date: 4/29/08
location: minneapolis
grade: a- (vietnamese food)/b (bistro food)

see rule #1 of life- people are stupid.

like me, as i didn't follow my general rule- if it's in the name of the restaurant, that's what you eat. it's called ngon vietnamese bistro.

ok, technically, the bistro food is in the name, but it doesn't come first?

not that the bistro food was bad, mind you, the appetizer of the wild acres duck confit quarter with wild shiitake mushrooms and a coconut curry sauce ($9) i had for an entree was decent enough, but a bit chewy. nice sauce, but there wasn't a lot of it. (plus it was served on a plate with a chip the size of a a 50 cent piece, which is a bit disconcerting, like a chip in your tooth your tongue keeps going to).

the entree cornish game hen, marinated in ginger with organic greens, shiitake mushrooms, tomatoes, and ginger rice ($13) had the same thing- it was a bit above average, probably due to the interesting flavor combinations, but wasn't as stellar as a lot of other menu options. the grass run farms pork chop ($17) with gingered rice, shiitake mushrooms, tomatoes and braised baby bok choi, probably ditto on that.

though the other appetizers were uniformly really good to stellar. on the really good side, the salmon spring rolls, with house-cured salmon ($9) were perhaps a bit overpriced for the flavor punch compared to the cheaper priced egg rolls ($4.50 for ones made with fischer farms pork, $3.95 for mushrooms) were fried spot on, crisp but not greasy, nice texture, nice seasoning. maybe the best in town? the dipping sauce was a bit one-dimentional, but that's a minor quibble. there's condiments at the table to doctor that up.

sweet potato shrimp croquettes with a spicy aioli ($6) were also done right. good things were also said about the crispy rabbit dumpling ($7) with rabbit from singer house farms, and the wild boar sausage plate ($9).

the people who chose from the vietnamese side of the menu were the clear winners. they all got the soup. be it the #10 (beef broth pho with thousand hills beef brisket, lean beef, beef ball, flank and tendon for $7.95) or what we called the everything (shrimp, beef, pork, and chicken for $7.95, i think that was the hu tieu hoac mi thap cam (though i may be corrected on that), or the #20 with the rice noodle option).

it cost less, you got more (everyone took soup home with them), and it was some killer food. due to the quality of the ingredients (they source locally when possible and do seasonal menus too) probably the best pho in town, and priced competitively. come for the appetizers, stay for the pho. or do take-out. seriously, get some. and yes, the do have vegetarian options for the soups.

unlike many vietnamese places in town, they don't do chinese food, which is nice. it's also decorated more towards the bistro end of things, with lots of light wood, local art for sale on the walls, funky light fixtures, and it doesn't have a layer of grease on things or that smell you seem to get with it at some places. the place was packed with a crowed that seemed to have quite a few people of vietnamese origin, which is always a good sign in vietnamese restaurants. with it that packed (or even half that) it is quiet loud in there (as in can't hear the end of the table loud).

service was ok, the server needed more seasoning, if that makes sense. and water service was pretty good also (though of course my bad restaurant karma reared its ugly head and i spent most of dinner waterless... for that matter, i asked for bread when dinner was served and also spent dinner breadless... i would've flagged someone down had they stopped by the table or glaced our way, yes, it is just me). oh, points off for the mandatory tip (18%) for a party of 6 or more. sole food is against this policy.