Hoa Hong

We recently had a cast of blog characters gathered together for lunch at Hoa Hong 9 Roses. Rene, Bloggle, Donnie Boy, and I ate our way through nearly every animal in the zodiac. But before the carnivorous feast began, we had our daily fill of vegetables from the Vietnamese crepe (banh xeo). The crepe looks deceptively like an omelette, but it's thinner, crisper, and has a slightly sweet flavor. It's filled with shrimp and bean sprouts, and then served with a tray of lettuce, sliced carrots, and mint. Add fresh veggies, dip in fish sauce, spice up with sriracha, and indulge.

In honor of the Dread Pirate, I tried the goat curry. The curry was flavorful but very thin, which made it less than optimal as a sauce for the steamed rice. The goat meat was cut into bite-sized morsels and served skin on, which may be off-putting to some but the texture is not completely foreign. Still, the meat was oh so love me tender.

Both Rene and Bloggle had the vermicelli bowl with chargrilled pork and eggrolls. In celebration of skipping the Chicago marathon, Bloggle ordered the large bowl - a decision which earned him the distinction of "Superman" in the eyes of our waitress. But in this case the Man of Steel's eyes were bigger than his stomach, and he threw in the towel before he could finish. How anyone could leave behind such deliciously grilled pork, I cannot understand.

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Donnie Boy ate some sort of no carb, non-fat meal. Needless to say it was not worth writing about.

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9 Roses - Birdie