Tried and True
Trip Start
Jul 10, 2007
1
5
32
Trip End
Ongoing
Saint Petersburg,
Florida,
United States
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Whether it is Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Indian, Italian, Seafood, Greek, Global or other they happen to all have that "fils rouge" , common thread and if you have read our previous blog, it becomes crystal clear, why we walk through their doors and tout them profusely to our friends.
Invariably we return to our favorite haunts, analyzing the dozen or so criteria that make us steer our car towards Mekong Vietnamese, on 34th Street N. at least once every couple of weeks, craving that authentic Vietnamese experience and good service (the waitress sees us coming and already anticipates our basic needs like a knife and chopsticks, hot tea and extra napkins, guaranteeing her a sizable tip). We often find ourselves amongst only a handful of Caucasian guests, while most diners are Vietnamese, and is that not the premise of a great ethnic restaurant.
That reminds me of when we lived in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and would make the treacherous 2 1/2 hour trip, even in the midst of winter, just for lunch, to Boston's Chinatown, with one goal in mind, China Pearl's hundreds of choice Dim Sum. This restaurant, formerly a movie theatre, spans 2 floors, seats 500, would poffer up dozens of carts filled to the brim with the tastiest morsels of shrimp mousse stuffed eggplant, Shumai as airy as a cloud, Buns filled with the sweetest bbq'd pork and some of the best broccoli rabe this side of the world.
We felt right at home, especially on Sundays, when we would find ourselves, often the only non Asians, seated amongst 4 generations of families, all ready to be sated by a tradition as old as time, and other than the sauteed chicken feet, we were game for anything.
At Mekong, Jose Luis and I usually share the appetizer roll, which resembles a hybrid of the spring and egg roll, and as we wrap it in lettuce with daikon, carrot, fresh mint and dip it in both the ubiquitous sweet sauce provided, some hoisin and spicy Chile sauce, it hits us: simplicity meets quality. There are a dozen sauces at each table helping you decide whether, today, you wish to bring it up a notch with 4 varieties of heat, add a little acidity, sweetness or Nuoc Mam (fish sauce), go ahead, go crazy and give it your own signature finish. Their Pho's (soups) are big enough for two as well, and with so many to choose from you could enjoy a different one each day of the month. Choose pork or beef based, seafood, meat or chicken filled, with or without veggies and more, but it is the huge platter of acroutements that accompanies each bowl that makes this the perfectly flavorful and healthful dish : crispy sprouts, 2 handfuls of fragrant purple basil, chilies and lime.
Mekong includes tea with the lunch meal, making us hard pressed to spend more than $10, a bargain at best and good service to boot . Going with a group of people, will give you the opportunity to try a table full of diverse tastes, where curries, lemongrass, coriander, lime, mint and basil are prevalent, bringing refreshing and clean flavors to the courses. But broaden the eating horizon and don't limit yourself to the same old, same old, but try a cutting edge dish like the caramelized pork.
For the first 6 months of our life here in St. Pete, when our palates asked for Thai we often scurried to Bangkok #9 on Central, but although the food is fine, the utterly hectic pace at lunch, the sometimes excruciatingly slow, other times the too fast delivery of the food (good when you have a 30 minute lunch I imagine), made us eager to escape the restaurant after lunch.
It was the harried waitstaff , that had us looking for a new lunch favorite, when we were once told to "Take it Easy", having requested the spice condiment tray, when ordering and halfway through the meal still had not received it. Unforgivable.
Self flagellation aside, we finally listened to the suggestion of a friend and good customer Dave, and discovered the King and I (also on Central), which has become a Zen-like Oasis in the middle of our fast paced lives. From its soft buttercup painted walls, eclectic busts, Thai posters and soothing bamboo, the space is anchored towards the back by a 10 seat sushi bar. Booths along booth walls provide privacy and comfort, with an interspersing of a half dozen tables down the center, the 14 foot high ceilings are reminiscent of a Soho or Chelsea Restaurant. Spreading the word about this restaurant has now bitten us in the derriere, forcing us to arrive by 12 Noon before the crowds gather, but no matter how busy, the staff (Yogi and Vee), and the owner (Brian), remain calm and professional, know us by name and produce the most intensely flavored foods. Spicy Rice noodles with crispy Bell Peppers, onions, Chicken, a mouth watering Yellow Curry with Pork as well as a Crispy Basil Duck, and for $5.95 each, which includes the ever present spring roll and soup, you won't break the bank.
