I have recently become obsessed with Vietnamese cuisine,
ever since I tried my first banh mi sandwich at the Crystal Lake Café at Americana
Vineyards back in June, I’ve been on the search for where I can get more yummy
Vietnamese food. I’m talking obsessed. I’ve been googling Banh Mi sandwich
recipes, places that make them in upstate NY, and watching videos of food porn
about them on YouTube. You could safe say that I have an addictive personality,
because when I find something that I love, I am all in.
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| Yours truly about nom on the Pho. Apparently it took a lot of concentration o_0 |
When Jared told me he had discovered a Vietnamese restaurant
in Ithaca, I knew I had to go. Saigon Kitchen, located in downtown Ithaca on
State St., strikes me as a local’s hangout. Though it’s only located a few
streets away from the more touristy Commons and down the hill from congested
college town, this neighborhood was very residential and had a much more
relaxed feel to it. On the walk from where we parked my car to the restaurant,
I was taking in all of awesome street art and various patios & bars where
the locals were gathered to grab a drink on a lovely Friday summer evening.
There are definitely some more places I want to check out along State St. in
the future.
Once we arrived at Saigon Kitchen, we were fortunate enough
to be able to grab a table right away. (Random tip for trying to figure out
whether a new restaurant will be any good: if it is packed and people are
waiting at the door, the food is likely to be good. Empty restaurants at meal
times are rarely a good sign.) For our appetizer we shared an order of the
Lemongrass Marinated Skewers, which came with a side of delicious peanut sauce.
Jared loved the peanut sauce so much he wanted to have a bowl of it.
For the entrée, we both ordered a very traditional
Vietnamese dish, Pho –pronounced like “Fuh”- is a beef and noodle soup. This
was not my first time having Pho, I would order it now and then from an old
favorite, Wok With Me at Point Place in Henrietta while I was still taking grad
classes, but it’s been well over a year since I’ve had some, so I went with the
House Special (Doc Biet) and Jared had the Bo Vien (meatball) version.
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| Pho before the added extras. |
The House Special included all of the cuts of meat that Saigon
Kitchen offers for their Pho –rare eye round steak, tendon (which at first
slightly freaked me out due to its gelatinous nature, but turned out to be
really delicious!), meatballs, and brisket. Now if you’re wondering if a soup
is going to fill you up for dinner, don’t worry, Pho comes in a very generous
portion and includes noodles, Vietnamese basil, and crunchy sprouts (on a side
note, I loveeee crunchy sprouts). You throw as little or as much of the basil
& sprouts in along with sriracha –a Thai hot sauce for those not familiar
with it- or this wonderful sweet & savory, slightly reminiscent of a
balsamic glaze but with slightly more Asain flair(I have no idea what it is
called, but I loved it), or a chili paste as you see fit. You can make Pho as
spicy or savory as you want.
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| Crunchy sprouts & basil with the extra sauces in the background. |
Something else I want to note on is how crazy fresh all of the
food was! While spicy and bursting with flavor, it was not heavy at all and did
not leave me with what I like to call “Chinese-food-regret.” Which is that icky
feeling you get after mowing down half of a giant container of delivery General
Tso chicken and fried rice hung over on a Sunday afternoon while watching
reruns of Real Housewives of which ever city….not that I’ve ever done that
before. Totally giving my college-self the side eye.
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| Cue mouthwatering joy a la Homer Simpson. |
I highly recommend Saigon Kitchen as an alternative if
you’re getting tired of your regular MSG ridden Chinese takeout or need a
change of pace from your usual go-to Thai place. I will definitely be back to
try some more dishes at Saigon Kitchen. Happy eating!
