David_Minh's Profile
Vegas for two: Chow for the middle class
I suggest going to this site...
usmenuguide.com
If you click on the las vegas link, it has an extensive list of different types of cuisine that you can choose from. From that list you can choose a restaurant and view their menu. They update it every couple of months or so, it is a great site.
Compare: Japanese and Vietnamese Cuisine
Tampopo... is that like Tanpopo? Because there is this great Japanese soba and udon place called Tanpopo just 15 minutes from my house. Do you have any idea what it means?
By the way, I received an A on the paper. Thanks for the feedback, and you're right, I do know more about Vietnamese cuisine, even though I've been to Japan twice (I guess it shouldn't count because I went when I was nine and thirteen and didn't eat much there).
Compare: Japanese and Vietnamese Cuisine
I totally forgot about this post! I have the final paper, and with only a week to work on it I think I did a pretty good job. I'll just post the whole thing.
When an average American thinks of “Asian” food they imagine heaping portions of Kung Pao chicken on fried rice with a side of cream cheese wontons served on a paper plate. Although this is a popular staple amongst mall rats and buffet regulars, the former dish is as authentic is the American invention: the fortune cookie. Asia, which covers around one third of the earth’s landmass, is the home of a variety of unique cuisines. Two nations in particular, Vietnam and Japan, are proof of the range that true Asian cuisine covers.
Before anyone can attempt to compare two different culinary styles they must first understand the core of cuisine: ingredients. Ingredients that highlight the distinctiveness of Japanese cooking are the extensive selections of seafood, vegetables, select grains, and certain beans. Since Japan is surrounded by ocean, some form of seafood is included in pretty much every Japanese meal. Fish frequently found in the nets of a proficient Japanese fisherman are tuna, flounder, mackerel and salmon. Other more unusual sea creatures that don’t escape the eyes of hungry Japanese are eels, sea urchins, sharks and poisonous puffer fish. Being the resourceful people that the Japanese are, they incorporate other unorthodox things like seaweed and fish caviar into their diet. Although vegetables are usually upstaged by heavier parts of Japanese cooking, they are a common staple in Japanese fare. Examples include a broad range of cucumbers, eggplants, cabbages, radishes and other roots. Rice (which is ubiquitous in all East Asian cuisine) in Japan is a special short grain variety that is generally found exclusively. A grain besides rice that is used in Japan is wheat, which is mainly made into wheat gluten and is sequentially turned into noodles.
Dishes in Vietnam are much more straightforward in comparison to the complex courses that the Japanese serve, but are not limited to a small selection. Distinguishing factors of Vietnamese cuisine is their vegetables, certain meats, fruits and herbs paired with spices. Popular vegetables cultivated in the vast fields of Vietnam are water spinach, bok choy, carrots, bitter melon and cabbage. Vietnam holds countless exotic animals in their tropical jungles, but humdrum proteins such as pork, beef, prawns, and shellfish are still prevalent. Although the former may sound like the usual meats many East Asians feast one, what makes Vietnamese different is the fact that snakes, half born chicken eggs, and scorpions are delicacies. Fruits in Vietnamese cuisine are of the tropical variety, and include lychee, mango, longan, star fruit and the notorious durian, which smells like the severed foot of a wet dog. The herbs and spices utilized in Vietnamese cuisine are used to create complex flavors in simple matters. Mints, cilantro, basil, and a wide selection of the hottest peppers available are commonly found in the large, ceramic bowls and plates of a Vietnamese meal.
After learning the disparities between the ingredients used in both countries, we can take a closer look at their differences by comparing dishes that the average American would confuse as the same thing. Japan and Vietnam are both famous for their derivatives of a Chinese bowl of noodle soup: pho in Vietnam and ramen in Japan. Pho, pronounced as f-uh, has a stock that consists of simmered beef bones, ox-tails, various indigenous spices, and charred onions, ginger and scallions. The broth in authentic ramen, the variety found in a bowl and not in a plastic cup, is much lighter and consists of beef stock, kelp, dried fish mushrooms and a soy based paste called miso. The noodles in pho are clear rice noodles, while ramen uses wheat as their starch.
Flavored Peanut Butters
I think I might've seen a TV special on this place, but I'm not quite sure though.
MSP Best Singapore/Malaysian food
So I just got done watching No Reservations: Singapore and I suddenly have the urge to have some Singapore/Malaysian style food, but I don't know of too many good places. I've been to Satay2Go, which is pretty good; the laksa and satay is delicious, but it doesn't have much variety.
Could anyone direct me to some good places to go to? It doesn't have to be a sit down restaurant, take out is just fine with me, but please be sure to tell me if it is a take out place. Also, let me know what kinds of dishes I should have there.
MSP: anyone been to Osaka restaurant?
It's basically a tacky version of Ichiban's. When I went there it was a friday night at 6 o clock and it was completely empty besides one family at a hibachi table. I went to the sushi bar, and when I asked the sushi chefs which fish were the freshest he told me that he didn't know, so I just ordered a sashimi dinner. When I got the sushi I noticed that it had a little ice on some of the octopus, when I asked the chef about it he told me it was supposed to be like that.
Don't go to Osaka.
Flavored Peanut Butters
In the Twin Cities there's a store in the Mall of America called "PB loco" that sells a variety of different peanut butter flavors including PB with sun-dried tomato, PB with european cafe mocha, and other crazy stuff. Not only that, they make different PB smoothies and sandwiches there as well, but they'll probably never stack up to any of our particular recipes.
http://pbloco.com/
MSP - Spring Rolls
My family and I love to do "make your own" rice paper dinners every month or so. We have so many different kinds of meats, herbs and sauces that we use. Sometimes we even have calamari, baby octopus and squid that we would cook in a crock pot type of thing, but usually it is just steamed walleye with beef and shrimp. Additionally my Grandma would make a spicier, fishier fish sauce with it. I'm pretty sure plenty of families do this type of thing.
There used to be a restaurant on highway 13 in Burnsville called Little Saigon that would have make your own spring roll options, but they closed a couple of months ago. Is there any other places that are currently doing this?
MSP - Spring Rolls
I've only been to one place that called egg rolls (fried rolls) fried spring rolls, and that place was not authentic in any way, shape or form. So I guess that I've always thought that that terminology was incorrect.
MSP - Spring Rolls
I think he means it is a peanut sauce, but with less hoisin in it. Quang's abundance of herbs gives it more of an authentic taste in my opinion since my grandma always has a lot of herbs in hers. I've always thought that Quang's sauce is very sweet, wouldn't you agree?
Edit: Actually, I don't even think it is a peanut sauce. It might be a sweet plum sauce.
Nominate: Best Pizza in Minneapolis-StPaul (if you say Dominos, you are banned from chowhound 4 good)
I would say that one of my favorite "Square" pizza places is village, it has been my family's tradition to go there once a year for someones birthday and I always enjoy it. Its probably not the very best, but it is one of the better ones out there. They're very generous with the toppings and are also punctual with their orders.
My favorite pizza I can order would have to be Red Savoy's, its fantastic.
MSP New Japanese Restaurant on Hennepin & 6th
http://rakemag.com/blogs/breaking-bread/2008/01/if-you-knew-sushi
The rake did a review.
Sripraphai (Woodside) or Lotus of Siam (Las Vegas)?
I've have been to LOS once and my experience was awesome to say the least. The flavors were well put together.
Compare: Japanese and Vietnamese Cuisine
Thank you all very much for the awesome responses, they've really helped a bunch. I've gotten the rough draft done so far, and I think it's alright. What I ended up doing for my main thesis was to specify two different dishes: pho and ramen. I thought that they were both very popular and relatively similar it would be easier to compare and contrast in a 2-3 page paper, which ended up being around 2 and 3/4 pages.
Tomorrow, once I revise the paper a little more, I'll paste the draft here.
Compare: Japanese and Vietnamese Cuisine
I'm writing a high school paper on the differences and similarities between Japanese and Vietnamese cuisine. I love eating and learning about both of them but only have a reasonable amount of knowledge. The paper can only be around 2-3 pages long, which I know is not enough, so I have to highlight the main differences.
I didn't come to this board for people to write a paper for me, just for some knowledge on how they differ. I know how they are dissimilar in aspects such as ingredients and the way they both serve their food, but what I have trouble writing about is their main differences in preparation.
Thank you in advance.
Ring Mountain Creamery - Eagan, MN
Ive been to Ring Mountain plenty of times, being an Eaganite myself. The prices are great, and they have alot of variety. Not to mention that, when you go, you get as many healthy sized free samples of anything you want.
Not only do they have ice cream and gelato but good tea's and smoothies with a friendly staff.
MSP New Japanese Restaurant on Hennepin & 6th
its supposed to open on september 16th, a sushi chef that was offered a job informed me.
Where have I not had sushi in MSP?
I just had sushi at a place near the Eden Prairie Center called "Little Sushi". The sushi chef that runs the place used to run Yumi's, and was offered the job at the place that will open in september called Musashi's.
The sushi was great, and the sushi chef, Billy, was very personable. We were talking about the relationships between a sushi chef and a customer and how that pertains to the quality of an omakase. We also ended up talking about AYCE sushi and he recommended Martini Blu's, has anyone had their AYCE compared to Ichiban's?
Minnesota State Fair foods?
1. Roasted Corn, some kind of Mediterranean food (This time around I had lamb on a stick, but its usually a gyro), Nitro Ice Cream ( loooove the smooth ice cream), Something on a stick ( This time around was gator and HATED it. I thought it would be grilled gator tail, but it was like a sausage!), Nut roll.
2. My girlfriend and I had the fried fruit. I didn't care for it, but all I had was the apple so I guess I wouldn't really know. I tried the turkey leg for the first time, and I ATE IT ALL! I was proud
3. Milk and... fried fruit?
Best Sushi in Minnesota?
Nope. It is just the "world buffet" in Apple Valley. It has a mongolian barbeque and... yeah.
Best Sushi in Minnesota?
I love Tanpopo for its bukkake soba dish, and for its hiya-yakko appetizer. Although, the last time I went there I asked if there hiya-yakko was more hiya-yakko in the teishoku and they said yes, and that was a lie.
But, they made up for it by giving me very good mochi with extra adzuki beans on the side. mmmm.
Best Sushi in Minnesota?
I go to the world buffet, and the sushi there is very, very, very bad. It is pretty much the worst quality sushi anyone can find ever. The avocado rolls are hard as a rock, and they only have a few different choices (including the "vegetable" roll that comprises of canned veggies). So do not go there if u want decent sushi.
P.S. Why isn't Midori's on your reportoire?
Critique my Minneapolis list
oh man, I went to the Hell's Kitchen in Duluth and it was still very very good. On the other hand, the service was very slow and I didn't get enough fruit. Also, the oatmeal sucked, never get the oatmeal.
But, the peanut butter and sausage bread made up for it.
Where have I not had sushi in MSP?
In response to your remarks about Ichiban's there are two things you must consider, if you go after 5 o clock, you have the "early bird special" which makes it only $25. The second thing you must consider is that although they do have their sushi on a moat (Which makes the sushi really bad if your the first one there, and having to eat the hour old sushi), you can go early (5 o clock) when nobody is there and ask for requests. I LOVE IT! They give you whatever you want, and you get free tempura, miso and ice cream as well. When I went there, I asked for hand rolls, special rolls, and anything else I wanted, it was great.
Best Sushi in Minnesota?
Thanks! I pretty much read that whole topic, and I never knew that Martini Blu and Sushi of Tokyo had AYCE sushi! Does anyone know if those are any good in comparison to Ichiban's AYCE?
Twin Cities: Need a Pho Update
I'm a regular at Quang and Kimson's, and they both are really good. Quang has a more commercial, refined taste to their pho, with a variety of different ingredients. Kimson on the other hand boasts their excellent broth and homestyle cut meats.
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Quang Pastry & Deli
2719 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55408
Kimson Vietnamese Cuisine
8654 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55420
Kaiten-Zushi
I've been to Japan twice in my life, once when I was nine and once when I was 15. The second time around I actually ate the food there, and that is when my love for sushi started. It happened at a chain kaiten-zushi place, I can't remember the name.
I want to know everyone's experiences in kaiten-zushiyas, be it good, or bad or in between. Do you know of especially good places with good variety and price? Do they have cool conveyor belts or sushi that floats on boats? Include pictures if you have then?
Vietnam: North vs. South
All my life I have associated Vietnamese food to only what I have been exposed to, which isn't that much I guess. Last night, I watched Andrew Zimmern's show on bizarre foods, and was astonished by what he ate. Although I already knew that Northern Vietnamese fare is quite different from its Southern counterpart, but deep fried scorpions accompanied by a soup of ox testicles!?!
I seriously hope those are the extremes of North Vietnamese cuisine, but I'm still curious: what are the subtle, or extreme, differences between Northern and Southern Vietnamese food?
Twin Cities Ice Cream/Custard Stands
It is right across from the cub foods in Eagan right next to a pond. Ring Mountain is the first store to open in a new miniature sized strip mall.
But for specifics, here is the websites map.
http://ringmountain.com/map.html
Critique my Minneapolis list
Yes, I have actually. I think the remodel was to accommodate to the dim sum crowd, because when I went on a sunday afternoon it was packed. Even though it was crowded, our party of six were seated almost right away, and when we wanted something the order came to us very quickly.
But, I haven't tried the regular menu since the remodel, so I can't really say how that aspect of the restaurant is.
