AROUND TOWN

RESTAURANTS WE'VE VISITED

Pho Thanh My - Vietnamese

B3:  Bun Thit Nuong
 (Vermicelli Bowl with char - glazed pork)

I picked it up.  It's a delicious and refreshing mix of noodles, char grilled pork, and fresh herbs.  If you're in the mood for shrimp or beef, you can choose those instead!

Here it is all mixed together with the carrots and daikon radish.  Pour in the delicious sauce and eat it all up.  This is what you eat at Pho Thanh My.

How can I not love a restaurant with my name in it?  Well, to be honest, of the 3 Vietnamese restaurants in town, this one is my favorite.  Not just because of the name.  Saigon Cuisine is quite comparable with pretty good eggrolls.   I also prefer the flavorful broth of their seafood noodle soup over Pho Thanh My.  Vanlang on S. University also held my attention for a time, but they've changed ownership, and they didn't have competition at the time.  The only downfall is no beer or wine is served here.

X3 Mi Xao Do Bien
Seafood stir - fried egg noodles

In light of the Lenten season, I chose a seafood dish during this Friday lunch.  It was comprised of shrimp, calamari, and imitation crab tossed with baby bok choy, broccoli, and onions in a light sauce over angel hair egg noodles.  I felt good about this dish - lots of protein with good green veggies.  I have the egg noodles at home.  A cup contains 13g protein with zero cholesterol, zero fat, and no concern in sodium either.

This is the Crispy Noodle dish that Jereme had with beef, button mushrooms, bok choy, & the same light sauce.  The noodles are the same as what I had, except they were returned to a pan of hot oil.  They also offer this at Saigon Cuisine, but Jer didn't mind having it here at the restaurant that doesn't serve beer on his day off.

Jereme also had the egg rolls.  I approve of these.  I know that for many years before Vietnamese restaurants made their presence in Little Rock, Chinese restaurants made something log-sized, filled with cabbage, and called them spring rolls.  Hence the confusion...it seems the Vietnamese and the Chinese did not collaborate on food titles.  In my world, spring rolls are not fried.  They're featured on my recipe page if you'd like to see.  Thanks for checking out the site & I love to hear your thoughts!!

Ya Ya's Euro Bistro

The girls were out of school today, so we agreed on Ya Ya's for lunch.  I have always loved Beef Carpaccio, ever since I waited tables for a short time at The Terrace, one of Jerry Barakat's first restaurants.  It was always fun to watch the cooks prepare the entrees.  This is one I don't think I could duplicate.  Gianna's favorite part of the appetizer is the crunch of the fried capers.  I love the combination of the arugula, citrus vinaigrette, and thinly sliced rare beef.  I ask for the goat cheese on the side.  I also love the local, fresh, and natural motto at Ya Ya's.

We also enjoyed the Lobster Pizza.  Those caramelized pearl onions inspired me to use them in my own future recipe.  The texture of the crust was nice, and the same citrus - dressed arugula really complimented the cream - based pizza.

Ya Ya's is located at The Promenade at Chenal in Little Rock, AR.



Papa Sushi

We ate at Papa Sushi today for lunch.  In 2001, it was Vermillion Bistro, when Jereme proposed to me there.  The server had brought a tray with a flute of champagne and a dark napkin on top.  He folded back the napkin, and there was my little blue box.  Jereme still points at the table every time we go.  I'd been working at Clear Channel Television with Fox & UPN at the time.  He'd called me at work and said that we had a date that evening.  It was quite unforgettable. 

The atmosphere is still nice today.  The dish we liked most at Papa Sushi was the Pao Pao Shrimp.  I'm considering an attempt at creating it in my own kitchen.  Jereme loved the shrimp chips that came with it.

 
The Tuna Tataki was the other dish that I ordered.  I had to remove the jalapeno slices, and I liked it better with the side of Ponzu sauce that I requested.

We usually order seaweed salad when we go out for sushi.  It's always so good, dressed with a light ginger sesame flavor.  This bowl was large enough to split.

Today I tried the house soup.  It's an onion broth with thinly sliced mushrooms and a bit of imitation crab.  I enjoyed it, but I think I like the Miso Soup better.  It's just a flavor I enjoy more.

We will definitely be back for the Pao Pao Shrimp!