223 replies to this topic

[Lex]

Thanks. I try.

[Lex]

For a long time I’ve been treating Nha Trang Palace as a pho house. I always went in the cold months when a hot and filling soup is really welcome. Yes, the pho is terrific but the problem is that it’s a pretty big portion. I rarely get to sample the rest of the menu and when I do, I’m too full to properly appreciate it.

Deb likes the pho but not as much as I do. As a result she’s more likely to branch out than me and of course I get to sample what she orders. This has turned out very well for us. She’s steered us to some wonderful salads and grilled meat dishes served with vermicelli and bean sprouts.

We’ve been to Nha Trang twice over the last couple of months and she has completely won me over. The last time we were there I didn’t even order the pho.



Some highlights, by the numbers -

23. - Beef with vegetable salad and peanuts



This is thinly sliced beef in a fresh crisp salad with mint, cucumber, and bean sprouts. The crispy fried peanuts on top add a bit of richness. This is just wonderful, all flavor and no heaviness. The perfect summer dish.

21a. - BBQ Pork w. vegetable and rice paper



Flavorful pork in a rice paper roll, served at a bit above room temperature. (I’m assuming that’s the correct way to serve it – I trust them.) It was pleasant enough but not particularly assertive. I tend to want something that has more personality but that might be a limitation on my part. There was a mildly spicy dipping sauce served on the side which helped a bit.

55. - Three flavored grilled beef with lettuce on rice vermicelli



If this was being served in the East Village they’d call it Beef Three Ways. This is one of the best things I’ve had in the last 12 months. The beef is marinated and perfectly grilled. If I really knew Vietnamese cuisine I could tell you about the differences in the way each piece of beef was prepared but I’m still learning. There are two pieces of each variety so the portion is ample without being overwhelming. The accompanying vermicelli and bean sprouts make the dish both crispy and fresh. It makes you feel healthy eating it and at $6.50, it is a crazy bargain.

(I need to mention that this dish, and all the others I’m writing about, are traditional Vietnamese recipes that appear on menus in lots of places. Nha Trang is producing great versions but it’s possible that other places are doing equally well or better although I think it would be hard to surpass the dishes served at NTP. I need to get around a bit and check.)

42. - Grilled beef sesame seasoned on tiny rice stick with lettuce, cucumber and mint leaves



This is served on a bed of rice vermicelli with a plate of crisp lettuce on the side for wrapping. Deb wrapped, I used a fork. As with the previous dish the beef is marinated and perfectly grilled. The vermicelli and lettuce add lightness and crunch and set off the beef perfectly. It was wonderful.

Like the pork rolls I mentioned earlier all these dishes were served with a vinegary dipping sauce. The Vietnamese are mad for condiments. On every table there’s a tray with 2 different kinds of hot sauce, a mild soy sauce and a different type of vinegar. You can tweak your dishes to your heart’s content.

We love this place and look forward to working our way through the menu.

Nha Trang Palace
5906 8th Ave, Brooklyn

A few blocks from the 8th Ave. N train stop.

[Sneakeater]

That Three-Flavored Beef looks fantastic.

[ghostrider]

Nha Trang Palace
5906 8th Ave, Brooklyn

A few glocks from the 8th Ave. N train stop.

One of the less gentrified sections, I take it?

[Lex]

One of the less gentrified sections, I take it?

Yes. This is a strip about a mile and a half long about 20 blocks south of Park Slope. Over the last 20 years or so it's been colonized by Asians, predominantly Chinese with some Vietnamese as well. It's hugely entertaining just to walk around and good for certain types of shopping. Men's casual shoes can be had for about 1/3 of what you'd pay in regular stores. There are good prices on meats and produce as well.

[Sneakeater]

Years ago my wife and I took my parents to eat in that neighborhood, and my mother said something to the effect that it was surprising to find such a good restaurant "in the middle of nowhere."

Given the tens of thousands of people who live in the surrounding blocks, we found that very funny.

[ghostrider]

A few glocks from the 8th Ave. N train stop.

It looks like a fine neighborhood. I was trying to make a weak joke about having to run a gauntlet of Glocks to get to the restaurant. Anything to cheer myself up after the cancellation of CSI Miami.

[Lex]

There is a new massive Asian supermarket on at 64th St on 8th Ave. - Fei Long Market.



I've never seen anything like it. It's the size on 1 1/2 suburban Pathmarks. The range of products is incredible. You live your whole life in NY City and you think there are 4 or 5 brands of chili paste out there. At Fei Long they've got about 70. The amount of bottled sauces they have is massive - it extends for aisles.

And then there the products that you've never heard of.





"Where's the Bangus?"

"Two aisles over, right next to the Cheeze Whiz."



They have 2 or 3 aisles just for cookware. Some of it is crap but some is of very high quality and a fraction of the price you'd pay in some outlet like Bed Bath and Beyond. There's a giant produce section and a huge meat department. All the pork belly you want for $1.99 a pound. 20 different cuts of pork.

There's a whole mini mall attached to the supermarket and it includes a good sized food court.





All this is just 2 1/2 miles south of Park Slope. It's another world.

[splinky]

A few glocks from the 8th Ave. N train stop.

It looks like a fine neighborhood. I was trying to make a weak joke about having to run a gauntlet of Glocks to get to the restaurant. Anything to cheer myself up after the cancellation of CSI Miami.

i thought that was cancelled like 5 years ago.

[ghostrider]

A few glocks from the 8th Ave. N train stop.

It looks like a fine neighborhood. I was trying to make a weak joke about having to run a gauntlet of Glocks to get to the restaurant. Anything to cheer myself up after the cancellation of CSI Miami.

i thought that was cancelled like 5 years ago.

No, tragically, just last week.

[ghostrider]

There is a new massive Asian supermarket on at 64th St on 8th Ave. - Fei Long Market.

Fascinating. Did you try the food court? Was it at all intelligible?

[Sneakeater]

It doesn't need to be intelligible if you've got a glock.

[Steve R.]

I've eaten some things from several of the stalls but the best pkace, in my opinion, was just outside the mall entrance on 8th Ave. -- a small family run place, the specific ethnicity of which I forget. However, it (the food court at the mall and this place) have been the subject of several CH threads started, I think, by Dave Cook. Lex is correct -- it's a strange & interesting market. Worth a visit.

[Anthony Bonner]

unable to get to Tanoreen we ended up at Bab al Yemen in Bay Ridge last night. Super cheap, very tasty. Lots of lamb in different disguises - including a pretty cool stewed version with a fenugreek "foam" on it. Though in this case I think fenugreek has a natural surfactant in it and they just whip some of it up with water. Very traditional. We enjoyed it. Worth checking out for a variation on things.

[Orik]

Yeah, just ground and soaked, then whipped with some spices (sometimes tomato too). Try not to break a sweat over the next 48 hours.