26 Hours In Portland: Luc Lac Vietnamese Kitchen

Welcome to the Pacific Northwest

After a satisfying lunch (pulled pork and side dishes aside), we went and got checked into the hotel, made a quick trip to my favorite Safeway (and a not-so-quick trip to the Fred Meyer down the street due to its horrible parking lot) for some essentials, then back to the hotel again to enjoy not being in a car for a while.  We had originally planned to hit a happy hour prior to the show, but the aforementioned Festival festivities were making a mess out of the entire downtown area.  By the time we found a parking garage that wasn't full and managed to locate the happy hour spot I had chosen, the line waiting to get in convinced us there was no way we'd have time before we had to be at the venue, so we ended up just hiking straight over there and buying overpriced drinks at the concessions counter where a bottle of water costs almost as much as a shot of whiskey for some psychotic reason.

Treats and Tragedies on the Road: Salt Lake City Day 1, Part 1

I've been taking a lot of two-to-three day vacations the last few months.  In June, the Roommate and I decided to take her kids to Lagoon because, frankly, the last few times we've hit the Western Idaho Fair, it's been too hot and far too smoky.  Plus, I like amusement parks and feel less self-conscious about being at one if I have children with me.  Don't judge me.  So, off we went.  Another early morning Starbucks run, another ugly drive (but at least a different ugly drive than the one I usually take), and since we were in town way too early to check in to our hotel we kept on driving right past Bountiful, through Salt Lake City, and into Draper, where I visited an IKEA for the first time.

They grow up so fast...

Believe it or not (and trust me, I'm having a hard time believing it at the moment), I've been doing this food blogging thing for just four months shy of four years.  Of all the people I've met while eating my way across the Valley and beyond, both good and bad, a handful have ended up being very special to me.  Chefs with passion that inspires, history that fascinates and, most importantly, food that delights and challenges me.  Looking back over the years, there is probably one that stands out just a little more than the others, who pops up almost like clockwork through my Facebook and blog posts.  As my audience (and hopefully my skills as a reviewer) have grown, so has this chef's business and menu continued to develop and evolve.

When I first met Phu Tran, I had been indulging in this little hobby of mine for just over a year, about the same amount of time that he had been on the street in his RiceWorks truck slinging fresh, traditional Asian food to grateful office workers.  I ended up going back two more times in as many weeks, and the resulting write-up has had over 900 views (it doesn't sound like a lot, but it was for this site back in 2011).  Phu was the first chef ever to learn who I was before I actually ended up reviewing him, and he was the first person I interviewed during my ill-advised stint with the Boise Weekly, and believe it or not at that point he was considering calling it quits.  Since then, the truck got a helluva paint job, the all-important semi-monthly Food Truck Rally events have allowed many more people to sample his wares, and Phu has begun to focus more on fusion cuisine.  All of this has culminated in the opening of an honest-to-goodness brick and mortar restaurant in The Village at Meridian.  I considered writing a big, overall retrospective piece on the evolution of RiceWorks, but something tells me that Phu hasn't peaked yet, so let's just talk about last night's dinner instead.

They can't all be winners...

I've loved Asian food for as long as I can remember.  As kids, while my siblings begged for McDonald's for dinner, I usually asked to go to New China buffet.  I practiced over and over with disposable chopsticks, meticulously following the directions on the back of the packet to gain proficiency.  I had more late-night dinners at Twin Dragon during my high school years than I can recall.  Over the last decade or so, my interests have broken free from the confines of Americanized Chinese fare and branched out to other Asian cuisines, and one thing we're surely not lacking in the Treasure Valley is Vietnamese restaurants (not like we're lousy with them or anything, but there's certainly more of them around than Korean or dim sum joints).

It's hard to find a fan of Vietnamese food who doesn't like pho.  It's not my favorite Vietnamese dish, but I still adore it.and even if (as so many say) the pho around here don't stand up against noodle joints abroad or in larger U.S. cities, most of the people I talk to still have a favorite local spot.  My personal preference is Pho Tam, but I'm certainly not above scarfing down a bowl at Baguette Deli, and I also have to reluctantly admit that I've yet to sample the wares of Pho 79 and Pho Nouveau.  Since they opened, Pho Bac has had a steadily growing fanbase, and has been recommended to me by several readers.  Personally, I'm amazed that a place with such a limited menu has lasted this long, but it led me to believe that they must be pretty good at what they do have.  So, after a year plus of driving past the place twice a day, five days a week, I finally decided to check them out.

RiceWorks

A couple of weeks ago, the B29 Streatery truck was parked across from WDS Global near the corner of Golden Trout and Kimball in Boise.  I decided to hit them up for lunch, and while I was there I noticed another truck parked a short distance down the block.  While the Streatery was putting my order together, I decided to take a quick stroll to investigate.  There I found something I didn't know had existed but which I've been wishing for and complaining about the lack of for over a year now: an Asian food truck in Boise.

Pho Tam

I've mentioned it once or twice over the past few weeks, but a Vietnamese eatery called Pho Tam has recently taken over the spot vacated by Chef Express just south of Golden Star on Orchard in Boise.  I have almost no experience with Vietnamese food other than the sandwiches and spring rolls at Baguette Deli (previous write-ups here), the only other Vietnamese restaurant I've ever eaten at being the now defunct Saigon Grill.  So, I was excited about the prospect of a pho joint opening so close to my office and have driven by about three times a week hoping to see an "open" sign.  This week, it finally happened.

Baguette Deli

Is there anything you love so much that, whenever you experience it, you can't help but wonder why you don't indulge your appreciation for it more often?  Baguette Deli is like that for me.  Every time I go there, I end up asking myself why I don't go all the time.  The service is great, the food excellent, and the prices are extremely reasonable.  In fact, about half of their menu of 12' sandwiches are $3.25 or less (take that, evil empire!).  I realize that I haven't done a lot of write-ups for places where you actually sit down indoors and eat at the same place you buy the food.  And even at the places where I've had the option, I still usually get my food to go.  If that wasn't bad enough, I realized I've never actually eaten at Baguette Deli at all, so I was pretty excited by the prospect (not to mention the idea of finally getting my girlfriend, a confirmed cilantro addict, to try the place.)