Nam-Viet - Raising the Bar on Vietnamese Cuisine

I eat at the next place I want to talk about fairly regularly with co-workers. When I first came to the Courthouse area, I had already taken my first steps into the world of Vietnamese cuisine while I was in college at a restaurant in Fredericksburg that has since closed. A co-worker who was a big fan of international cuisine told me he had a great place to try and I was totally hooked. It's one of the all-time best kept secrets of Clarendon (1127 North Hudson Street, Arlington VA), and a fantastic treat whether you are new to Vietnamese or a Siracha-seasoned veteran. I can honestly say I have never had a bad meal here, and that comfort has allowed me to branch out and try several choices on the menu that I may not otherwise have tried.

The Clarendon location I frequent is one of two, they have another one in DC (in Cleveland Park I believe). They describe their cooking style thusly:

"French and Southern Mekong Delta flavors and exceptionally fine quality of ingredients are evident in our very own "Can-Tho-nese" style cooking. Can Tho, a lush, bountiful, bustling, tropical area of the Southernmost part of Vietnam, is frequently referred to as the "Bread Basket of Southeast Asia." The demands of its people for high energy, non-filling, non-fattening nourishment to sustain them through a tropical workday resulted in the evolution of wholesome, savory culinary dishes of unique distinction..."

If you are new to Vietnamese, I highly recommend going to this place and ordering the Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup, known as Pho Bo - or simply just Pho. Its a staple of the cuisine, easy to like (and love!) and is a gateway meal to trying more things. One of the hallmarks of Vietnamese cuisine that I like so much is their emphasis on light-tasting food. There aren't a lot of heavy spices like you would find in say Indian cuisine, and while I love Indian food, this is an extremely refreshing change of pace for most of my diet. Very little here tastes heavy. Another misconception with a lot of the southeast Asian cuisines is that they are all spicy. Vietnamese tends to emphasize fresh and light over spice, but thankfully they invented Siracha for the heat hounds. This delicious chili sauce has taken America by storm, becoming one of the most popular condiments in the country. So if you don't like spicy, you don't have to worry. If you do like spicy, welcome to Siracha Town.

People more familiar with other styles of asian cuisine may be more at home with their wonton soup (pictured above and right). Its a deliciously comfortable dish. The wontons come with minced shrimp and pork. There are also large chunks of pork in the broth. The broth itself is very lightly flavored, and has herbs and green onion. I also recommend juicing a lime wedge into the bowl just before eating. It really makes the fresh flavors pop. Give it a a try and I'm certain that you'll come back for more and/or try something else!


http://www.namviet1.com/index.html