I’m usually at a loss when ordering in an authentic Vietnamese restaurant. Other than pho or salad rolls I’m just not well-versed in this delicious cuisine, but I’m quickly learning. Usually I end up tactfully pointing with my head at whatever the nearest table ordered. Fresh basil, mint, and lettuce piled high alongside wedges of lime, julienned carrots and crisp bean sprouts. Sheets of rice paper. Ground shrimp wrapped around sugar cane, then grilled. Little bowls of spicy looking sauces I don’t know what to call. That’s what I want.

We recently discovered a wonderful little place at the edge of Seattle’s International District called The Bamboo Grill. Last time we were there we just pointed at noodle platters on the menu, not quite sure what we’d get (of course, we loved both). On our way out the owner, Kim Tran, a charming little firecracker of a woman, said to us, “Next time you come I’ll tell you what you should order.”

We just missed her this last time when we order, but it turns out we did right. We ordered the Bò 7 Món, or 7 Course Beef – a mere $21.95 for two people, but it easily could have fed three. It starts with salad with thinly sliced tender beef, a small fondue, beef wrapped in Lót leaves, in bacon, in lemongrass, a tender beef cake (like an oblong meatball), and a rice and beef porridge.

Just as we were finishing Kim emerged from the kitchen and came over to our table. She explained that the 7 Course Beef menu was created at the famous Ahn Hong restaurant in Phu Nhuan, Vietnam (locations also in the US) and consists of various preparations of marinated beef. Kim learned how to make the distinctive marinades for the courses from her friend who worked at the original restaurant back in Vietnam. This special menu, something that is generally only served to the upper-class in Vietnam, is commonly found at restaurants here in the U.S.

We’ve had it at other restaurants before, but I can honestly say, Kim’s takes the prize.

Possibly Related Posts:

• How I Slaughtered a Chicken
• Moose, it’s What’s for Dinner
• It’s Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day!
• Slow Cooked Goat Shank With Alubia Criollo Beans
• Veggie Beef Tahini Pita

Categories:	Asian • Meat & Poultry	3 Comments
Tags:	7 course beef • Bamboo Grill • beef • bo 7 mon • Food • foodista • marinated beef • seven course beef • Vietnamese • vietnamese beef

A few weeks ago I dined at the famous The Slanted Door in San Francisco, an upscale yet relaxed, modern Vietnamese restaurant that’s housed in the city’s historic Ferry Building. With floor to ceiling windows and stunning views of the Bay, the environment is vibrant and lively.

The Phan family, owners of the restaurant, successfully blend their Vietnamese culture with local ingredients, resulting in straightforward delicious cuisine. Zagat proclaimed it, “Vietnamese street food made upscale.”

The bar boasts an extensive and creatively comprised list of wines, a majority of which hail from Germany and Austria. I tried a Riesling and a crisp dry rose, both of which complimented the food beautifully. They also have a wonderful selection of teas, but one would expect that at an Asian restaurant.

One of my favorite dishes (pictured) was squid stuffed with minced pork, glass noodles and shiitake mushrooms, served on a spicy tomato sauce with pickled mustard greens.

Maybe Chef Phan will bless us with a cookbook one of these days?

Possibly Related Posts:

• Friday Fun Links
• Young Winos
• The 2,000 Pound Rib Feast
• Kabocha and Ginger Squash Soup
• How I Slaughtered a Chicken

Categories:	Asian • Fish & Seafood • Meat & Poultry • Restaurants • Uncategorized	2 Comments
Tags:	ferry building • Food • foodista • restaurant • san francisco • the slanted door • Vietnamese

I’ve been painting my kitchen all weekend. And if you’ve never taken on the task of painting a room, let me tell you something, hire someone. Or at least know what you’re getting yourself into. I took a look at our kitchen and cockily exclaimed, “Psh, I can totally do this myself!” And I did do it myself. But now I hurt, and I’m crying for the Vicadin I so wish we had in our medicine cabinet.

Better than any pharmaceutical painkiller is my friend Tracy’s pho. She’s amazing. Most people would haul themselves down to the nearest pho restaurant and drop the $4 bucks for a styrofoam container of this Vietnamese soup. But oh no! My dear friend spends a better portion of the day brewing her own broth, and it is worth every simmered minute. Top Ramen would have helped, but her soup renewed me, even made me want to paint another room!

She’d taken a recipe and adapted it to her own tastes, and I’m sharing, as best I can, how she did it:

To make the stock:

Take about 4-6 short ribs and 2 big ox tails and roast them for about 30 minutes in the oven, or until they are good and browned. Once browned take them out of the oven, remove the fat and add the bones and meat to a stockpot. Deglaze the roasting pan with a bit of chicken stock, then add to the pot. Add a good hunk of ginger, about 2 inches sliced, and about 1 teaspoon of salt to the pot. Pour in roughly 3-4 large (49 oz.) cans of chicken stock, and let simmer for about 3-4 hours. Skim off the fat scum periodically.

After the long simmer add the following (to taste):

8-10 black and white pepper corns (a mixture of both)
1 large yellow or white onion, roughly chopped
1 stick cinnamon
5 cloves
About 20 coriander seeds
¼ teaspoon cumin
¾ cups fish sauce

Simmer another 40 minutes, then drain the stock, reserving the liquid, and discard the bones and spices.

Prepare 2 packages of rice noodles (thin to medium; it’s all a matter of preference) according to instructions – usually just a fast “swizzle” in boiling water.

Compile the following on a big plate: sliced limes, finely chopped green onions, a pile of bean sprouts, and sprigs of basil and cilantro. Have an assortment of good chili sauce (Sriracha is great!) and hoisin or oyster sauce.

For the meat version use thinly sliced beef or pork; sukiyaki cuts are available at Asian markets. The thin slices will quickly cook in the hot broth.

You’re now ready to assemble your pho. For individual servings, add some noodles to a bowl. Add sliced of beef and pour in some of your hot beef broth. Top with green onions, bean sprouts, and a handful of basil and cilantro. Give a good squeeze of lime juice and season to taste with chili sauce and/or hoisin sauce.

Hmm, I think the bathroom would be nice in a pretty shade of blue……

Possibly Related Posts:

• The Great Stuffing Debate!
• Wine from Scratch: Wine in the Kitchen
• Kabocha and Ginger Squash Soup
• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool
• How I Slaughtered a Chicken

Categories:	Asian • Cooking tips • Herbs • Meat & Poultry • Seasoning & Spices • Soup • Veggies	7 Comments
Tags:	Asian • cooking • Food • foodista • pho • recipe • recipes • Soup • Vietnamese

Usually salad rolls are eaten as appetizers, but I love to make them with various fillings and serve them as the main entrée with different dipping sauces. The delicate rice paper wrappers can be filled with just about anything: shrimp, basil, mint, lettuce, rice noodles, veggies. In the past I’ve also made more avant garde versions: mango and shrimp, Peking duck, pork and jicama.

Tonight it is simply julienned red and yellow peppers, baby lettuce, basil, mint and grilled shrimp. For the dipping sauce I mixed peanut butter with a splash of fish sauce, some hoisin sauce and water to thin it out. Sprinkle with crushed peanuts and voila!

Dip and enjoy!

Possibly Related Posts:

• Friday Fun Links
• Young Winos
• The 2,000 Pound Rib Feast
• Kabocha and Ginger Squash Soup
• How I Slaughtered a Chicken

Categories:	Fish & Seafood • Uncategorized	1 Comment
Tags:	salad rolls • shrimp • Vietnamese