I was putting off a visit, but last night I couldn't think of reason why I shouldn't go and see how Ric Orlando et al were doing. I hopped on the #18 bus down Delaware and anticipated a lovely dinner in a good atmosphere.
The Hendricks gin and cucumber lemonade was a very excellent cocktail - tart with lemon and just a hint of cucumber.
The street style squid was delightful because it was not over-breaded and the full flavor of the squid was apparent. Lightly sauced with a Vietnamese style peanut flavor and a saucier of wonderfully firey chilies on the side provided enough variation to keep the dish enticing.
Hoping I'd be able to keep enough appetite for dessert I asked for the small version of the Vietnamese salad with a tofu topper. The tofu had good drilled flavor verging on bitter char, but not quite and marinated in chimichurri sauce it had a good enough flavor to enhance the salad. Not too much of the fish sauce and not too much of the dressing altogether made the salad a good combination of flavor and texture.
It was quite an enjoyable dinner. Finishing with the Nutella mousse, I looked around the full dining rooms and noted that the crowd was varied. Lots of different ages and kinds of groups.
I'm hoping this place will be a good place to visit before and after the movies for a long time to come.
