Dennis Ngo, executive chef of Di An Di in Greenpoint, NY, takes his staff on a night out to experience the new generation of Vietnamese restaurants in New York City, far beyond banh mi and pho.
They start the night at An Choi, a vibrant street-style Vietnamese restaurant where Dennis and his restaurant crew first met. They enjoy shots of snake wine and bar snacks like fish sauce wings and taro fries. Then they visit friend and fellow chef Helen Nguyen at her new, unopened restaurant Saigon Social. The crew shares a bottle of fernet with Helen as they tour her new space and talk the future of Vietnamese restaurant dining.
The group gets larger as more friends join them at Madame Vo BBQ, where they sample bo bay mon (7-course beef dinner) and whole crispy grilled catfish. The food crawl continues at Van Da, a small-plates restaurant that highlights the central region of Vietnamese cuisine with delicate, intricate dishes like Banh it (sticky rice dumplings) and pho short rib grilled cheese. To end the night, Dennis and his team return to Di An Di for a party filled with co-workers and friends, ending the night with karaoke and a late-night meal featuring broiled cheesy oysters, slow cooked pork, and more.
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