Ahn

[rozrapp]

Last night, we had dinner at Anh, the Vietnamese restaurant which Eric Asimov reviewed in this past Wednesday’s NY Times.

The restaurant is not large. There is banquette seating on one side of the room. Tables on the other side and in the middle of the room are quite close together. Décor is spare, but pleasant: one painted wall bare, except for a couple of sconces; the opposite wall decorated with stone on the bottom half and dark wood slats on the top – unusual and attractive – while a colorful hanging adorns a short wall at the back of the banquet.

Most of the tables were occupied when we walked in without a reservation at around 6:30 p.m. We were seated at a rather small table in the middle, which was separated from the occupied two-top next to us by only a sliver of space. Menus were provided immediately, and we were asked about our choice of beverage. I requested tap water and my husband ordered a glass of Cabernet. We had questions about many of the menu items, but after the prompt arrival of the drinks, nobody came by to take our order, there were no service personnel in the dining room for a while, and we began to wonder about the level of service. I was also feeling quite uncomfortable at this table, and my husband agreed that we should request a change to one along the banquette that had opened up. Finally, one of the servers did come over, No problem about the table change. We were given a large table at the corner of the banquette. More roomy. Much better! At this point, our server was there to answer all our questions, she waited very patiently while we made our decisions and, from then on, service was fine.

Our appetizers were the Cha Gio (Crispy Vietnamese spring rolls), Ca Tim Nuong (Grilled Asian eggplant with ginger lime sauce), and Bo La Me (Grilled beef wrapped in camphorlike sesame leaves “la me” served with lettuce, fresh herbs and nuoc cham). We chose the spring rolls because it is the type of item we are familiar with from other Asian cuisines, and we wanted to see how it compared. The wrapper was on the thick side, though not anywhere near as thick as a Chinese egg roll wrapper, but not as thin as a Chinese or Thai spring roll wrapper. The filling seemed to be vegetarian. There were 4 rolls, deep-fried to crispness. I thought them a tad greasy, but the flavor of the filling was good, and the dipping sauce accompanying them added nice zip. My husband was the one who wanted the beef. I tasted a piece of the meat, and it was o.k. But I am not much of a beef person. He enjoyed “stuffing,” wrapping, and dipping, and said it was all delicious. I had suggested the eggplant. It was grilled to soft perfection, arriving in chunks atop the ginger lime sauce, a lovely flavoring. We both agreed that this dish was sensational!

For the main course, my husband selected Bo Xao (Sautéed sirloin of beef with string beans, fresh chilis and basil.) The beef was in small chunks, the beans were haricots verts, there were thinly sliced onions, and the sauce had some spiciness to it without being overpowering. My husband said it was one of the best Asian dishes he had ever eaten. He remarked particularly about the sauce, and how delicious it was. I ordered Tom Xao (Sauteed jumbo shrimp with tomatoes and fresh basil). There were 7 or 8 shrimp, perfectly sautéed – some of the best I have tasted. There were several large tomatoes, sliced in half and cooked without becoming mushy, and lots of thickly sliced sauteed onions. There was a pleasant-tasting sauce with shredded basil mixed in. A very good dish!

We did not have dessert because we had a craving for the gelato at Il Gelatone, which is two blocks away. However, Anh’s desserts sound appealing. Among the selections are a banana pudding and a tempura coconut ice cream. Next time.

The tables at Anh are set only with chopstick -- no silverware -- though when dishes come to the table, there are serving implements with some of them. I did ask for a fork and knife for my shrimp and tomatoes. While I can use chopsticks fairly well, I am not skilled enough to attempt very large shrimp and very large tomato pieces without them falling into my lap.

The young man who was managing the dining room came to our table just as we were finishing our main course. I asked him to tell me a little about the sauces that were part of each of these dishes. He said that the ingredients for the sauce in the meat dish included curry and fish sauce. We asked if it was exactly how a Vietnamese would eat it, or had it been altered to suit American palates. He said that they had toned down the fish sauce, but the spice level was not different. As for the sauce accompanying the shrimp, the base was the essence of tomatoes with spices added.

The manager told us that they have been open for 3 months and have done no advertising. They were, of course, thrilled with the Asimov review. Frankly, this place is s-o-o-o much better than L’Annam, the other Vietnamese restaurant just a stone’s throw up the avenue. We tried it when it first opened several years ago and didn’t like the food at all.

My husband and I do not have much experience with Vietnamese cuisine, so we can only base our opinion of Anh on how everything tasted to us. And, as you can tell, it all tasted mighty fine. Eric Asimov thought so too. You can see his review here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/02/dining/02UNDE.html

Anh

363 Third Ave., between 26th & 27th Sts.

212-532-2848/2858

Take-out and delivery are available.

[tommy]

i missed that asimov bit. thank god there's another option besides l'annam, which, of course, is simply horrible. great review. thanks!

[phaelon56]

Just curious.... what are the prices like and did you try their iced coffee with condensed milk?

[rozrapp]

We thought prices were quite moderate. Apps range from $4 to $7; main courses from $8 to $14; noodle dishes from $7 to $10. Rice is extra. We had the jasmine @ $1.00. Stir fried rice with chicken, sprinkled with chopped vegetables is $6. I don't have a list of all the desserts, but the banana pudding is $4. Portions are generous.

I don't recall seeing iced coffee listed on the menu in the restaurant, and it's not on the take-out menu's beverage list.

[JosephB]

I walked into Anh on Monday afternoon after 2:00 o'clock. The place was mostly empty. A guy was watering the attractive bamboo trees crowded along the open store front of the restaurant. "Perfect," I thought, the waitress would have time to chat.

Watch out for the hot water in the bathroom to the left. When I looked away for a moment to admire the well-appointed facilities, I nearly suffered a second-degree burn from the tap. I was so traumatized I returned to the wrong table when I was done. The waitress was amused, and instantly recognized the source of my confusion. "You're lost without your wife," she declared. I didn't get it either.

As I studied the menu, she stood nearby, offering suggestions whenever my glance moved towards her. I asked for a minute and got more suggestions. When I figured out that "gimme a minute" was not persuading her, I gave up and ordered an appetizer to buy some time.

Before long a plate with three flabby looking rice flour “ravioli” was placed before me. Each one was filled with carefully chopped mushrooms that I guessed were the straw variety. On top of the ravioli were scattered leaves of fragrant basil, cilantro, and tarragon, and some fried slices of shallot. The ravioli shimmered in a liquid of fish sauce, lemon and sugar. Each bite was a harmonious blend of sweet, salty, and sour. ($5)

While I enjoyed the ravioli, I learned that my friendly waitress, who called herself Amy, arrived with her family from southern Vietnam about one year ago, where they worked growing coffee beans (probably for beans). She told me that she had quickly learned enough English to land a job as a waitress. The rest of her family has not been as fortunate. I complemented her English, which sent her beaming. She turned to the lady at the next table, who had just closed the menu, and in a bright tone said, “Yes, how may I help you?”

I was amazed at the size of the portion of the next dish that Amy served me. I had ordered one of the lunch specials, which was pork marinated in lemongrass and sesame and grilled (it reminded me of Korean barbecue), and served with a sweet and salty dipping sauce, some pickled cucumbers and fluffy jasmine rice. What arrived were three very tender and richly flavored pork chops with generous portions of the sides I described. It was very good. At $5.25, the place was no doubt losing money on this dish. I overheard other diners express similar amazement over the dishes served to them. I figured the dish was worth $10.25 and gave Amy the difference.

[phaelon56]

I will plan on trying this place. I'm shocked ot hear that they don't have Viet iced coffee with condensed milk on the menu - it is literally a staple item. The only places I dont' see it are those restaurnats that are Thai oriented and offer some Viet dishes to have a bit of variety or appeal to a larger audience. Not a problem - if there are Vietnamese folks working there and/or running the place, I'm sure it's available on request even if it's not on the menu.

[rozrapp]

I will plan on trying this place. I'm shocked ot hear that they don't have Viet iced coffee with condensed milk on the menu - it is literally a staple item. The only places I dont' see it are those restaurnats that are Thai oriented and offer some Viet dishes to have a bit of variety or appeal to a larger audience.  Not a problem - if there are Vietnamese folks working there and/or running the place, I'm sure it's available on request even if it's not on the menu.

Even though I don't remember seeing it on the menu doesn't mean they don't have it. But by all means, if it's not, you should definitely ask for it. The staff seems very agreeable.

We ate at Ahn again on Wednesday and tried some other dishes.

From the appetizer category, we ordered Tom Cuon ($6) Grilled jumbo shrimp wrapped in soft rice paper with vermicelli and fresh herbs. There were 3 shrimp, gigantic as advertised. They were accompanied by a spicy dipping sauce topped with chopped peanuts. A delicious starter.

Main course choices were: Com Thos Ga ($9) Ginger chicken baked in a clay pot with shiitake mushrooms, snow peas over scallion marinated rice was o.k., but I thought it nothing to rave about.

Vit Tiem ($12) Marinated duck sauteed with Vietnamese herbs, spice, and light soy sauce, served with vinaigrette cucumber, mango and lime ginger sauce was a disappointment. I found the duck rather dry with no appealing flavor. Accompaniments were sparse.

Ga Xao Ca Ri ($10) Sauteed chicken with eggplant, mango, string beans, onions, tomatoes, yams and basil in a light coconut curry sauce. The chicken was moist, tender and flavorful; all the vegetables were nicely prepared and delicious; and the sauce was tasty. A terrific dish!

Btw, all portion sizes at Ahn are very generous.