🚀 go-pugleaf

Found Banh Cuon, which is a steamed rice crepe filled with ground pork and
mushroom, somewhat an alternative to Bahn Xeo. At a popular pho noodle shop
that I never have visited before at the foot of Nicollet's Eat Street, Pho
Tau Bay, 2837 Nicollet Av S, Minneapolis, MN (612) 874-6030, M-Th 10a-9p
F-Sun 9a-9p. On the backside of KMart on Lake St @ 1st Av @ 35W, next to car
wash. Big parking lot.

It is one of three items, #58, which is a weekend special, $5.75 , four
freshly steamed rice crepes were rolled up with the bland tasting filling
and then lightly pan fried on the bottom like a pot sticker, but more
delicate. Garnished with cilantro. Served with added slices of a meat pie
roll, somewhat like VN bologna, over wilted bean sprouts. Rounding out the
plate was a small grated vinegared carrot salad on lettuce. Dish of bland
nuc mam on the side. Quite attractive presentation. Taste and texture was
bland but good [bottles of stuff at table to liven it up].

----------------

Also had #22, Hu Tieu Nam Vang Dac Biet, $6 for big bowl, which is a roast
pork and seafood pho noodle soup, except the noodle is the clear type which
is based upon a yam (contrary to rice, said on menu). This was the only soup
that had the clear yam noodle, out of 35 other styles which had the common
white rice or yellow egg wheat noodle.

The soup had 3 small shrimp with tail on, a piece of squid, 5 pieces of
synthetic crab, and about dzn shavings of roast pork in a good beef clear
broth. The yam noodle was cut in half, about 4" which I did not like. With
it was a nice fresh plate of loose leaf lettuce, bean sprouts, lime, and
thinly sliced jalapeno.

They also had Banh Mi Thit, VN sandwiches $1.60; Banh Bao, $2, a meat-filled
steamed wheat bun; and 8 Che coconut milk flavored desserts $1.75 to go,
which I did not sample.

I'd rate their pho a B-, where Mpls' best pho is still at Quang Restaurant,
about two blocks up.


Regards, Phil, Minneapolis, MN, Silicon Tundra, USA

=============

"Phil Lee" <situndra@internetconnect.net> wrote in message
news:zva56.3023$%Fi7.154337857@news.randori.com...
> My trusty Vietnamese restaurant in St Paul, To Chau, went to that pie in
the
> sky. It had the best Bahn Xeo, a Vietnamese seafood crepe. The best that I
> have tasted in the Twin Cities.

Phil Lee wrote:

> My trusty Vietnamese restaurant in St Paul, To Chau, went to that pie in the
> sky. It had the best Bahn Xeo, a Vietnamese seafood crepe. The best that I
> have tasted in the Twin Cities.
>
> Need new restaurant.....help!!

Quang Da in San Jose has "Bahn Xeo 'Le Dinh Duong'".
The menu describes it as "Pan fried rice crepe with pork, shrimp, and bean
sprouts
served with lettuce, mint, and peanut and sesame sauce."

I realize that it's quite a drive, but there's plenty of parking.         ;^)

Bona's VR in Stadium Village, I have not been there.

Best Vietnamese Springrolls??

au natural -- Goi Cuon , kind of hard to be better than Quang, they have two
butter-flied shrimp in there, $2.75 for two. They have three different
styles, if you don't like shrimp.
fried -- Cha Goi, kind of hard to be better than Lotus, Uptown. I think
there is one near Stadium Village, but haven't been there.

I usually hate Chinese eggrolls, usually made of vermicelli and cabbage,
cheap stuffing, so I refuse to order them now.  Also prefer the delicate
wrapper of rice paper.

Are you referring to pickled pearl onions? Also had them in VN rest
CenterCity, Philadelphia. Maybe they are an east coast phenomenon. Usually
can be found in a Vietnamese grocery.


Regards, Phil, Minneapolis, MN, Silicon Tundra, USA

=============

"Phil Lee" <situndra@internetconnect.net> writes:
> I'd rate their pho a B-, where Mpls' best pho is still at Quang
Restaurant,
> about two blocks up.

Agreed, I like their Pho.  I like Bona's as well, as long as you go at
the end of the day (the broth is watery at lunch).

Just wondering, since you seem to have sampled most of the Vietnamese
places, who has the best vietnamese eggrolls?  And any of the Pho
places you know serve it with a plate of vinegar-soaked onions?  Most
of the better Pho places in the Washington, DC area did that...

--
Richard W Kaszeta Engineer and Sysadmin
bofh@me.umn.edu University of MN, ME Dept
http://www.menet.umn.edu/~kaszeta

=============

"Phil Lee" <situndra@internetconnect.net> wrote in message
news:O_H56.181$zrd6.57999789@news.randori.com...
> Found Banh Cuon, which is a steamed rice crepe filled with ground pork and
> mushroom, somewhat an alternative to Bahn Xeo.

In article <zva56.3023$%Fi7.154337857@news.randori.com>,
Phil Lee <situndra@internetconnect.net> wrote:
>My trusty Vietnamese restaurant in St Paul, ...
...
>Need new restaurant.....help!!

Dude, cross posting to a Bay Area (SF) newsgroup is not going
to help you find a restaurant in Minneapolis.

--
Asya Kamsky
webmaster, The Next Generation Swing Dance Club, http://www.tngsdc.org
never speaking in official capacity.

Unbeknownst to you, many VN foodie MN-expats frequent this NG. Several have
already commented on St Paul, MN VN food scene.

And I am a BA-expat. Does this count?


Regards, Phil, Minneapolis, MN, Silicon Tundra, USA

=============

"Asya Kamsky" <asya@bayarea.net> wrote in message
news:938ma1$opm$1@localhost.localdomain...
> In article <zva56.3023$%Fi7.154337857@news.randori.com>,
> Phil Lee <situndra@internetconnect.net> wrote:
> >My trusty Vietnamese restaurant in St Paul, ...
> ...
> >Need new restaurant.....help!!
>
> Dude, cross posting to a Bay Area (SF) newsgroup is not going
> to help you find a restaurant in Minneapolis.
>
> --
> Asya Kamsky

Gosh, can't wait. Book it Danno! Where in SJC? Are they open during the
SuperBowl?


Regards, Phil, Minneapolis, MN, Silicon Tundra, USA

=============

"ll" <ljllittle@home.com> wrote in message
news:3A5785B0.A65EB2A3@home.com...
> Phil Lee wrote:
>
> > My trusty Vietnamese restaurant in St Paul, To Chau, went to that pie in
the
> > sky. It had the best Bahn Xeo, a Vietnamese seafood crepe. The best that
I
> > have tasted in the Twin Cities.
> >
> > Need new restaurant.....help!!
>
> Quang Da in San Jose has "Bahn Xeo 'Le Dinh Duong'".
> The menu describes it as "Pan fried rice crepe with pork, shrimp, and bean
> sprouts
> served with lettuce, mint, and peanut and sesame sauce."
>
> I realize that it's quite a drive, but there's plenty of parking.
;^)

> Where in SJC?

On E. Santa Clara, directly north of SJSU.
This area is full of Vietnamese stores and restaurants.

> Are they open during the SuperBowl?

I would expect so.  This is authentic Vietnamese.  Limited English spoken here.

I would not expect them to be glued to the TV waiting to see the next
million dollar commercial for FedEx (or whomever) during the SuperBowl.

And BTW.  Just how are you supposed to eat a Bahn Xeo?
(This was our first Bahn Xeo.)  It came on *four* plates,
so this is not a trivial question.

On one plate was the crepe.   It was folded in half, like an omelette.
The crepe was thin (of course) and had the pork and shrimp in the
sides of the crepe (not as a filling).  The only filling in the crepe
was some bean sprouts.

On a separate plate was lettuce, cilantro, mint, bean sprouts,
and some thinly sliced vegetables (cucmber, zucchini?).

On another plate were four rice flour pancakes.
(Similar to the flour pancakes you get with Chinese moo shu.)

In a bowl was the peanut and sesame sauce.