Vietnamese banh mi is one of my favorite sandwiches. Prepared well, they are heavenly. The baguette has to be fresh, preferably baked in-house. Proteins can vary widely, but the constant is the pickled daikon and carrot mix. My favorite banh mi shop is Tan Hoang Huong and I’m curious if I’ll ever find one that…
Vietnamese
Viet Noodle Bar – Healthy and Flavorful Vietnamese Cuisine
It is widely known that the best Vietnamese food may be found in Orange County. Over 189,000 Vietnamese Americans reside there making this the largest concentration of Vietnamese in the US. Westminster became known as Little Saigon and the area quickly spread into Garden Grove. In order to succeed, restaurant owners must tailor their food…
Sandwich House, A Tasty Vietnamese Sandwich Shop
The banh mi sandwich is quite a remarkable Vietnamese creation. A baguette is typically the foundation and it is usually filled with proteins such as beef, chicken, pork or fish. Cilantro gives the sandwich a lot of aroma and flavor, the cucumbers add crunch and jalapenos provide heat. I recently visited Sandwich House, a popular…
Week 9 – Coronavirus Dining in LA
Dr. Christina Ghaly, director of health services for L.A. County, recently reported some good news suggesting that the effective transmission rate of the coronavirus is slightly decreasing. This is good news for all LA Country residents, but in particular, to small businesses that are weathering the storm. This week I am happy to report two…
Little Sister Offers Delicious Asian Fusion to Redondo Beach
While plenty of Japanese restaurants in the South Bay exist, there is a surprising dearth of Asian fusion restaurants in the area. Little Sister in Manhattan Beach was one of the recent Asian fusion restaurants that broke ground in the South Bay. They extended their reach into Redondo Beach. Chef Tin Vuong and restaurateur Jed…
Thai Lai – Delicious Vietnamese Food in the South Bay
South Bay Vietnamese restaurants primarily feature pho, bun and banh mi. I recently discovered Thai Lai, a South Bay Vietnamese restaurant that breaks this norm. They feature food that is common in Vietnam’s central region as well as the more common cuisine from the southern area. Thai Lai is located on Prairie Ave. in Hawthorne….
The Taste LA – Recapping Opening Night
THE TASTE LA, the Los Angeles Times’ annual celebration of the Southern California culinary scene, is back at Paramount Pictures Studios lot this Labor Day weekend. THE TASTE LA is again cooking up a locally-focused, internationally-flavored menu of offerings with featured chefs and special guests. This is one of my favorite events to attend because…
Tan Cang Offers Scrumptious Asian Seafood
A former colleague left our company and it was quite a blow to us. Not only was he talented, he was outgoing, friendly, and a really nice person. Since he left before we had an official send-off, we recently met him for an early supper at Tan Cang Newport Seafood. Since he lives in Lake…
Celebrating My Birthday at Cassia
I recently had a birthday and I felt extremely special when my cousins took my wife and me to Cassia. Co-owners Bryant and Kim Ng (Spice Table) ran a popular restaurant near Little Tokyo and was forced to close because of LA’s Metro. They re-opened as Cassia in Santa Monica and I’ve wanted to visit…
Tan Hoang Huong Creates Delicious Banh Mi
I was in the mood for a good banh mi sandwich and while there are places near my house, I had a hankering for a great experience. One of my favorite banh mi restaurants is Tan Hoang Huong Bakery in Fountain Valley and despite the heat, I drove to the OC. The obvious question is…