VIETNAM

BEST VIETNAMESE: Vietnam Restaurant

Located on North 11th Street, the restaurant is located on the outskirts of Chinatown. Great street parking on little alleyways nearby but also a lot two blocks behind.

BUT TO THE BEST PART, ...Vietnam is not your typical, tacky Asian restaurant. No linoleum floors, no awful lighting, no horoscope paper place mats, etc. None of that. Instead, the interior is dark and modern. Chunky, lacquered wooden furniture reflect the similarly paneled walls. Live plants fill the corners and wooden blinds keeps an evening, swanky atmosphere throughout the establishment.

On the third floor, Bar Saigon offers waiting customers an elegant area to wait and chat over drinks. And they bring you a few delicious shrimp chips to nibble on, which always seem to go way to fast.

Great beers to choose from. I recommend a Tsing Tao, or if you're getting one of the five options of sake, a Sapporo. Wines as well, but the real treat...COCKTAILS. Hilarious names from The Virgin's Downfall (fitting....Warning: "Puritans, beware!") and the Suffering Bastard. If you're going with friends or on a date, you can't go wrong with the Flaming Volcano, brought to you in a huge fishbowl-esque cup, filled with umbrellas and way too many kinds of liquor. Literally "flaming," the inner cup is a shot of Bacardi 151 that is in fact on fire. HOT.

Now with ordering food,....there is an art to it. If you're trying to prolong your meal, you know..appetizers..entrees..drinks in between, do NOT order all at once. It will come out on top of each other and no one wants to be rushed, especially in a swanky, fun restaurant. Also the portions are all pretty big. Definitely fun to split. Get a few things and try a bit of everything.

The best thing really from the entire restaurant...SPRING ROLLS. Ground pork, onion and mushroom inside thin, flaky rice paper, laying on a bed of lettuce, mint leaves and carrots. Served with a side of semi-spicy, semi-sweet dipping sauce. Wrap them inside the lettuce and mix in the mint and veggies before dipping. By far, the best spring rolls I've ever had. The wonton soup is far from your average as well - not oily and generic but refreshing and simple.

Then salt and pepped squid (a little kick but just right), chicken basil (in a thin, dark sauce) and crispy duck (nuff said). The clay pots and vermicelli rice bowls are delicious as well, if you're not in the sharing mood. Get the deluxe bowl...may seem glutenous but is actually so worth it for the dollar difference. Will be delicious later too.

All in all, a cool, smooth inside and a sound menu to boot. I don't think you can really go wrong with most things on the menu. Word of warning, if there is a little flame on the side, it IS hot. Probably has extreme peppers in it...crap-your-pants hot. I digress...But it's a great restaurant. Upscale Asian which is hard to come by. Not oily, greasy, sitting in a pool of something. Fresh, new and tasty. GO!