Results tagged “springrolls”

One of my all-time favorite things to order from my neighborhood Thai delivery joint is what they call Salad rolls. They're cold appetizer wraps stuffed with fresh produce and the hallmark flavorful bite of Thai and Vietnamese cooking, thanks to the palate-pleasing mix of pungent Thai basil, mint, lime, and spice.

LAist needs to admit from the get-go that we know little to nothing about Vietnamese food. We know it's typically fresher and lighter than other Asian cuisines, and that it is flavored to varying degrees with herbs like mint, basil,and ginger and spices like curry and chili. So in seeking out somewhere new to try on a night when lighter, tasty fare was on the agenda, we stumbled on Eagle Rock's Blue Hen, a nouveau Vietnamese eatery with an emphasis on fresh, organic ingredients served in a funky environment. And so our introduction to Vietnamese food began.

Admittedly, we like Gordon Biersch, although it had been probably a good two years or so since we'd last sat in the brewpub and sipped a microbrew. We adore the smashing way they pair garlic with french fries, and hear that now you can even buy them at good old Dodger Stadium, which, if you're headed there, seems like a good thing. Our table ordered various shades and flavors of beer--Hefeweizen, Blonde Bock, and Marzen being the top choices--as well as various items off the menu. Plates were passed around to share the wealth of appetizers, like our Spicy Ahi Spring Rolls, Shrimp and Chicken Potstickers, and Calamari. Some swore by the Goat Cheese Ravioli, a pizza was split three ways, and burgers with piles of aforementioned garlic fries were gobbled with gusto. Desserts, like the generous Carrot Cake and the Key Lime Cheesecake, met with eager forks. The food is good--not stellar, not revolutionary, but good--and everything is better with beer. Moreso, everything, including life in general, is better with a mojito, we think, and GB's is a winner. We think they sub Sprite for sugar and soda water, which, granted, takes away the rugged authenticity of the cocktail, but makes it incredibly refreshing and sippable. When the bill came there was the usual chaos of group dining--who owes what, who needs change, were we overcharged, is the tip added in?--and after some fussing, it was settled. We did notice, however, that there's an item called "Gratuity Tax" listed; this seemed odd, and even our pleasant server was stumped to its purpose. A good old Google search unearthed this piece from Seattlest territory, that assures us it's completely legit. So the tale of "where do we go?" woe ended on a happy note, and we left, full of beer, and garlic, and the sweet fizz of mojitos.