Why go: The setting is as calming as the cooking is exciting. The expansive menu encompasses the saltier dishes of northern Vietnam and the sweet-and-sour dishes of southern Vietnam.
What to get: An appetizer of fried yam-and-shrimp cakes; jumbo escargot stuffed with ground pork,Thank mushrooms, and onions and steamed in a ginger-scented broth; northern-style charbroiled pork with vermicelli; dill-scented catfish to wrap in lettuce leaves; black sticky rice with coconut milk.
Best for: Diners who prefer Zen energy to a frenetic scene; large groups (many tables seat ten or more).
Insider tip: Don’t ignore the piles of mint and cilantro that flank many of the entrées. The dishes are meant to be enhanced by these fragrant herbs.
Open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner.
>> See all 2009 Cheat Eats restaurants here
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
