23
JANUARY 1 2009
AMERICANWAY
cold rice vermicelli, pork, and herbs) —
exhibits exotic and meticulous touches
that possibly trace back to court cooks. The
north, the fount of Vietnamese civilization,
gave rise to some of the country’s most fa-
mousdishes, includingpho
,
thebeefnoodle
soup that later seeped into the south with
the flood of refugeeswho escapedCommu-
nistNorthVietnamafterthe1954partition-
ing. According to Andrea Nguyen, author
ies, lemongrass, and sweet fruits. The south
is also home to Vietnam’s stewlike curries,
whichoftenbathechicken,beefbrisket, and
goat, alongwith amix of potatoes and car-
rots, and come with Vietnamese baguettes
for soppingup thebroth.
TheVietnamizationof theAmericanpal-
atecanbetraceddirectlytothe fallofSaigon
in 1975,when largenumbersofVietnamese
fledSouthVietnamduring the incursionby
Communist forces and came to theUnited
States. They often arrived penniless and
destitute at one of four refugee-processing
centers: Fort Chaffee, Arkansas; Eglin Air
Force Base, Florida; Fort IndiantownGap,
Pennsylvania; and Camp Pendleton, Cali-
fornia. Twomorewaves of Vietnamese im-
migration followed—first, inthe late1970s,
when “boat people” risked their lives toflee
the miseries of Communist re-education
camps, and then again during the 1990s,
when familymembers of existingVietnam-
ese Americans, as well as Amerasian chil-
dren, arrived on U.S. shores. Today, there
are some 1.5 million Vietnamese in the
United States, 40 percent of whom live in
California; another 12 percent make their
home inTexas.
As they settled, they often congregated
in enclaves known as Little Saigons that
of
Into the Vietnamese Kitchen,
the north Vietnamese utilized
the scraps from cattle slaugh-
tered by the French as a staple
in their food, hence the pres-
ence of beef tendon and tripe
in pho. Because of the north’s
colder climate, the cuisine there
has a less diverse portfolio of
spices and ingredients — there
are fewer herbs and vegetables
in it. It’s straightforward, with
distinct Chinese influences evi-
dent instir-friesandsautés,and
makes use of star anise, cinna-
mon, blackpepper, and soy.
Bycontrast, food in the south
is brash and gutsy, with large
portions rich in fresh seafood
and with a liberal use of chil-
ORANgECOuNtY,
CAlIfORNIA
BrodardRestaurant
9892Westminster
Avenue, #R
GardenGrove,
(714) 530-1744,
Phothanhlich
14500Brookhurst
Street
Westminster,
(714) 531-5789
QuanHyVietnamese
Restaurant
9727BolsaAvenue
Westminster,
(714) 775-7179
Rockin’ Crawfish
9211BolsaAvenue
Westminster,
(714) 894-4536
thienAnRestaurant
13518Harbor Boule-
vard, SuiteA6
GardenGrove,
(714) 530-4955
VienDongRestaurant
14271Brookhurst
Street
GardenGrove,
(714) 531-8253
SANJOSE,
CAlIfORNIA
Asiangarden
905SouthBascom
Avenue
(408) 279-8764,
ca9mon.com
CaoNguyen
Restaurant
2549SouthKingRoad,
#A-16
(408) 270-9610,
rant.com
PhoBang
1705TullyRoad
(408) 251-0896
VungtauRestaurant
535East SantaClara
Street
(408) 288-9055, www
.vungtaurestaurant.com
SEAttlE,
WASHINgtON
BaguetteBox
1203PineStreet
(206) 332-0220,
Monsoon
615 19thAvenueEast
(206) 325-2111, www
.monsoonseattle.com
PhoVietAnh
Restaurant
372RoyStreet
(206) 352-1881,
SaigonBistro
atuwajimaya
507SouthWeller Street
(206) 621-2085
tamarindtree
1036South Jackson
Street, #A
(206) 860-1404,
taurant.com
PHIlADElPHIA,
PENNSYlVANIA
CafeHuonglan
1037SouthEighth
Street
(215) 629-9966
NamPhuong
1110-1120Washington
Avenue
(215) 468-0410, www
.namphuongphilly.com
Pho75
1122Washington
Avenue, #F
(215) 271-5866
VietnamPalace
222North 11thStreet
(215) 592-9596,
philly.com
VietnamRestaurant
221North 11thStreet
(215) 592-1163,
HOuStON, tExAS
AlphaBakery
11209BellaireBoule-
vard, #C-02
(281) 988-5222
leViet
11328Westheimer
(281) 293-8883
QueHuong
8200Wilcrest Drive,
Suite27
(281) 495-2814
SaigonPagolac
9600BellaireBoule-
vard, #119
(713) 988-6106
tantan
6816Ranchester
(713) 771-1268, www
.tantanfastfood.com
AVietnamese
Eatingguide
Opposite: Crisp catfish
servedwithfish dipping
sauce at VungTau.
This page: Vietnamese
condiments and traditional
beef pho atAsianGarden.
