eaten! @dob 111
July 9, 2010
Michael Bao Huynh is fast becoming my favorite chef.
A Vietnamese refugee, Michael has created his own American-dream-come-true with a growing empire of eateries scattered around the city.
I’m proud to say I’ve been to 4 our of 7 of his restaurants. That’s right, he’s got 7 restaurants in New York.
Here’s my latest encounter…
DOB 111 | Conquering an empire, one meal at a time
DOB 111 stands for “Date of Birth November 1st” which I can only presume is Huynh’s birthday? Either that’s a very auspicious day for Michael Huynh or he is just a tad bit into himself…
Based on the quality of our first dish, I’m going to go with the latter.
Quail satay with jicama and mango relish served over satay sauce.
The quail was presented as two satay “skewers” (basically just the bird cut into two and served on the bone). The meat was moist and flavorful and the skin deliciously crisp. The relish was a nice crunch, although I didn’t see much mango in there, while sauce was definitely the highlight of the whole dish.
It was rich coconut with an essence of peanut. It was satay sauce’s older, more refined brother. It was bliss.
My only criticism thus far was size. If you’re going to serve a sauce this amazing, you can’t tease your audience with just a taste.
Duck confit with taro cake hash
This dish was the most ingenious of the night. It was a side dish that I was skeptical about, but as soon as I tasted it, I knew it was special.
The duck confit was fine. The egg was, well, an egg. But those cubed bits of what looks like potatoes is actually pieces of taro cake. Just like the dim sum dish I love so much, these pieces of taro cake were fried until golden and crispy. They added the most amazing texture to the dish and put a truly Asian spin on what is typically a kind of boring plate.
Beancurd glazed black cod with heart of palm puree and kafir lime confit
I’m a huge fan of black cod. It’s probably my favorite entree at most Japanese/Asian restaurants where it is featured. Glazed in some umami-rich sauce like miso or beancurd, it is a silky, deliciously caramelized piece of fish.
And I wasn’t disappointed here. The lime was a nice little kick while the heart of palm puree was an excellent discovery. It was nutty and with a dash of red curry on top – awesome!
It might look small but this piece of fish was actually just right.
Crispy pork belly with taro hash and pickled vegetables
This was Lisa’s dish which she generously shared with me. Each piece of pork was rich and succulent with fat. There were bits of what I think was spam along with that deliciously mind-blowing taro hash.
I was surprised at the portion, given all of our other dishes. This was some kind of explosion of pork on the plate that might have been better off in a “less is more” fashion. The pork was so fatty, I could tell Lisa was searching for the bits of pork meat.
The flavor was lost on me amidst all that richness, but I applaud Huynh for having the guts to put spam (something I love, mind you) on a $17 plate in a restaurant!
Pandan flan with ginko nuts and preserved dates
Poor Lisa had no choice when it came to dessert. I saw the words “pandan” and “flan” written on the chalkboard at the back of the tiny restaurant and independently decided that was going to be our dessert.
It wasn’t a disappointment, per se…I just think I had hopes and dreams of that pandan kuih from Malaysia reappearing in front of me and taking me back to better days (of beaches and sun). Impossible dreams that no pandan flan could fulfill.
Especially a flan that was a bit more like a custard and was weak on the pandan essence.
But overall, I was thoroughly pleased with this adventure into Huynh’s ever-growing restaurant dynasty. He took Asian flavors and merged them with clearly non-asian techniques and ingredients for a very globally conscious meal.
3.5 out of 5 stars for DOB 111.
And just for fun, here are some pics of other meals I’ve had at Huynh’s restaurants…
Sloppy Joe banh mi @ Pho Sure
Pork belly skewers @ OBAO
Spare rib on sugarcane @ OBAO
Pho Bo @ OBAO
Chúc ngon miệng!
August 23, 2009
Today was my intensive 4.5-hour Vietnamese cooking class at the Institute of Culinary Education in Chelsea.
The menu for our class was created by an award-winning Vietnamese Chef, Andrea Nguyen. I did a little research and it turns out that Andrea and I have more in common than just our love for Vietnamese food!
Andrea attended USC for her undergrad and graduate degrees (go trojans!) and she has studied in HK, cultivating her Mandarin skills and her love for Chinese cooking – just like me! To read more about Andrea and to find some of her tips/recipes for Vietnamese cooking, click here.
After about an hour of reviewing our menu and learning some interesting tidbits along the way…
Did you know that Canola oil is actually rapeseed oil but the name turned consumers off so it was rebranded “Canola” after it’s Canadian origins – Canadian oil, low acid?
Did you know that 80% of Vietnamese people are in some way involved with rice production? And that 60% of the land is used for cultivating rice?
…we split up into 3 groups and divided up the menu. My team was designated with creating the fresh asparagus and crab soup, the banh mi baguettes, and the catfish in caramel sauce. We quickly began our mis en place – julianning, measuring, and cleaning our ingredients.
3 hours of prep and cooking flew by and next thing I knew, Chef was calling for us to clean up our stations so that our assistant could begin setting out plates and silverware.
Seated next to my fellow chefs, I dug into a plateful of this delicious food.
Shrimp simmered in caramel sauce
Chicken stir-fried with Lemongrass and Chile
Cucumber and shrimp salad
Fresh asparagus and crab soup
Summer rolls with shrimp
DIY Banh Mi Bar
It was quite a feast! I’d have to say my favorite dish was the chicken with lemongrass. It was very rich and creamy, delicious for a fall or winter evening.
I’m looking forward to taking another class…I wonder what I’ll be in the mood for next!
next stop: Vietnam!
August 18, 2009
Each class is an intensive 4.5 hour session with a complete hands-on approach. The time is spent reviewing the menu, familiarizing ourselves with the ingredients, prepping, cooking, and my favorite – eating! People often ask me if I recreate any of the dishes taught in my classes, but I have to sheepishly shake my head and tell them I mostly just go for the food.
My first class, Korean BBQ, was taught by Youngsun Lee – a graduate of ICE who earned his chef’s jacket at the famous Momofuku restaurants. He now owns his own New Korean restauraunt, Persimmon, but I’ve recently learned that it has shuttered. Darn you, recession! Darn you!
The second class, Essentials of Thai Cooking, was taught by an ICE instructor. We cooked a lot of common dishes and fortunately I befriended a fellow Thai enthusiast and wrangled some photos of our food out of her…bon appetite!
Summer Rolls
Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
Thai Green Chicken Curry
Pad Thai with Lime
I can’t wait for the Vietnamese class. The menu includes:
Sup Mang Tay Cua (fresh asparagus and crab soup)
Goi Dua Chuot (cucumber and shrimp salad)
Goi Cuon (salad rolls with spicy garlic hoisin sauce)
Banh Mi (baguette sandwiches) !!!!!!
Tom Kho (shrimp simmered in caramel sauce)
Ga Xao Xa Ot (chicken stir-fried with lemongrass and chile)
Che Chuoi (banana, tapioca pearl, and coconut sweet soup)
I’ll be back with pictures of the feast on Sunday…now that I’m starving, I think I’ll go get a snack!
absolutely stuffed!
August 17, 2009
I have to begin with saying that my cupcakes were a success with Aunt Vân (phew)! I was a little nervous bringing baked goods to a former FCI student, but they turned out to be the perfect ice breaker for a weekend full of foodie goodness!
We spent most of our 2 days in Princeton, NJ eating to our heart’s content but I like to say that I was doing reasearch for my blog. While it’s hard to choose between the refreshing trio of salads, the globe-trotting BBQ, and the breakfast of champions, I’d have to say my favorite meal was the BBQ ribs complete with 3 kinds of salad and sweet/sticky Vietnamese saffron rice…
BBQed with a garlicy-spicy-pineappley marinade
Now that's a good lookin' plate!
Chocolate three ways 
And it was a weekend to remember. The food and the fresh Princeton air was a welcome change from the harried NYC life we all seem to live. I can’t wait until the next trip!
