Kim Son

If a restaurant's quality is measured by its popularity, then Kim Son is the probably the best Vietnamese restaurant in the city. During a recent lunch there with Triple B (the blog character formerly known as the Palm Room Hostess), not an empty table could be found upon our arrival. However, if a restaurant's quality is measured by the number of patrons looking for a taste of home, then Kim Son might be one of the worst Vietnamese restaurants in the city. Unlike some of the other local pho joints, Kim Son is usually filled with customers ordering "the #7" as opposed to "Tôm Càng Kho Tàu ."

'

OK, so how about I just shut up now and talk about the food?
'

We started with an order of springrolls (no surprise there) and a mile-high pile of fried wontons. The latter appetizer is nothing special, but they were delicious - thick and freshly fried.

Triple B had never before eaten Vietnamese, so I suggested she dip her toe in the water with an order of bun cha. There is nothing to it: chargrilled pork, julienned carrots, and bean sprouts over vermicelli, sprinkled with crushed peanuts. But the Vietnamese must have made a deal with a devil, because no one cooks pork the way they do.

I had the "salt baked" fish, a description which left me wondering how they exactly cooked the fish. The crunchy exterior had the texture of deep frying, but absolutely zero trace of oil. Neither the fish nor the coating was spiced, but the addition of a heavy hand of cracked black pepper and the sweetness of thinly sliced sauteed onions provided all of the flavor which was needed. Great dish. Nothing like I had ever tasted before.