Nom Nom Burger - Charlotte

Kalbi Burger with Garlic Fries

Since I love all Asian foods, especially Vietnamese, Japanese and Korean, I was very excited to try out Nom Nom Burger which opened fairly recently across from Park Road shopping center on Woodlawn Road. We met and talked with one of the founding partners, Tung Ngo, who is very energetic, personable and dedicated to making this creative concept work. We visited on a Tuesday night and it was "kids eat free" night for kids age 10 and under with purchase of an adult meal. Once our little one is old enough to actually eat his own meal (it won't be long!) this will be a great place to go. There were lots of families as well as some couples and groups of friends. The dining room has a neat waterfall that all the kids were fascinated by. 

Finding myself missing Korean food the most since I moved back to Charlotte, I knew we had to try the Kalbi Burger. It includes kimchi, a fried egg, sesame roased nori (seaweed), spicy aioli and roasted garlic. Wow. This was a fantastic burger. Part of the excellence is because of the meat that is used, which is Sterling Silver ground beef, but the flavors in the Kalbi really make it top-notch. The signature Nom Nom burger was also good - it includes Provolone cheese, sauteed Shiitake mushrooms with mirin, caramelized onions with ginger orange marmalade and mayo. It is really a toss-up with the Kalbi but my favorite item we tried is the Ahi burger - a thick piece of Ahi tuna seared and put on a sushi rice "bun" with avocado, spinach and sprouts with both wasabi and citrus soy dipping sauces. Sushi lovers - you must try! We also tried the calamari, which was light, spicy and delicious. The shrimp chips (a Vietnamese item) were really tasty, but regular fries (can be made garlic or jalepeno) as well as sweet potato fries are also options. 

For dessert we wanted to try the Honey Bunz with ice cream but since they were unavailable we had the fried cheesecake "Xango", which was good. There is a Ben & Jerry's right across the patio so that is another option if you have any room after trying the delicious offerings at Nom Nom. Next time I'm trying the Banh Mi Burger (it's actually chicken) - if I can keep myself away from the Ahi! There are also more burger options (including a plain one for the non-adventurous), chicken sandwiches, fish sandwich/tacos, salads, noodles and even a veggie burger on the menu so vegetarians and even vegans should be able to find something. We will see you soon, Nom Nom!

 Calamari

Ahi Burger - for the sushi lover!

 Nom Nom Burger with Shrimp Chips.

Xango - fried cheesecake.

Vietnam Grille - Charlotte

House Special Vermicelli.

Last time we were in Charlotte I dined with my parents at Vietnam Grille. We usually go to Saigon Palace, which is only a few blocks away, but this time we wanted to try something new. Vietnam Grille is fairly small and homey and is obviously family owned. It would be difficult to accommodate a very large group here but it is a nice and cozy place for a couple or family.

The menu is ranges from soups, noodles and rice dishes to traditional Vietnamese dishes and beverages. We tried the pictured house special vermicelli, which was very good - lots of picked carrots and radishes and tasty meat - as well as the seafood noodle soup (not pictured). The soup didn't stand out as much as the vermicelli, but the fresh spring rolls were very good - one of my favorite foods! I don't think Vietnam Grille has the yellow pancake (banh xeo) we like so much on the menu. For that (and for large groups) I will keep going to Saigon Palace - or back to Vietnam - I hope to finally put some food photos from my SE Asia trip up soon! If you are in Charlotte Vietnam Grille is a solid choice for reasonably priced tasty food. I look forward to trying additional menu items on future visits.

Shrimp and pork rolls.

Nam Phuong

Vietnamese Yellow Pancake (Banh Xeo) - crisp as it should be.

While my dad was visiting, he noticed the AJC review of Nam Phuong and despite the distance from home, we decided to try it out on a Saturday evening. Luckily, we also made a reservation and wound up at one of the nice round tables, perfect for sharing. The restaurant includes two large rooms, the main one encompassing a bar as well as a slideshow of the food - I found this quite amusing!

We started with the combination make your own fresh rolls platter (bun hoi), which was wonderful for sharing. I found the beef wrapped grape leaves to be particularly delicious and might opt only for those next time. We also shared a large bowl of seafood soup, simple and satisfying. Although I am a big fan of most green papaya salads (usually at Thai restaurants), here the salads, which we tried with both chicken and shrimp and pork and shrimp, were quite bland and although tasty enough with plenty of crunch, not something I would order again. The salt and pepper squid was well-received by all - in fact we almost ordered more but managed to restrain ourselves.

The banh xeo (yellow crepe/pancake) offered here is a stellar rendition also, and something I am always looking for. In my hometown of Charlotte I've found the best Vietnamese food and I've never been able to find a better banh xeo. Nam Phuong's version didn't quite make the "better" category, but it was certainly better than any I've had in Atlanta. I also tried the avocado shake, which I enjoyed very much - not too sweet but just creamy enough.

This place is made even more interesting by it's surrounding shopping center: Oakbrook Square. There are several other restaurants that look like they are worth checking out here and the Hong Kong Supermarket provided grounds for a thrilling field trip for us after dinner. Nam Phuong is a restaurant worth going to, for newbies to Vietnamese cuisine and for more seasoned diners as well.

Salt and Pepper Squid.



The AJC's John Kessler recently reviewed Nam Phuong also - and here he provides a demo on how to roll bun hoi!



Papaya salad with shrimp and pork.

Co'm Vietnamese Grill - Buford Highway

Combination salad with mango, papaya, apple and chicken.

C'om Vietnamese Grill on Buford Highway is a place I tried once when I first moved to Atlanta, then did not return to for several years. I can't quite remember why. I enjoyed my last two visits here immensely, for the quality and freshness of the food as well as the quick and non-intrusive service. I adore the combination salad, made with green mango and papaya as well as apple. You can add any of there meats - the chicken and the lamb were quite good. The food here may not be as authentic as some of my other favorite Vietnamese haunts (such as Pho Dai Loi #2) but I have to give them credit for creativity and for the ambience of the small restaurant, which is refreshingly pleasing after coming in from the strip-mall parking lot. I have not tried the Dunwoody location, but would seek it out if I'm ever in that area.

Lamb-stuffed grape leaves.

Saigon Palace in Charlotte

Banh Xeo - yellow pancake stuffed with shrimp, bean sprouts and pork. You wrap the pancake in the large lettuce leaf and pour the spiced fish sauce over it.

For Father's Day weekend I headed to NC to see my father, as well as my aunt (visiting from El Salvador), my uncle and aunt (visiting from Boston), cousins (visiting from Chapel Hill) and more cousins (also from Atlanta. We had a great time, beginning with a feast Friday night at Saigon Palace, one of my favorite Vietnamese places in Charlotte. Overall this place is great because there is never a problem getting in with a large group and the service is nice. The food is not as good as a couple of other Charlotte Vietnamese spots (like Lang Van, one of my all time favorite restaurants), but the banh xeo is a winner and overall it's a fabulous, low-key spot for a group interested in talking and eating rather than being with the "in-crowd".

Banh Xeo is my favorite Vietnamese dish and I've not found it very prevalent in Atlanta. Any ideas?! I know they have it at Nam and at Lee's Bakery - anyplace else? In general I feel Charlotte's Vietnamese places are more robust, with fuller menus than Atlanta establishments. This is puzzling as Atlanta is certainly larger and probably has more native Vietnamese people. Hmmmmm....

Fresh spring roll with peanut sauce and sriracha.



Banh Xeo - ready to eat!



Squid sauteed with tomatoes and onions (left) and Vietnamese curry with chicken.



Vermicelli noodle bowl with shrimp and spring roll.



Shrimp with broccoli.

Asian Potluck

Elizabeth's salmon laksa - love the colors and it was really tasty, too!

Last Saturday I co-hosted an Asian potluck. We sampled all the goodies pictured here as well as some additional Asian fare. Green tea ice cream rounded out the meal. We also played some great games like Train Dominoes and some different card games. Thank you again to Elizabeth and Kenn for hosting. Let's do it again soon!

Samosas - one of Meera's contributions. She also brought delicious eggplant, which was almost gone by the time I thought about photographing it!



Barrett's tofu and rice - yum!



Ben's dumplings - very tasty!



Bok choy by Kenn



I made Vietnamese chicken salad (without carrots since I forgot to bring my giant bag home from work!) - recipe here



Tofu with broccoli and green peppers by Kenn - so delicious, it was well worth the effort!

Homemade Fresh Spring Rolls

Ingredients at the ready!

On Saturday I made fresh spring rolls with poached, sliced chicken, avocado, spinach, carrot, cucumber, red pepper, onion & soba noodles. It's fun using the wrappers that come as solid, hard discs that are softened in warm water immediately before rolling. I made the peanut sauce with lime juice, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic & soy sauce and used the leftovers to make a soba pasta salad. The other sauce is a sweet chili sauce.

Another shot of the ingredients and sauces as well as the warm water used to soften the wrapper.



Ready to roll!



Ready to eat!



Soba chicken, veggie & peanut salad made with the leftovers.

Lunch Standby: Lee's Bakery

Lee's Bakery is one of my favorite places to pick up a quick lunch during the week. Usually I get a roasted pork banh mi sandwich, which consists of roasted pork, pickled vegetables, garlic mayo sauce, fresh jalepeno peppers, and cilantro on a fresh, French baguette. Lee's also has a full service restaurant space in addition to takeout, where soups and other Vietnamese specialties are available. I've been meaning to try their banh xeo (yellow pancake) as I've yet to find a decent version in Atlanta - yes, this is one food that I feel is better and offered at more places in Charlotte, NC, my hometown. They also sell bread at great prices and make wonderful croissants including one with chocolate inside!

Yesterday I opted for something different, the fresh spring rolls and a Chinese steamed bun. I love fresh spring rolls - these are with pork and shrimp, and at 3 for $3.00, it's a great deal. The steamed bun was not exactly what I expected and I would not get it again. I was expecting barbecued pork on the inside like the steamed buns at dim sum restaurants. Instead there was a small piece of sausage, 1/2 hardboiled egg and a small amount of ground pork. Mostly, it was just steamed bread. At $1.50, it could be a filling lunch all in itself if you weren't looking for a whole lot of taste! Next time I get a banh mi I will post a photo. The best place for banh mi, in my opinion, is Quoc Huong, which is a little too far out BH to justify going all the way there from my office. Luckily, Lee's version is very tasty and at $2.50 also makes for a very cheap yet filling lunch.

Steamed Chinese bun and fresh spring rolls from Lee's Bakery.

Chateau de Buford Highway

After reading several positive reviews about Chateau de Saigon, we decided to go check it out on a recent Friday evening. The service a bit slow, although the place was busy, and we did not find the food to be as good as other places in the area (like Pho Dai Loi #2, which is one of my favorites). This place does have a large menu, however, and there are other dishes I'd like to try, so a return trip may be warranted in the future.

The spring rolls were not as flavorful as usual and the light colored peanut sauce was not my favorite - I prefer the darker sauce with peanuts sprinkled on top.



Sugar cane wrapped shrimp. This dish was tasty and it was neat eating real sugarcane, although it turned out to be a bit awkward trying to get all of the sugar out of the cane!



The vermicelli was beautifully presented but it lacked the kick found in other restaurants' versions. Of course we livened it up with some Siracha, but it was still not the best.



This was my favorite dish - papaya salad with beef strips, dried onions & scallions. The sublime flavor and the crunch really make this unique and delicious.

Chateau de Saigon
4300 Buford Hwy NE
Atlanta, GA 30345
(404) 929-0034

Vietnamese - Fresh and Tasty!

Pho with Lean Beef

Vermicelli Deluxe with Fish Sauce

Vietnamese is one of my favorite cuisines. In Atlanta there are several great places for pho (beef noodle soup) and vermicelli bowls. Of course I always get the fresh spring rolls, too, but I think I forgot to take a photo this time.

The photos above are from Pho Dai Loi #2, one of my standards. I have had more trouble finding banh xeo (Vietnamese yellow pancake), although I have had it at Nam (upscale Vietnamese place in Midtown) and I've seen it on Lee's Bakery menu. I will have to try it next time!

Pho Dai Loi #2
4186 Buford Hwy NE
#G
Atlanta, GA 30345
(404) 633-2111

QC Quick Trip

So I went to visit my family in Charlotte over the weekend after I found an E-Saver ticket from Norfolk to Charlotte. While I was there I had some stellar Vietnamese food at Saigon Palace - the yellow pancake and fresh spring rolls.
I also had brunch at the Charleston House on the Plaza, which was very tasty after we finally got to order brunch. Apparently this place used to offer brunch every Sunday (it was even written up as one of the best brunch places in Charlotte) but because business was slow in the morning they had converted brunch into a Sunday dinner buffet. Since we arrived at 11 AM and really wanted some brunch food, we talked to the owner and he said they could make us brunch food. It is really a shame that the brunch menu, which I finally got to see, is no longer being served, but it seemed like if you got to know the owner you could call and request anything from the menu. We tried a wonderful shrimp and crabmeat omelet with a Creole sauce and smooth yellow grits. The lunch buffet was also excellent, with fried chicken, macaroni & cheese and desserts like banana pudding and peach cobbler. Unfortunately I left my camera back in Williamsburg.
It was a great trip, albeit a quick one!