Izzy (and Mama) Eat: The Gourmand Goes To College...

Tales of Empty Nest and College Boy Eats.. The Next Chapter

Monday, January 17, 2011

Rue Viet: Haven't been there yet?!


I have never actually set foot inside Rue Viet but I can't resist welcoming this newcomer to the Jersey City restaurant scene, and that is based upon my take-out experience alone.   

My crush with Rue Viet began with the arrival of a courteous, prompt delivery person, who arrived 20 minutes from when I placed my order and actually seemed grateful for his tip.  I know one shouldn't judge a book by its cover but when I opened the biodegradable bags and found these lovely brown and white cardboard boxes, thoughtfully labeled inside, I was smitten.   Finally, a take-out restaurant in Jersey City with environmentally-friendly packaging, it almost didn't matter how the food tasted...Could it possibly live up to its packaging?

 Indeed it can and did.  The seafood spring rolls arrived crisp and flavorful.  Curried noodles with chicken were well-spiced and plentiful. Mushroom buns were tender. Tofu Banh Mi was packed with carrots, daikon and tofu, which would make an ample lunch (too much for me).   The only oddity was the "Pad Thai" noodles with coconut-braised pork.  This homey dish was chock full of tender pork chunks but the only thing "Pad Thai" about it was the noodles.  Call it something else and it would be fine with a drizzle of hot sauce. 


With more cold winter days ahead, Izzy and I look forward to more takeout from Rue Viet.  Maybe it will even inspire us to crawl out from hibernation and walk on over to the restaurant. I hear the brunch is good.

2 comments:

Carla said...

we absolutely love it! usually we get a pork belly and a chicken bahn mi and split them....so good!

we also tried satis the other night - http://www.satisbistro.com/
I had the short ribs which were excellent, the gnocchi was a bit heavy for me though

Anonymous said...

I had the roast port sandwich the other day and it was delicious. Word of advice, if you eat in, wear a coat and anything else you can throw in the wash as the ventilation is very poor in the place and you will come out smelling like a very spiced up bahn mi!
Olga