probably a bit different, as they are not strictly "authentic" vietnamese (which of course does not mean it's better, just different). seems like this place can coexist with the places in chinatown, as they are different animals meeting different needs.

Edited by tommy (log)
tommy:eats.com
cdh

cdh

Posted
Posted

I've enjoyed Nam Phuong in Tribeca... 6th b/t Walker and White if I recall rightly... or maybe 6th is still Church down there... not sure.... anyway, it is immedaiely west of the monstrous AT&T ziggurat.

Anyway... very good pho and other soups, and quite tasty entrees... excellent summer rolls and other wrapped pre-dinner nibbles. Jackfruit shakes are also memorable.

Christopher D. Holst aka "cdh"

Learn to brew beer with my eGCI course

Chris Holst, Attorney-at-Lunch

danger_doug

danger_doug

Posted
Posted

I'm with Scamhi! Nha Trang is consistently delicious. Just yesterday I had their barbecued beef cubes which were simply remarkable, and their squid with chili and lemongrass singlehandedly put my faith back into squid dishes...

Pan

Pan

Posted
Posted
The question for me is, since it's a 20-25 minute walk to Chinatown (alright, maybe 30 minutes for Baxter St.) and would probably take about 10 minutes for me to walk to Av. C, what's the cost-benefit analysis?

it's more upscale than your average chinatown place. has a decent wine list. service is probably a bit more polished. dishes are probably a bit different, as they are not strictly "authentic" vietnamese

You know how they say good reviewing helps people to make decisions based on descriptions? This may have helped me make a decision. The place you're describing sounds like Cyclo, on 1st Av. between 13th and 14th. I'm not interested in paying $6.50 for ordinary brisket pho without omosa and tendon, rather than $3.50 for tastier pho with omosa and tendon in Chinatown, just because the restaurant has fancy decor, serves creme brulee for dessert, and tones down the spices (which toning down is not desirable to me). And a wine list is the furthest thing from my mind when I'm eating Vietnamese food, even though I could hardly say it's completely "inauthentic," given the French influence on Vietnamese food (and is this place really serving French food with Vietnamese accents?). But give me some good tea anytime with Vietnamese food. So I think that I'll be walking to Chinatown or going somewhere else in the neighborhood, unless the food is just unusually good at this place, in which case, I might be willing to suspend my disbelief in fusion and try it once. I was underwhelmed by Vong the only two times I went there, but that's more Thai-influenced, and I'm not sure that a French-Vietnamese fusion couldn't be made to work better than a Thai-French fusion. Count me as doubtful, though.

Michael aka "Pan"

 

  • 2 weeks later...
bpearis

bpearis

Posted
Posted
I'm with Scamhi! Nha Trang is consistently delicious. Just yesterday I had their barbecued beef cubes which were simply remarkable, and their squid with chili and lemongrass singlehandedly put my faith back into squid dishes...

thinking of going here tomorrow before a show at bowery ballroom. what else do you guys reccomend there?

"If it's me and your granny on bongos, then it's a Fall gig'' -- Mark E. Smith

Mistinguett

Mistinguett

Posted
Posted

Must try the seafood soup - the one without the noodles. I could have that every day.

I didn't have a disappointing dish there so I'd say go with with whatever you're craving at the moment.

The human mouth is called a pie hole. The human being is called a couch potato... They drive the food, they wear the food... That keeps the food hot, that keeps the food cold. That is the altar where they worship the food, that's what they eat when they've eaten too much food, that gets rid of the guilt triggered by eating more food. Food, food, food... Over the Hedge
scamhi

scamhi

Posted
Posted
I'm with Scamhi! Nha Trang is consistently delicious. Just yesterday I had their barbecued beef cubes which were simply remarkable, and their squid with chili and lemongrass singlehandedly put my faith back into squid dishes...

thinking of going here tomorrow before a show at bowery ballroom. what else do you guys reccomend there?

The satay flavor pho

cold beef salad

crispy squid

Lemongrass chicken

when will it ever be summer rolls

iced coffee with condensed milk

Pan

Pan

Posted
Posted

The last time I was at Pho Nha Trang (Centre St.), I got a beef stew pho that I was happy with. It's been a while, though.

Michael aka "Pan"

 

bpearis

bpearis

Posted
Posted

Viet-Nam is no more. It is now Doyers Street Vietnamese Restaurant. They had a Grand Opening sign up on Saturday. Didn't go in.

"If it's me and your granny on bongos, then it's a Fall gig'' -- Mark E. Smith

tommy

tommy

Posted
Posted
Viet-Nam is no more. It is now Doyers Street Vietnamese Restaurant. They had a Grand Opening sign up on Saturday. Didn't go in.

that's pretty big news! i suppose we need to find out if it's new owners/chef/etc.

tommy:eats.com
Blondie

Blondie

Posted
Posted

Nha Trang on Baxter Street is undergoing renovations. According to the permit they are upgrading the HVAC, but they've torn out much of the dining room as well.

New Pasteur next door is a longtime favorite of mine.

Sometimes When You Are Right, You Can Still Be Wrong. ~De La Vega

  • 1 year later...
Pumpkin Lover

Pumpkin Lover

Posted
Posted

Okay. I've never had pho before. Or bahn mi (I want to try it after the Levine piece in the NYT). I'm confused by the names of places that people throw out. And there doesn't seem to be a comprehensive list of Vietnamese places in the forum.

Tell me:

1) The name of your fav Vietnamese restaurant

2) The address (I'll go anywhere, so list Queens and Brooklyn places also), and

3) What it specializes in, like pho or bahn mi.

I will be indebted to all of you for your help. :smile:

rozrapp

rozrapp

Posted
Posted
Annan -- 3rd Ave. and 28th st (approx.)

There may be better ones out there, but Annan is reliably good and it sure does smell divine.

That would be L'Annam. We ate there only once not long after it opened, and that was once too often because I thought the food was mediocre.

Also nearby is Anh, on 3rd Ave., b/t 26th & 27th Sts. But a couple of meals showed it to be rather inconsistent.

Our fav in that neighborhood is the never disappointing -- at least, for us -- Bao Noodles, on 2nd Ave., b/t 23rd & 24th Sts. My favorites there are vegetable spring rolls, green papaya salad with shrimp, stir-fried chicken with lemongrass, and spicy beef stew with carrots & daikon.

Pan

Pan

Posted
Posted

Lochina, do you have a preference for the Centre St. vs. the Baxter St. location, or vice versa?

Michael aka "Pan"

 

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