e-mail me at billdeg@umich.edu

10/05/2005

Vietnamese in Dearborn

Lunch today at Annam in beautiful downtown Dearborn. My experience with Vietnamese food mostly comes from eating in the homes of friends (see previous two posts), or at mom-and-pop Vietnamese diners, so Annam was a bit jarring. Upscale in both decor and service, and with a menu emphasizing vegetarian "fusion" dishes more than pho, Annam feels like a trendy, west-coast joint. Having said that, though, I opted for the pho (my go-to choice at Vietnamese restaurants): a simple beef broth with flat noodles, thin pieces of beef, and usually served with various sprouts and herbs that one can add at will. Somewhat lacking in the spice department (usually the broth has a touch of fish sauce and the plate of veggies/condiments includes various hot chiles--not so, unfortunately, at Annam), but warm and good. You think chicken soup cures your ills? Then you haven't had a good bowl of pho.

Related note...best lunch--and quickest to boot--that's ten minutes or less from U of M Dearborn: take-out from the New Yasmeen bakery on Warren Avenue. For five or six dollars, you can walk out with a filling combination of a shawarma sandwich and/or a couple kibbees and/or a few mini spinach or meat pies. I can drive up to Warren Ave., get lunch at New Yasmeen's deli counter, and eat on my way back to campus--all in about thirty minutes. They also have all kinds of good sweets, salads, oh yeah, and a mean bowl of jhadra (usually a combo of rice, lentils, and cracked wheat--I've probably got the spelling wrong).

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