This past Thursday we were looking for something quick and cheap to eat without having to resort to the Chipotle belly bomb or 5 guys. I also wanted to avoid the hassle of looking for parking in Dupont or Georgetown so I decided to try Minh's in Arlington. Minh's is a Vietnamese restaurant that recently made a name for itself by cracking the Top 100 restaurant list.
I had no problem getting a table even though the restaurant was relatively crowded. The restaurant is filled with all sorts of nick-nacks (not the Bond character who also yelled "da plane, da plane" in fantasy island) that make you feel like you are eating in someone's house rather than a restaurant. We decided to start off with the combination rice rolls (Rice paper wrapped w/ shrimp, pork, lettuce & vermicelli) and the shredded pork rolls (Rice paper wrapped w/ shredded pork & salad). Both of these were served with their own dipping sauce that ranged from sweet to extremely spicy. The brown sauce (spicy) was the better of the two. They were about 5 bucks per appetizer and the helpings were more than enough. In hindsight I think that we probably could have gotten away with just ordering one. My girlfriend ordered the shrimp, scallops & calamari sauteed w/ mixed vegetables while I ordered the catfish stew with vegetables. Both of these entrees warranted a to-go box and they were about $12 each. The catfish was very good, not spectacular, and definitely worth the money spent. I like a little more spice in my food and the focus seemed to be more on the sweet side. All of the seafood was very fresh and was an obvious upgrade from the usual Chinese take-out seafood...and it was cheaper.
All in all I would give Minh's an 88 out of 100 and a very high rating on bang for your buck. This place is open for lunch and dinner so I can only imagine the cash they rake in during office lunch breaks. I think next time I go I will go with 4 or more people so we can sample more dishes.
Highlight: Catfish stew
Lowlight: I had to go to work the next day
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On a completely unrelated note: A friend of mine shared this song with me and I wanted to pass it on. Enjoy!
GNNNNNNAAAAAWWWWW, MISTA KOPPRAWMAN LIKE MY FOOD
ReplyDeleteGuru-
ReplyDeleteThank you for the update. I'm somewhat of a novice when it comes to Vietnamese food. Do they do take out? Any happy hour deals?
EGO amo is ut vos dico mihi magnus papa
Pork AND pork? The true test of a good restaurant is whether or not they can serve up vegetarian items that are more than just a "veggie plate" or a salad (veggie burgers don't count either--if I can buy it at the grocery store, why bother ordering it at a restaurant?). Asian restaurants usually offer great opportunities to test out what can be done with tofu--if the place is worth anything, the tofu won't be mushy and it will be featured in multiple dishes.
ReplyDeleteMight the Going Out Guru at least let us know what kind of vegetarian dishes are offered at these places? If I don't want to kill animals, do I have to live on iceburg lettuce? I think not.