Until I'm lucky enough to be invited by a Vietnamese family to their home for dinner, Mai's Kitchen is, to my knowledge, the only restaurant in Orange County that specializes in Vietnamese family-style home cooking. These are meals that consist of a soup, a protein and a vegetable dish, all of which is served with a communal pot of rice, just as a typical Vietnamese mother would cook for her household any night of the week.
So skip the entire menu of noodles and apps, and flip to the last page titled “Family Dinner.” This is where the good stuff is. As of this writing, is priced at $21.99 for a two-person meal, $41.99 for a four. For the two-person deal, you choose a soup, a protein and a vegetable dish from a list, of which not a single word is in English.
Though I've yet to explore the dozens of other dishes on this “secret” menu, among the most popular are the caramel-lacquered fish was cá kho to, catfish steaks simmered in a glaze of soy, fish sauce and dried chiles, and the taro-stem-and-shrimp soup called canh chua ca hoac tam, a tamarind-soured broth with chunks of pineapple and tomatoes.
One of the best dishes I've encountered so far was a simmered pork belly with hard-boiled eggs. Akin to Filipino adobo, Japanese kakuni and a dozen other Asian variants, it's probably the homiest dish of all and came with a soy-and-fish-sauce flavored broth that turned my rice into manna from heaven. Even if you don't know what it's called, the best part is that you can describe it to the server in English.
But why not say it in Vietnamese? For the record, it's called th?t kho.
Mai's Kitchen, 9039 Bolsa Ave., Ste. 101, Westminster, (714) 898-9889.
The List:
8. Sausage Slice At Jinny's Pizzeria
9. Fig and Brie Panini at Eat Chow
10. Country Ham and Egg Donut at Sidecar Doughnuts
11. Pastrami Tacos at Lola Gaspar
12. Chicken Schnitzel at Ironwood
13. Meatloaf En Croute at Grits Fullerton
14. Lunch Special at Two Brothers Pizza
15. Banh Cuon Thit Nuong at Banh Cuon Luu Luyen
16. Shrimp Quesadilla at Taco Maria
17. Chihuahua at Mercado Modern Cuisine
18. Msabaha at Ishtar Mediterranean Grill
19. Causa (Peruvian Chicken Salad) at Inka Cantina
20. Jajangmyeon at Beijing Wok & Grill
21. Spicy Raw Shrimp at Royal King Elephant
22. Stuffed Croissants at Blackmarket Bakery DTSA
23. Lobster Elote at Dos Chinos
24. Garlic Noodles at the Kickin' Crab
25. Fish Tacos at Anepalco
26. Sauteed Shrimp at Cafe Hiro
27. Uncle Lou's Fried Chicken at Playground
28. Bo Ssam at Mountain
29. Bentos at Tenkatori
30. Pork Belly Bites at Coastal Kitchen
31. Pizza Omelet at Old Vine Cafe
32. Gorgonzola Bacon Burger at Zov's
33. Falafel Taco at Falasophy
34. $10.95 Lunch Special at Istanbul Grill
35. Aporreadillo at El Picante
36: The Big Mike at C4 Deli
37. Crab Jalapeños from Carmelita's Kitchen
38. Combo Plate at Punjabi Tandoor
39. Crepe Cakes at TeaArias
40. Bacon and Eggs at Break of Dawn
41. Combo Platter from The Halal Guys
42. Sunflower Salad from PIE-NOT
43. Watermelon Salad from Barley Forge Brewing Company
44. Breakfast Burrito from Pedro's Tacos
45. Salmon Toast from Haven Gastropub
46. Croque Madame Sandwich at Café Beau Soleil
47. Dean's Thai Curry Chicken Pizza
48. Aguas Frescas at Mar and Terra
49. Bocatas at Olé! Spain Delishop
50. Pan Con Pollo at El Divino Salvador Del Mundo
51. Tacos al Vapor at Tito's La Especial
52. Knafeh at Knafeh Cafe
53. Yakiudon Nikkei at Aji Limon
54. Yakitori at Electric City Butcher
55. Tsukemen at Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai
56. Ten Zaru Soba at Tanakaya
57. Pink Cloud Sandwich at Alicia's Cookery
58. Homemade Super Nachos at Taqueria Los Santos
59. Strawberry Banana Croissant at Cream Pan
60. Pla Duk Phat Phet at Vientiane Thai Laos Restaurant
61. Risotto Con Burrata at Taverna
62. Pineapple Float at Jollibee
63. Szechuan Fries at Wok N Tandoor
64. Banh Xeo at Quan Mii
65. Chanko Nabe at
66. Hamshuka from Hummus Bowl
67. The Reuben at A Market
68. Everything Cake from Slice Deli And Cakery
69. Spicy Shrimp And Eggplant from Brio Tuscan Grille
70. Crawfish Mac & Cheese from The Wharf
71. Malasadas from Dough Doughs Hawaiian Cafe
72. Salsas from Salsa Bandolera
73. Chorizo Breakfast Bagel at
74. Whole Chicken Combo at
75. Toothpick Lamb at Sichuan Impression
76. Hainan Chicken Rice at
77. Fruit- and Ice Cream-Topped Waffles at Crave
78. Garlic Shrimp Poke at Costco
79. Chimichurri Fries at
80. Torta Cubana at Cancun Juice
81. Adobo Bowl at
82. Garlic Noodles at Krave Asian Fusion
83. Broccolini at SeaSalt WoodFire Grill
84. Spicy Tuna Roll at Yard House
85. Amber Roll at Orange Roll and Sushi
86. Frito Chili Cheeseburger at Burger Parlor
87. Maui Sunrise at The Original Banzai Bowls
88. Meals from The Performance Kitchen
89. Pizza-Sized Quesadilla at Los Sanchez
90. Filipino Brunch at EATS Kitchen And Bar
91. Mexican Chocolate at the Pie Hole
92. Biscuits at
93. Mushroom Flatbread with Kale and Kumquat Salad at Lemonade
94. Mexican-Style Gelatins from Santa Ana's
95. Hot Pastrami Caesar Salad at Bruxie
96. Jalapeño Pupusas at Las Cazuelas
97. Meatball Sliders at Fresh Brothers
98. Buffalo Cauliflower at Mead's Green Door Cafe
99. Raindrop Cake at
100. Doughrito at Surfin' Donuts
Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, Edwin Goei went by the alias “elmomonster” on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.
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