Phuong Long

Phuong Long
306 N. Cleveland
335-2687

Last week, I finally took the monkeys (Satchel, 13, and Jiro, 11) to Phuong Long on Cleveland. They had been for dinner with Warren several weeks before and I had recently gone for lunch, but we'd never been together. It was a good sign that neither of them complained when I disclosed the location of our meal.



I don't think people realize how large this restaurant is, but it is huge! I love the murals,



We arrived around 5:45pm on a Wednesday and almost had it all to ourselves. It was quite full the day I had lunch. Speaking of, what impressed me at lunch was the shrimp with jalapenos, and our server.



I think the food speaks for itself. What I like so much about the server is that, according to the CA's review, he is a Nola transplant, but totally knows the food. He is great about discussing/reviewing ingredients, spice levels, etc. Satchel always has lots of questions because he loves to try new soups, but he doesn't like a lot of vegetables. The server helped him find a good one. And he was funny about saying that some dishes just would be the same if he took out all of the offensive ingredients.

Jiro went with basic chicken fried rice and an order of Spring rolls to share with me. He had seen some on his first visit and had been wanting to try them. I ordered lemongrass beef, though it was hard not to get the shrimp again.

The food came out insanely fast. Jiro really liked the Spring rolls. They were packed with shrimp and a little pork/mystery meat. I had actually tried the vegetarian version at lunch, and they were maybe even better.



The chicken fried rice was what you'd expect. Jiro thought it was a little heavy on the peas.



Satchel liked his soup. It was basically noodles and beef. He declined to add any of the extras that came with it--cilantro, jalapenos, etc.



He also ate the rice that came with my dish.



I loved mine. It was just the right amount of spicy, with lots of onions.

Our total was $34.99 and Jiro had enough leftover rice for another meal. We will definitely be back!

p.s. I did not get to check out the restrooms. I did notice a cooler full of ice cream by the front door. Luckily most toddlers would be too short to see in!

Cafe Cali & Pho

Cafe Cali & Pho
74 N. Cleveland
249-5349

I noticed this place the other day, but I am not sure when it opened. (I think it may have been around the corner initially.) I added it to my list of places to eat since Vietnamese is in regular rotation. We went to give it a try on Sunday evening.



The parking lot was packed, but the restaurant was not. It seemed that the space between the restaurant and the market was having some sort of private dance party. We could hear the music through the walls.

Inside, there was another table or two of people eating, all of whom appeared to be Vietnamese, which is a good sign. The flat screen TV on the wall was showing a Vietnamese cooking show. The space was well-lit and clean. We were seated and given menus right away.

A waiter, who looked kind of like an aging movie star to me, came over with three waters and a notepad. I aksed if we could have another water since there was four of us and Satchel (age 12) nearly died. "MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!" he moaned under his breath.

The movie star waiter (MSW) obliged me and then I tried to charm him since I had been so (unintentionally) off putting. I asked if he had any suggestions for us, and what he suggested were among the items we had taken note of, so we went ahead and put in our order.

An elderly man brought out the spring rolls almost right away. They definitely looked different than what I am used to, and frankly I was a tad nervous about eating them. But Jiro, who was super hungry, asked if he could try one and then proceeded to tell us how yummy they were.




They did actually taste quite good. Jiro (age 10) asked if we could get a second round of "Asian burritos."

I probably would have but the rest of our food started coming out.

Jiro was happy with his chicken vermicelli soup. The face was because I made him wait to start eating it. (I was very proud of him for not letting the "green stuff" get in the way of his enjoyment.)



Satchel ordered a similar soup but with beef.



Note those are the "small" bowls.

Warren got his standard noodle bowl with pork and egg rolls. It also featured the scary looking pork from the spring rolls.



There was a lot of happy slurping at the table.




I ordered the bhan mi, which was very good. The bread was nice and warm and I ate it right up. I think it may have had mayo on it, which is different.



I finished my sandwich pretty quickly as it was on the small side. Warren let me work on his noodle bowl while he worked on Jiro's chicken soup.

Then I went over to investigate what we thought were drinks in the cooler.



MSW informed me that they were actually desserts. I wanted to try one, but no one else did. Instead i decided to try the pure cane juice that the MSW said is really good for you. "Look on YouTube," he said.



It was quite good and not at all as sweet as I was expecting.

All in all, we liked the food and service and price, but I don't think it will become our #1.

My good friend, who is Thai, went and had the Bún bò Huế, which apparently was super legit with congealed blood and everything. So, if you want authentic, this may be the place for you.



Our total was $31 plus tip.

Check it out.

Quang (Minneapolis, MN)

Quang
2719 Nicollet Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55408
(612) 870-4739

While we were in Minneapolis, our friends took us out to dinner. We planned to go the Global Market, which is an ethnic food court of sorts in their old Sears Tower building.



Cool, huh? The Sears Tower is mostly occupied by some sort of medical facility, but the Global Market is pretty happening supposedly.



We didn't get to find out firsthand because we arrived just after it closed for the day. It was 6pm on a Sunday. But, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise since our friends' second choice was Quang, a Vietnamese restaurant on Eat Street. (It's not really named Eat Street, just called that due to the plethora of yummy restaurants there.) I could have spent an entire week on Eat Street!



Regular readers of this blog know that we are serious Vietnamese food fans, so we were psyched to try Quang. In addition to Team Oster (with monkeys Satchel, 10, and Jiro, 8), we had Mark, Suzanne, and their two monkeys (Noah, 7, and Amelie, 5).

Quang was bustling, and was way bigger than the Vietnamese places in Memphis. They had many long tables and we were seated at an 8 top right away. We studied the menu, everyone but Jiro, that is. He typically eats chicken wings and bubble tea (if they have it) at Vietnamese restaurants and wastes no time looking for something else. Satchel, however, likes to try new things and very carefully started reading through the soups.

I zoned in on the bhan mi sandwiches. Typically there isn't such a selection.



Suzanne went ahead and got a few appetizers for everyone to share and we ordered drinks while everyone tried to decide. We eventually got our order in and the food came out in spurts, I guess whenever something was ready. Mark said it wasn't typically like that, but he also said he didn't typically have such a large group.

One of the first things to arrive was the yam and shrimp fritters. They were super tasty. I've never seen them on a Memphis menu.



The spring rolls were pretty standard, but delicious.



Mark and Suzanne's kids ate spring rolls and meatballs for their dinner. It was super cute watching their different methods for eating the meatballs, which came on a skewer. Amelie sort of ate around each ball while it was still skewered, and Noah took the balls off one by one, pierced them with a chopstick, and ate each one lollipop style. Since the kids were young and barely knew me, I opted not to get in their faces with my camera while they ate.

Jiro was very pleased with his chicken wings. They were almost double fried or something. They were very big and juicy with just enough crunch. They were served with the sweet and spicy chili sauce, but Jiro didn't do any dipping.



It was funny, when I ordered the chicken wings, the waiter stopped mid order to run to the kitchen and tell them to cook them since they take 15 minutes. I thought that was cute. He was a very good waiter, but we did have to ask for Jiro's bubble tea halfway through the meal.

Satchel ended up with a great bowl of soup. He ordered it without any "green things" so it was just broth, meat and noodles. He was thrilled.



(If you look closely, you can see Amelie with a mouth full of noodles! She and Noah got their food first and were pretty much done when the rest of us started eating.)

Warren got his usual pork noodle bowl. The pork was grilled, and he loved it.



Sadly, when I tried to order a bhan mi, I was informed that they were out of bhan mi. So, I went with a noodle bowl with sugarcane shrimp. It was delicious.



(The shrimp are buried under the veggies somewhere.)

I never actually looked at the prices on the menu, nor did I see the check since Mark graciously treated us, but I think the restaurant is moderately priced and the food is certainly worth every penny.

On the way out, I visited the ladies room, which did have a changing table, and I noticed this newspaper clipping on the wall:



We all left very full and happy. If you are a fan of Vietnamese food, Quang is a must should you ever make your way to Minneapolis.



(Thanks to Satchel for taking our picture. I broke my promise to Photoshop him in.)

Pho Saigon

Pho Saigon
2946 Poplar
458-1644

Nine times out of ten, if I asked Warren what he wants to eat for dinner, he will say, "Pho?" We've been to pretty much all of the Midtown Vietnamese places and tend to go through spurts. Like we had a Saigon Le phase, Pho Vietnam phase, and most recently a Shanghai phase. (Had Vietnamese Bistro not burned down, I'm sure we would have never left that phase!) About a month ago, just Warren and I were headed to see a friend's band on the Highland Strip and decided to stop at Pho Saigon on the way. We hadn't been there in ages, for no particular reason. They had an table topper promoting their bahn mi sandwiches, and we decided to get one to share. I typically don't like bahn mi, but theirs is SO good. They add barbequed pork and it makes all of the difference.



Since then, I have been getting them to go on a regular basis! (Just an FYI--they make you pay cash to get them to go--$3.99 each.)

A couple of Sundays ago we decided to take the monkeys (Satchel 9, and Jiro 7) for an early dinner before going downtown to see the San Jose Taiko drummers. Most Vietnamese places are closed on Sunday, so that is another plus for Pho Saigon. (Pho Vietnam is also open on Sunday.)



The monkeys don't get too stoked about Vietnamese food. They definitely prefer to bankrupt us at sushi restaurants. However, when I mentioned that Pho Saigon had bubble tea, they both perked up.

We ordered them each a bubble tea, iced coffee for ourselves, two bahn mi, a noodle bowl to share, rice, and an order of chicken wings. Since we'd worked the kids in the yard all day, we let them play their DSes at the table.

First out was the iced coffee. Do you notice anything wrong with this picture?



I stared at the glass for a few moments, and then commenced complaining to Warren. "Uh, wtf. Where is the rest of it?" I said. "I think the ice is supposed to melt," he replied, hopefully. "It's cold. It's not going to melt anytime soon," I grumpily retorted.

Now, I have a thing about Pho Saigon's pricing structure. Pretty much all of their drinks--coffees, bubble teas, soda water with a squeeze of lemon, all cost $3.50-$4. Considering the bahn mi costs $4, I think the drinks are a bit of a rip off. A $3.50 bubble tea makes sense, but a $4 draft soda water? A $4 half cup of coffee? No.

I told our waitress that I wasn't paying $4 for half a glass of coffee. She looked scared and went to get the owner. The owner lady came over and I tried not to sound too bitchy when I explained that the iced coffee was not what I expected. She was pretty cool about it, apologized, and said the girl who made it was new. Then she came out with a nice, full glass of iced coffee.



Let me say that while it tastes great, it is very concentrated. I definitely regretted my decision to have one at dinner (on a Sunday) when I was lying awake in bed at 2am.

The rest of our meal went off without a hitch. The bubble tea servings are very generous. Jiro got coconut.



Satchel got pineapple. His even had a little scoop of pineapple ice cream on top.



The bahn mi was yummy as always. I still have not managed to get either monkey to try it. I'm pretty sure Satchel would like a modified version since he loves pork, baguettes, and sour things.



Jiro snarfed down most of the chicken wings and a little rice. (He refused to take a serious picture.)



With the bahn mi appetizer, the combo noodle bowl was actually big enough for Warren, Satchel, and I to share. It's also an easy thing to deconstruct for picky eaters.



I don't know that the food at Pho Saigon is any better than the other Vietnamese restaurants that we frequent, but it is at least just as good. As I said, the bahn mi is exceptional, and I think the bubble tea is a bit better too. The service is fast and friendly-enough. I'd put the family that owns it in the same category as the Saigon Le folks--slow to warm up. If you come in all of the time I think they will eventually start to trust you and show some sweetness. If you want all sweetness all the time (and a Thai menu to boot), then Shanghai is your place.

I have yet to make it to the restrooms at Pho Saigon. I'd guess there isn't a changing table, but I'd say in general they are welcoming to children. That's pretty much a given at Asian restaurants.

Our total was over $40, but when you take into consideration that $16 of it was on drinks, then it isn't so bad. Or maybe it's worse! I don't care if you get a drink, but you have to try the bahn mi!

Also, beware, they sell Mentos for $1 at the register.

Pho Grand (St. Louis)

Pho Grand
3195 S Grand Blvd
St Louis, MO 63118-1022
(314) 664-7435

During our Spring Break weekend in St. Louis, I was determined to eat somewhere awesome. A couple of friends recommended Pho Grand, which considering our love of Vietnamese food, was a pretty easy sell. We headed over on Saturday night, between our morning and late night visits to the City Museum.

It was a short drive from our downtown hotel and I was also excited to see a new part of town. South Grand had a lot of Asian restaurants up and down the street, including our very own Sekisui. I would have happily eaten at Sekisui were I not on the lookout for somewhere "new."

We arrived around 7:30pm and could see people waiting outside for a table. When we went in to add our name to the list, we were given a buzzer and sent upstairs. There we found several other people waiting and became somewhat concerned that we might be in for a long wait. The monkeys (Satchel, 8, and Jiro, 6) only cared about getting back to the City Museum as soon as possible. They could care less about eating!

I kept the monkeys entertained by playing hand slap with them, which was fun. Several of the people around us--mostly couples--had drinks. I can only guess there was a bar downstairs and that they knew the drill. If we were smart, we would have asked for a menu to review, or at least looked online. When we were buzzed for a table fifteen minutes later, we soon found ourselves staring at a long and unfamiliar menu.

The restaurant was on the fancy side--I'd say it was closest to our beloved Vietnamese Bistro, which recently burned down. There were no other families dining, and I could see the look of fear on people's faces when we walked through the small dining room to our table.

I asked our waiter to recommend some dishes since we were at a loss. Jiro had already announced he wasn't eating and Satchel had decided on our standard noodles with eggrolls and pork. The food came out very quickly and looked great.

I especially liked the Cari Ga--chicken curry with rice.



Warren was a fan of the Tom Sautee--shrimp with garlic and onions.



I liked everything except the calamari that was mixed in with the shrimp. It had a chalky texture, which I attributed to the large cut.

The Bun Bi Cha Gio looked like we expected:



Satchel definitely enjoyed eating the pork off the top and slurping the noodles. (Yes, he has a bad habit of eating with his fingers!)



He also pointed out that one piece of pork looked like a dragon.



Warren and I ended up helping him finish off the noodles and egg rolls. Jiro agreed to have a small portion of rice and a few noodles, which he painstakingly tried to eat with chop sticks.



I'm pretty sure the waiter suggested "safe" dishes for us. If we go back, I'll try something more exciting like the lotus root salad.

Our bill was a very reasonable $30 plus tip.

Another selling point of Pho Grand is the gelateria next door--Gelateria Del Leone. We popped in for a little dessert and coffee before heading back to the museum.