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 Name: Gutenberg

 Location: Somewhere near the Broadway Bridge.

 Occupation: BRPR (Bunrab public relations.)

 
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-Gutenberg




 

April 1-10, 2015

 

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Friday, April 10, 2015
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“Bubbles and Bites” beckoned at El Paseo where an early effervescence washed over their patio during this Friday-Sunday 4-6 p.m.happy hour.

Champagne, Prosecco and beer offered the “bubbles” (which are half off their usual price during this window with all the “bites” priced at $8.00 each.)

Scallops:

... were the star of the menu. This horseradish-hit crudo was cradled in a ponzu-permeated salad of seaweed with waves of crisp taro chips.

Short rib “poppers”:

... were cow tots teetering on spears of ‘sparagus and red cabbage slaw. A pot of creamy horseradish kicked these bovine bits.

Deviled eggs with mustard seeds and potato chips:

... were a collection of ‘lesterol lacking luster. The chip gave a bit of texture variation, but a bit of uni, shrimp or avocado would have made this more interesting.

Guinea wings:

... had a nice bit of heat and crunch from radish but these lime-lilted hen handles aren’t a reorder.

The strategy we would employ in the future would be to go with the scallops and Champagne or better yet, just paseo on the early bites and hit their heftier heifer in the evening.


El Paseo
17 Throckmorton Ave.
Mill Valley, CA
415.388.0741




 

 

Thursday, April 9, 2015
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The prices at Ho Chi Minh International Airport feel like we are taxiing for takeoff.

(Singaporian-style) Chicken rice was (172,640 VND = $5.00 USD):

... and water (53,950 VND = $2.50 USD)

Which we slathered with a pot of chili ginger and soy sauce tumbled with cukes and tomatoes (which were not shockingly under-ripe) to produce a sustaining snack slurped with spoonfuls of broth with tofu.


HCMC Airport





 

 

Wednesday, April 8, 2015
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Passion fruit, dragon fruit:

... rambutans:

... papaya and mango have been a daily denominator, along with the bananas:

... that are some of the best ever. Dense, creamy, sweet and intensely bananaey, these peel poles are perfection.

We will miss these jostles of juiciness when we are Sai-gone.





 

 

Tuesday, April 7, 2015
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We got some che or “sweet soup”:

... from a street vendor.

Plastic cups of sweetened black bean with gummy bear-like rice lumps were iced and given a dose of coconut milk as were the ones with tiny green beans and seaweed.

We coveted our cool cups after crawling through Cu Chi Tunnels (the ones made for the tourists which are wider that the originals) and watching propaganda about the "American War" (they can't very well refer to it as the "Vietnam War" over there) at what is, quite literally, a tourist trap (poisoned spears included.)


Cu Chi Tunnels





 

 

Monday, April 6, 2015
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Coconut canteens were hydrating in the hot Saigon sizzle.

There is a sweetness to these slurps that must relate to this region.

We conjured more coconut in variety of sticky rices (40k VND = $1.85 USD):

These were packed in a styrofoam clamshell.

Some had beans but most of this rice-bow lacked legumes. Coconut meat and milk and condensed milk added texture and sweetness to this Vietnamese version of rice pudding that went with our grain.


Saigon





 

 

Sunday, April 5, 2015
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What the chain Com Tam Moc:

... lacks in personality, it makes up for in air conditioning.

We took a break from the heat and humidity of Ho Chi Minh City (which the residents still call Saigon) to have some cold beer and their namesake broken rice.

These serially rejected cereals used to be farmer food but have emerged as a com-modity for the crowds with its couscousy consistency.

We got our barbecued pork (55k VND = $2.75 USD):

... with cukes which provided a crunchy, cold contrast. The fish sauce, sugar and pepper dipping sauce helped the parched pork but we preferred the moist-meated clay pot fish (50k VND = $2.50 USD):

... which had a caramelized sauce to soak into the shattered starch.

Not a favorite, but we did emerge cooled into the scooter filled streets.


Com Tam Moc
85 Ly Tu Trong St.
HCMC, Vietnam





 

 

Saturday, April 4, 2015
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A long walk
took us on and off the beaten path of Hoi An today.

There are areas that feel untainted by tourism but there is evidence of growing pains from the hoards of holiday makers almost everywhere.

Rice noodles (65k VND = $3.00 USD) with stir fried beef, green onions and a sweet and sour sauce:

... at Mermaid Restaurant:

... got a boost of herbs and crunch of peanuts in a blissfully blended bowl while the chicken rice (65k VND = $3.00 USD):

... also had comfort coercion with shredded squawker, carrots, green papaya, chili sauce and citrus over flavorful and fatty rice.

Mermaid was a siren of satiety.


Mermaid Restaurant
2 Tran Phu St.
Hoi An, Vietnam





 

 

Friday, April 3, 2015
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Upon entering the food court at Cho Hoian Market food stall operators solicit sales without subtlety.

We sat down at Hang Com:

... for the local favorite of fried wonton (30k VND = $1.40 USD):

... topped with salsa.

This Hoi An helping was a nacho-esque nosh while the rice pancake (20k VND = .90¢):

... was a petite version of the DIY rice paper burritos of herbs and bean sprout stuffed crepe that we had in Hanoi.

We happily devoured these self-made cigars in this chaotic market.

Hang Com
Cho Hoian Market
Hoi An, Vietnam





 

 

Thursday, April 2, 2015
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Banh bao bahn vat aka “White roses”:

... are a Hoi An speciality.

These delicate dumplings (65k VND = $3.00 USD) are petaled with thin rice noodles flourished with ground shrimp transplanted into a pepper speckled dipping sauce at Morning Glory Restaurant.

This bouquet blossomed along with a bowl of another regional requisite ration, the Cau Lau noodle (55k VND = $2.55 USD):

Noodles are made with high alkali water which causes them to yellow and produces a texture that is like an unusually tender bamboo shoot. Pork shoulder, fresh herbs, crunchy rice crackers and a sweet and sour dipping sauce combined into a ‘tastic tangle of textures and tastes.

Despite its touristy status, this is a good place to alkaline up some noodles and rare roses.


Morning Glory Restaurant
106 Nguyen Thai Hoc St.
Hoi An, Vietnam





 

 

Wednesday, April 1, 2015
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We were influenced by a travel show:

 

... to check out a particular sandwich (35k VND = $1.60 USD):

... at Tiem Banh Mi Phong.

This baguette bundle of pork, pate, veg, sauce and fried egg had an herby edge, crunchy from veg with meaty muscle and subtle heat.

We sat at our Barbie townhouse table for our swell banh mi. We were glad we tracked down this tasty torpedo.


Tiem Banh Mi Phong
2B Phan Chau Trinh
Hoi An, Vietnam





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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