Insiders know to seek out this quaint central-Vietnamese eatery tucked inside the Eden Center’s interior mall. Here, in addition to ubiquitous búns and crepes, you’ll find unusual dishes such as rolls stuffed with grilled sausage and fried scallions; congee laced with ginger; and mì quang soup with turmeric noodles, pork ribs, shrimp, and peanuts. Clay pots are all over menus in the complex, but few yield such a gorgeous base of caramelized rice—the Vietnamese equivalent of a perfect paella’s socarrat. Also good: Bo luc lac (marinated beef); squid salad; salty lime soda.
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.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
