Memorable lunch

It gets old eating at the same few places over and over. I didn't bring a lunch today and no one to go with, so I ventured out for lunch to a nearby Vietnamese place I've seen on my drive in. I first tried Vietnamese in Boulder, CO in 1998--never having seen a Vietnamese restaurant before that--and loved it. In Utah, Vietnamese was much harder to find than, say, Thai, but there are many such restaurants here. I understand we have one of the highest concentrations of Vietnamese-Americans in the country.

I hadn't eaten there before, so I let myself get talked into the beef soup. I know, that's a strange choice when it's 90 degrees outside. I hoped it was a good sign when they brought me a spring roll full of ground meat (pork?) that was among the best I've ever eaten. It had a crunchy-but-not-too-oily outside, and a fresh-tasting inside with a phenomenal combination of meat and vegetables. It was served with a sauce that was slightly sweet, but also acidic.

When the soup arrived, I was nervous. It had huge carrot chunks, lots of onion, cilantro and other herbs, and beef straight from an episode of Bizarre Foods. This beef smelled good, but it was mostly connective tissue and fat and looked like the stuff you'd normally throw away or make into pet food. But, persuaded by Andrew Zimmern's claims that some of the best flavor is in those "inferior" cuts, I decided to give it a try.

I tried the soup and thought, as Zimmern would say, "Are you kidding me?!" The soup was outstanding, as long as I didn't look too closely at the "meat." I'm no food critic, so I can't describe it well, but it was very savory with just a hint of sweet, and a strong-but-not-overpowering beef flavor. If you eat Thai food, it had a taste somewhat like a tom yum soup, but beefy, and better, IMO. It was served with a "sandwich," which was just the bread you might use to make a hero. The bread was crunchy and flaky and was wonderful when dipped into the broth long enough to get the flavor but not long enough to get soggy.

The soup also came with a side of fresh herbs and a lime that could be added to the soup. I did use some of them, but it was not necessary. This soup was so good on its own that it rivaled any soup or chili I've ever eaten, including the best french onion, chicken tortilla, or tom yum, and right up there with an excellent coconut-milk tom ka gai. And I love anything with coconut milk, so that's saying something. I'll definitely be suggesting this place soon for a lunch with my colleagues.