Eating Out - Vietnamese

My dad enjoys his first Vietnamese dinner with Kathryn.

Huong Viet (Vietnamese)

Huong Viet is located in the middle of Eden Center, a shopping center filled with over 100 stores (all Vietnamese), including Vietnamese specialty barber shops, jewelry stores, travel agents, bakeries, nail salons, restaurants, pho joints, bars, and grocery stores. You've never seen anything like Eden Center. It will blow your mind that (a) this place exists and (b) it's in Falls Church, Virginia of all places. Huong Viet is well decorated by the Washington Post, Washingtonian, City Paper and others. It's cheap. It's good. It's a must go to place for anyone visiting DC (with access to a car).

Kathryn and I have been to Huong Viet at least a half a dozen times. We took my dad for his first Vietnamese dinner, as well as a pho-obsessed friend from California. I'm finally taking the time to write a post about one of our favorite restaurants (in the country).

Observations

• We always get a bubble team. Sometimes we split one, sometimes we each get our own, but we always have lychee bubble tea. The boba are so fresh. They also offer a durian flavor. If any of you want to try it, I'll treat. I just want to see someone try to slurp that thing down.
• The rice paper rolls (summer rolls) are always pretty good.
• Every entrée we've tried has been outstanding. The center attraction is the marinated and grilled pork. Kathryn prefers it over crepe style noodles. I like it on vermicelli paired with a fried spring roll.
• I've also had the Vietnamese pancake a couple of times. It's very good, but only if you don't mind getting your hands dirty all the way to the elbow.
• The patrons are always a mix of Vietnamese families and white folks from suburban Virginia. The white folks like to act like they're in the know. (Of course, maybe they are.)
• There's often a wait to get in, and the parking lot fills up pretty easy. Be warned.