Out to Lunch

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Latest Additions:

10/5/07:		AmerAisa & Sumo Sushi
1/31/07:		Slate Street Cafe
1/29/07:		Yanni's Mediterranean Bar
1/21/06:		2000 Vietnam
1/21/06:		Siam Cafe
11/21/05:		Bun Huggers
10/4/05:		Cafe Miche
10/4/05:		Socorro Springs
9/24/05:		Sammy's Deli
9/24/05:		Acosta's Mexican Restaurant

Highest Rated:

	Cafe Miche:	4.2
	I Love Sushi:	4.1
	India Kitchen:	4.0
	Siam Cafe:	3.8
	Socorro Springs:	3.8

Lowest Rated:

K-Bob's Steakhouse:

1.6

Latest Comments:

5/15/08:	Best Burgers
10/4/07:	Slate Street
1/29/07:	We haven't been back.
11/30/06:	hi jp
11/30/06:	hi
10/16/06:	Wow!
8/8/06:	good home cooking
8/8/06:	I think the Manny's Buckhorn the best
8/8/06:	good food
8/8/06:	THE BEST EVER

2000 Vietnam

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Review:

I must thank Schlake for taking me to a Vietnamese restaurant. This isn't the first Vietnamese I tried, but it's darned good, and a bit cheaper than Que Huong.

Vietnam Restaurant 2000 is next to Saigon Express Emission Testing. Decor is fairly simple, tables have plastic mat covers and the chairs are standard-issue (no booths). There's some interesting intarsia woodwork nestled by the register, and a few plants. The waitress I've seen most frequently seems to be the daughter of one of the owners/cooks (or so I assume).

The menu is numbered from 1 to 148, with an additional 19 drinks and/or desserts. There's a number of spelling errors, but it's fairly clear what most things are. You can even try pronouncing the Vietnamese name of your dish, if you feel like having a go at it.

Of the appetizers I've tried, I prefer the Fresh Spring Rolls with pork. The fried egg rolls are small, and seem to lack adequate filling to stand on their own. They make an apperance in some main menu dishes, though, and there they are quite nice.

I haven't made it to the fried, steamed, or broken rice sections, since I'm a devotee of the noodles they serve. Dishes are available with either "vermicelli" or "tiny vermicelli" noodles. The former comes in a bowl, the latter on a plate, as the noodles are steamed in a sheet then cut into wedges. There are also soups and "bread" (sandwiches).

The variety of toppings for the noodles is extensive, with pork, chicken, beef, shrimp, and shrimp-paste-wrapped sugar cane making appearances. If you aren't picky, I suggest the "special" plate, which has a bit of almost everything, including slices of the fried egg rolls. What makes the noodle dishes really wonderful is the sauce, a sugar-vinegar mixture with some seasonings that is most effectively poured over the entire dish before you dig in. You'll probably get toasted chopped peanuts with your entree, as well as some green vegetables including cucumber and cilatro, and in the noodle bowls, bean sprouts.

Once again, they seem to have fallen to thigh meat in most chicken dishes, which is of course authentic, but not everyone likes the texture.

Drinks present possibly the most interesting choices, as there's the typical soda/iced tea fare with a large number of bizarre additions. What, for example, goes in "Picked Lemonade"? Would I like "Soda Egg Nog"? "Avocado Shake"?

I stick with the French Ice Coffee (w/Condensed Milk), as it's quite the perk-up. Finely ground coffee is placed in a teeny tiny metal cup with a fine mesh bottom that sits on top of a highball glass and slowly drips dark black coffee into sweetened condensed milk. When the drip stops, the drink is mixed and poured over ice.