Since moving to New York eight months ago, I've been feeling deprived of awesome Vietnamese food. Alas, this isn't the West Coast, and I have to try harder than I like to find likely candidates. So here is my quest -- to try every Vietnamese hole-in-the-wall from Park Slope to Chelsea to find the best this city has to offer.
Here are my finds so far:
Spice Noodle (Upper East Side): bad, awful pho that couldn't even be called pho except by someone who has never had or heard of it. I went here on one of my first nights in the city because my friend was coming down with a cold and wanted pho to be the panacea we remember it to be on the other side of the country. Fail.
Lan Cafe (East 6th St between 1st Ave and Ave A): delicious, and vegan (not a requirement in my diet, but a pleasant surprise when I can find it). I had the tempeh bahn mi and wanted to eat five more of them. I also had this fresh-made carrot-ginger juice drink thing that was amazing and made me feel like the kind of healthy person who eats lots of lentils and wakes up at dawn to drink green tea and do Sun Salutations. Immediately after leaving Lan Cafe, I lit up a cigarette. The effect was only temporary, it seems.
Bahn Mi Zon (East 6th St between Ave A and Ave B): damn good sandwich. Once again, they had a vegetarian option -- some sort of marinated tofu. They don't make their sandwiches spicy enough for my liking, but thankfully, since I stayed there to eat, I just liberally applied sriracha. The gentleman behind the counter watched me as I squirted chili sauce all over my bahn mi. He looked pretty worried that he may have to call an ambulance for me before my meal was finished, but I just smiled at him and nodded in that "yeah, don't worry, I got this" way. This place also had great tea.
Lotus Cafe (Park Slope): went there with some friends one frigid Saturday in January. Half of them were wondering why I was dragging them all the way to Brooklyn for a freaking sandwich -- the others knew better than to question my overwhelming desire for Vietnamese food. And this place did not disappoint. Well worth the trip out of Manhattan. After that, we huddled around the fireplace in Union Hall until we could feel our extremities again -- it only took four hours and six beers.
Cong Ly (Chinatown): the steak pho is fantastic. They marinate and grill the steak beforehand, slice it thinly and wrap it around bits of onion. Not how I'm used to pho, but sooooo good it doesn't really matter. The broth is great and the older guy who works here is amazing. I'm not a fan of having to walk through the kitchen to get to the bathroom, though. Is that even legal?
Pho Grand (Chinatown): the rival to Cong Ly's greatness. I had the Pho Tai, and it was exactly how I remember it from Seattle. So good -- I prefer it slightly to Cong Ly, and the atmosphere is nicer. Also, the bathrooms aren't in the kitchen. These things kinda matter, methinks.
-Roo
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