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Chào from Viet Nam!

I arrived on Saturday evening May 31st in a very busy and hot (27 degrees celsius at midnight!) Ho Chi Minh City airport where I met Terry Plum, who had been waiting patiently for me at the baggage claim. I had been in San Francisco for a wedding so my flight left directly from there with a 3-hour layover in the quite elaborate Seoul airport. We found the infamous taxi desk, per Pat Oyler’s recommendation, and we were taken to the Liberty 4 hotel. I did not realize it at the time, but having a fast and reliable wireless connection in our hotel rooms there was really a blessing in disguise. More about that in a bit.

We got up early and had a lovely breakfast at the hotel which had quite an extensive buffet spread consisting of fresh fruit, eggs cooked to order, meats, cheeses, and lots more. We then took a stroll down the very busy street to explore our surroundings. The streets swim in a sea of motorists with cars, mopeds, bicyclists, and pedestrians weaving in and out in waves. It really is organized chaos with an ocean wave theme. Quite impressive since the aggressive Boston road rage is left by the way-side here. The Vietnamese motorists are quick to honk but it is light and friendly quick tapping, alerting each other of their presence as they maneuver around in the very busy streets. There is something pretty spectacular about a rotary containing motorists entering and exiting in a multitude of directions and angles but they definitely make it work. We snaked through a very hectic outdoor market but did not bargain on anything, although it was tempting.

We were picked up at 10am by a former GSLIS student, Phuong Thi Truc Huynh, it was really wonderful seeing her again and so kind of her to accompany the driver to pick us up. The drive to Can Tho was about 4 hours and the sights and sounds as we drove through all of the different towns was fascinating. Countless roadside places advertising Phở (noodle soup) and Com (rice) lined our long drive. We stopped for lunch at the halfway point and I had my first authentic Vietnamese meal, consisting of delicious sour soup with a white river fish that only be described as decadent and fresher than any fish you will ever have in the States. I also tried a green, stalky vegetable called morning glory for the first time and it was wonderful.There was a squid and veggie dish, and I did not hold back and sampled a little of everything. I am glad that I did because it really confirmed my love for the cuisine here.

We took a large car ferry over to Can Tho and arrived to the Ninh Kieu hotel area. It is made up of several hotels appropriately differentiated with numbers and we are in #4. It is right on the main drag and walking distance to lots of restaurants. After unpacking we took a taxi over to the University of Can Tho, specifically the Learning Resource Center in the beautiful library where the class is taking place, to investigate the training room computers and network. We quickly learned that downloading and uploading files was restricted to after-hours only but luckily it was Sunday and we were able to get some things done but at a snail’s pace. The university network itself is far from zippy, but we made due.

We were met by Mrs. Trang, the library director, and Duyen Thi Huong Lam, another former GSLIS student (who wanted me to tell everyone in Boston how much she misses GSLIS), and headed to dinner with them. I had my first soda chanh which is sparking water mixed with sugar (they is no shortage of that here), fresh lime or lemon juice, and ice . It was incredibly refreshing. We had steamed shrimp cooked right at the table in coconut milk as one of our courses, more morning glory but this time cooked with garlic, river fish in an orange sauce, rice, fried soft tofu in a very light batter, and another dish of a river fish, spine and all, which salty but tasty.

It was great company, delicious food, and a very nice welcome to Can Tho.

Teaching began the next day, more about that in my next post since this one has gotten quite long.

Posted on June 5th, 2008 by Linnea in vietnam | No Comments ».

Boston Restaurant Week - Henrietta’s Table

Run, don’t walk, don’t pass go, don’t collect $200, just find a direct route to Henrietta’s Table, you will thank me later, I promise. It is located in the Charles Hotel right on the edge of Harvard Square and is a true hidden jewel.

DJ , M, and I had reservations on the evening of Thursday March 13th and truthfully I am surprised that we have not gone back already. It was just such a pleasant experience from the very first moment we arrived.

From their web site:

“Henrietta’s Table prides itself on “Fresh from the Farm and Honest to Goodness Home Cooking.” Chef Davis and his staff are committed to finding the best regional and organically grown produce, not only to support the local farmers and community, but to bring award-winning dishes to our guests.”

This accurately describes the vibe oozing from the restaurant right when you walk through the front door. There is a contagious feeling of pride from the staff perhaps due to the superiorly fresh and local ingredients used in their kitchen. Is it possible to find fault with a restaurant that has a stack of their local farmers on trading cards tied with twine available as a free souvenir for customers?

The decor is very much like a farmhouse with a country feel and although not my personal style, it worked and was not hokey at all. It is very bright with lots of space in between tables so you aren’t forced to be more intimate with your neighbors than you are ready for, which was a step up from our recent experience at Gaslight.

Our waitress was a total sweetheart and seemed almost too happy to be truly genuine but she was legit. She answered a few questions for us, made some recommendations and then told us that the entire menu was available for the 3-course prix-fixe for Restaurant Week. Woot!

DJ and I ordered blood orange martinis and after the first sip, it was very obvious that they were not holding back on the amount of liquor used. Nope, no filler at all. It was delish and not as sweet as you might think. Try it.

The bread basket really stood out and I was not surprised to hear that everything is baked on the premises and of course was accompanied with fresh butter. I half expected to see a farmer’s wife in the open kitchen churning it into squares of perfection with an old fashioned butter churn and plunger. There was a nice assortment in the basket, from sourdough to wheat to my favorite, a raisin and nut bread that was dense and decadent.

There was an extensive cheese menu and natch, we had to partake in some local dairy goodness. We ordered a selection of three that included gouda with hints of lavender, sharp cheddar, and a parmigiano-esque cheese (blanking on the name) but all were very good. The gouda was a bit disappointing since it had a hint of another herb that sort of took the prominence away from the lavender, but still was very unique. Apricot jam accompanied the cheese selection which worked very well.

My first course was a fairly simple but successful salad, specifically with native spinach salad and fresh fruit, Westfield Farm chevre, and a spicy maple pecan vinaigrette dressing. There were pepper-glazed pecans on the top. I have a theory that whenever nuts are used in a salad, you get three maybe four if you are lucky. It is like the restaurant has a nut famine but not Henrietta, she made sure that my salad had a very generous amount of pecans to complement the chevre and fruit. Delish! The chevre was so fresh that I was on the lookout for a goat wandering around. Sadly Billy was nowhere to be found.

A noteworthy observation is that the individual courses were not rushed. You are actually able to enjoy yourself, relax, and savor the freshness of what you are eating. I have no plans to enter a speed-eating competition and I do not appreciate when restaurants assume that you are in training for the next event, not allowing any breathing room before you are ushered out. That was far from the case at Henrietta’s.

For my entree, I ordered a lamb dish, specifically an Elysian Fields Farm’s pulled lamb shank with crispy Vermont smoked bacon, flageolet beans, and organic local feta. The flavors were very interesting and I wish I had not been so full when it arrived so I could have enjoyed more of it. I also got a side of local (of course they were, what did you expect, frozen?) beets and they were quite divine. A mix of red and yellow that were roasted and not swimming in any type of sauce at all, which I appreciated and enjoyed. The lamb was not gamy at all but was succulent and tender. It literally melted in my mouth along with the feta, which tasted so different from what you are used to getting at the grocery store. It was smoother and creamier and not coarse at all. It really made the meal. The beans were a nice touch and I am not a huge fan of bacon but it added a nice smokiness to the dish. I would definitely get this again. The portion was just perfect and even though I only ate about a fifth of my meal, I truly enjoyed every bite.

Unfortunately, dessert was the only disappointment of the evening and after such success, it was not how I wanted to end my experience at Henrietta’s. Any of my friends can tell you that bread pudding is one of my favorite desserts and I was pleased to see that it was an option, specifically chocolate bread pudding with caramelized bananas and vanilla bean ice cream. When it arrived, I have to say that it did not look especially appetizing but more like something left by a cow from one of the local farms. Sorry to be so graphic but I have to be honest. It was fairly bland and not dense but airy which just didn’t work. The vanilla bean ice cream and the caramelized bananas were the saving grace and the small scoop was just enough to sweeten my palate. I left most of the bread pudding which is not usual behavior for me, but it really was nothing special.

Despite the bread pudding, I really can’t say enough praise about Henrietta’s and I plan on going back very soon to sample more of their fresh and local ingredients. I can hear the blood orange margarita calling my name.

More soon.

Posted on March 23rd, 2008 by Linnea in reviews | No Comments ».

Boston Restaurant Week - Gaslight

So the past 2 weeks have been the infamous and always addicting Boston Restaurant Week and natch, I have been in heaven with all of the foodie goodness.

I have not blogged in forev so thought this would be a great opportunity to get caught up and also document the restaurants that we visited over the past two weeks. So sit back, relax and get ready for the highs and lows. I am going to split these over a few entries since we ended hitting up six new places. Yes, six. Is there a RA (restaurant anonymous) nearby?

We first visited the newly hot and trendy Gaslight in the South End on Wednesday the 12th. An important thing to note about their location on Harrison Street is the free adjacent parking lot. Holla! An actual lot is not something you find in this particular area of Boston, ever, so if you drive, no need to worry about where to stash your wheels and you can not beat the price tag. However, the restaurant is located right next to Boston Sports Club so it might get crowded with gym frequenters at peak times but we did not have a problem around 7pm or so.

A couple of quick observations before getting to our food choices, the first being how loud the place was when we arrived. Granted it is supposedly one of the newer, hot spots in the city (not usz my scene at all), but it was difficult to even hear the hostess as he asked for our reservation name. As we walked to our table, the first thing I noticed was the lighting. It was gorgeous, very dim and muted but bright at the same time. Almost hazy and tricky to describe but I was into it. We get to our table, which is somewhat of an exaggeration since it was so tiny that my five foot tall, super-petite mother would have been a bit concerned. So we sit down and get as comfortable as possible given the space limitations. Now I am going to blame the next series of events on um, the noise and um, the squished quarters. We were seated for maybe two minutes and M knocks her bread plate onto the floor where it landed perfectly on the top of our neighbor’s sneaker who fortunately was very understanding about the incident as we all laughed nervously. A few minutes went by consisting of us shouting across the table, trying to decide what we were planning to order. I really liked our waiter, he was very attentive but not in a fly-buzzing-noisily-around-your- head kinda way. A highlight was the hot loaf of french bread that we got soon after ordering our drinks. It was served warm in a brown paper bag which was a very cute touch. The bread itself was delish and M liked it so much that she promptly knocked her diet coke over and spilled it onto the small piece that we had left after devouring almost all of it. Next went the pepper shaker under our other neighbor’s table and was never to be seen again. Her knife took a nose dive a few moments later. Not sure what was going on exactly but looking back, it is amusing.

Not being overly impressed with the Restaurant Week menu choices, we decided to be adventurous and order right off the menu. We started with the Fondue Piemontaise with saucisson and croutons. It was incredibly delicious. It was not like your typical fondue but thicker and served in a deep pan with a few roasted cloves of garlic that added a nice touch to the crispy flat croutons emerging from the bubbly cheese. There was not even half a dollop left once we were done with it.

Unfortunately, I did not make the best choice when choosing my entree. I opted to get the Bar Steak with caramelized shallots and mustard cream sauce. Sounds good right? Sadly, it was one of the worst steaks I have had in a while. It was not a very nice cut of meat and for the price, I would have expected it to have been at least decent. It was coated in shallots which I normally like but I would take a guess and say that there were more ounces of them than actual meat. The flavor was just too overwhelming and the whole thing was swimming in the mustard sauce. I was glad that the fondue was so good because I ate only a few bites of this before giving up on it. M got the Steak Frites with Maītre d’hōtel butter and it was better than mine but not by much. I will go out on a limb and not recommend getting steak from Gaslight. It was too bad but at least it allowed us to save room for dessert. We got the Chocolate Beignets with Crēme Anglais and having been in NoLa back in May where we indulged in many Cafe Du Monde beignets, these were divine. They can’t be described as anything short of perfection. Little chocolate donuts with a rich ganache in the center and a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. I would go back just to get this again. Ooc!

I am not going to rush back anytime soon but the decor, lighting, warm French bread, fondue, and heavenly dessert certainly made Gaslight a memorable experience. We would have been happier with less cramped conditions and not quite such a loud dining experience, but this could just be my inner old lady speaking.

More soon.

Posted on March 22nd, 2008 by Linnea in reviews | No Comments ».

Flock

I am really impressed with the Flock web browser. It keeps track of my blog, twitter, facebook, flickr, and rss feeds in one place. Gotta love it.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Tags: flock

Posted on March 15th, 2008 by Linnea in random | No Comments ».

bowl in progress

For M’s birthday weekend in Philly, we went glass blowing at East Falls Glassworks . Being a new experience for both of us, it was such a unque way to spend an afternoon. I highly recommend trying it.