Co Ba Vietnamese

Vietnamese has been on my mind for a long while and oddly enough, in a town full of Asian dining trucks/malls/restaurants, Vietnamese has not really had a presence in the New York dining scene.  To my surprise, Houston is the most densely populated city with Vietnamese people.  Luckily, there is a restaurant near my apartment in Chelsea that seems to be undiscovered.

Suon nuong – finger-lickin’ lemongrass baby back ribs and the meat falls off the bone, topped with crushed peanuts with short grain semi-sweet rice cakes.

Muc chien don – chili-pepper fried calamari with tamarind-lemongrass sauce and just a touch oily.

Banh uot thit nuong – honey glazed pork with Vietnamese ham served over rice ravioli with basil, cilantro, cucumber, bean sprouts, crispy shallots and chili-lime sauce. The ‘ravioli’ were rice ribbon nests and the chili-lime sauce wasn’t saucy in the slightest, but more of a vinaigrette. This is a must!

Com tho ga – clay pot baked ginger chicken with shitake mushrooms and onions over rice. This dish is perfect to edge you into fall with its heavy pepper undertones.