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Archive for Little Saigon

Taking back Little Saigon

Apr28

Restaurant: Little Saigon

Location: 6218 Wilson Blvd, Falls Church, VA 22044-3210 (703) 536-2633

Date: April 22, 2011

Cuisine: Vietnamese

ANY CHARACTER HERE

One of my favorite places back “home” (Washington D.C.) is Little Saigon, a local hole in the wall Vietnamese place with absolutely stellar food. I reviewed it once before, but I’m back again for more.

This is just a page of the 6 page menu, for the whole thing look at the older review.

A nice sparkling wine goes well with Vietnamese.

My dad also brought this old cab. But it was corked, and probably not the worlds best wine to begin with :-).

Table condiments.

This is marinated raw beef, soaked in fish sauce, with onions, chilies, and basil. Not a typical American flavor, but amazing nonetheless.

These are an interestingly different take on these classic soft Vietnamese rolls. Besides some of the usual veggies (lettuce, mint, bean sprouts, vermicelli, shrimp, etc) they also have a bit of spicy pork sausage.

With the crucial dipping sauce. These are really tasty.

This is a four person portion of the rice noodle pork soup with some kind of dumpling. There’s also cilantro, scallions, peanuts and who knows what else. But it’s certainly delicious with one of those complex flavor and texture profiles that is typical of good Vietnamese.

The individual bowl (approximately a quarter of the first bigger bowl).

Chicken wings sauteed in butter and garlic. Basically Vietnamese fried chicken. Sweeter and crunchier than the American equivalent and way strong on the garlic. Very good for sure.

Crispy orange duck. This must be Chinese inspired, but it’s amazing, totally amazing. The duck is perfect, and the sweet/bitter tang of real orange peels (not to mention the schechuan peppers) delectable.

Mixed seafood (all the S’s – shrimp, scallops, squid) in lemongrass sauce. Nice tasty subtle flavor to the sauce. This is a fairly exotic taste, but really good.

Little Saigon never disappoints. And this whole meal was like $80 for four!

Related posts:

  1. Food as Art: Little Saigon
  2. Red Medicine the Relapse
  3. Fogo de Chao – Beef!
  4. Red Medicine is the Cure
  5. Quick Eats: Brentwood
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: beef, Cooking, Ho Chi Minh, Ho Chi Minh City, Home, Little Saigon, pork, Restaurant, Restaurant Review, Seafood, side dishes, Soups and Stews, spring roll, United States, vegetarian, Vietnam, Vietnamese cuisine

ThanksGavin in Review

Nov29

Every year we Gavins gather in Philadelphia for four days and nights of massive gluttony. The party then moves down to Washington DC. I wanted to create a central post to document this parade of food and Thanksgiving. Also don’t miss the catalog of ThanksGavin turkey plates.

_

ThanksGavin 2019

The holy tetralogy:

Wednesday night dinner (Keep)
Thursday night Thanksgiving Feast
Friday night feast (DJ Kitchen)
Salty Saturday

Non canonical events:

White Elephant

_

ThanksGavin 2018

The holy tetralogy:

Wednesday night dinner (Georgian)
Thursday night Thanksgiving Feast
Friday night feast
Salty Saturday

Non canonical events:

Oyamel
Q by Peter Chang
Tidewater Grille
IHop
Elephant Jumps

_

ThanksGavin 2017

The holy tetralogy:

Wednesday night dinner (Uzbekistan)
Thursday night Thanksgiving Feast
Friday night feast
Salty Saturday

Non canonical events:

Oyamel
Kapnos Taverna
Tidewater Grille
Mark’s Duck House
Jackson’s

_

ThanksGavin 2016

The West Coast singleton:
Thursday night Thanksgiving Feast
_

ThanksGavin 2015

The holy tetralogy:

Wednesday night dinner (Uzbekistan)
Thursday night Thanksgiving Feast
Friday night feast
Salty Saturday

Non canonical events:

Tiffin Indian Cuisine

_

ThanksGavin 2014

The holy tetralogy:

Wednesday night dinner (Han Dynasty)
Thursday night Thanksgiving Feast
Friday night feast
Salty Saturday

_

ThanksGavin 2013

The holy tetralogy:

Wednesday night dinner (Fond)
Thursday night Thanksgiving Feast
Friday night feast
Salty Saturday

Non canonical events:

Graffiato Italian Tapas

_

ThanksGavin 2012

The holy tetralogy:

Wednesday night dinner (Han Dynasty)
Thursday night Thanksgiving Feast
Friday night feast

_

ThanksGavin 2011

The holy tetralogy:

Wednesday night dinner
Thursday night Thanksgiving Feast
Friday night Shrimp Tacos
Salty Saturday

Non canonical events:

The Italian Market
Saturday night Jackson’s
Sunday at Zaytinya
Monday Lunch at 2Amys Neapolitan Pizzeria
Tuesday at Jaleo Bethesda
Wednesday at Mark’s Duck House

_

ThanksGavin 2010

The holy tetralogy:

Wednesday night dinner
Thursday night Thanksgiving Feast
Friday night at Chez Abbe et Jon
Saturday Deli Brunch

Non canonical events:

Dinner at Little Saigon
Sunday Snack
Monday dinner at Mon Ami
Tuesday lunch at Coastal Flats
Wednesday lunch at Ping Pong
Wednesday dinner at Panjshir
Turkey sandwich for the flight home

Related posts:

  1. Saturday is for Salt
  2. Thanksgiving Proper
  3. Ghost of Thanksgivings Past
  4. Thanksgiving – Pork Insanity
  5. Thanksgiving – The Prequel
By: agavin
Comments (11)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: 2010 ThanksGavin, Cooking, Dessert, Dinner, Food, holiday, Holidays, Little Saigon, ThanksGavin, thanksgiving, turkey

Food as Art: Little Saigon

Nov29

Restaurant: Little Saigon

Location: 6218 Wilson Blvd, Falls Church, VA 22044-3210 (703) 536-2633

Date: Nov 27, 2010

Cuisine: Vietnamese

ANY CHARACTER HERE

One of my favorite places back “home” (Washington D.C.) is Little Saigon, a local hole in the wall Vietnamese place with absolutely stellar food.

Yeah, Hole in the wall. But good!

We start with this prosecco. Basically Italian Champagne.

The menu is as long as War and Peace!

Table condiments.

Almost everyone here is Vietnamese, which is always the best sign of authentic ethic restaraunts.

This is marinated raw beef, soaked in fish sauce, with onions, chilies, and basil. Not a typical American flavor, but amazing nonetheless.

My two-year son’s favorite: rice cracker (with black sesame).

Vegetarian spring rolls, hot as the 9th circle of hell (temperature). The sauce is this amazing chili-sweet-soy combo.

The owner visists. My parents have been friends with her for years.

Vietnamese “hot wings,” but fried with TONS of garlic. Amazing. I was dipping the garlic by itself in the sauce and eating it.

We moved on to this tasty malbec. Toasty oak.

Soft egg noodles with tofu, brocoli, mushrooms, baby corn. Fine, but not the best dish of the evening.

Crispy orange duck. This must be Chinese inspired, but it’s amazing, totally amazing. The duck is perfect, and the sweet/bitter tang of real orange peels (not to mention the schechuan peppers) delectable.

Rock fish, steamed, with a ginger cilantro sauce. Very nice light whole fish.

One of my guilty pleasures is just soaking rice in the orange duck sauce!

The check for 6 people, $108! Not a bank breaker.

Observe more Vietnamese diners — they know their own cuisine. Never trust an Asian restaurant with blond waiters (none here).

There were oranges for desert, which nicely finish off the meal, and my two-year-old loved them.

For a second review of Little Saigon, see here.

Related posts:

  1. Food as Art: Saddle Peak Lodge
  2. Food as Art: Hatfield’s part 2
  3. Food as Art: Ludobites 6.0
  4. Food as Art: Bistro LQ
  5. Food as Art: The Bazaar
By: agavin
Comments (3)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Asia, bbq, Cooking, duck, Food, Little Saigon, noodles, orange duck, Restaurant, reviews, rice cracker, rock fish, side dishes, spring roll, United States, vegetarian, Vietnam, vietnamese, Vietnamese American, Vietnamese cuisine
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