Present

*Post by Mark.

Between Falls Church, Annandale and the Eden Center there are more Vietnamese restaurants than there are people. This was something we had to consider when looking to expand our palates for global cuisine, as the District has about four and a half Vietnamese restaurants.* So, on a recent Saturday, we loaded up the car and drove our ethnic appetites to the 'burbs. Down Route 50 to be exact, where Present, a Washingtonian Top 100 restaurant, is hidden away next to a barber shop in a roadside plaza. When we finally spotted it at the intersection of Arlington Blvd, it was a package we eagerly wanted to unwrap. 

 

The well-lit interior featured Asian-inspired decor, complete with an orchid-gilded water fountain. Our server was smiling, helpful, and patient as we struggled with the huge menu and unfamiliar dishes.

Angela started with Blue Paradise Summer Seafood Roll (below), with shrimp, ground pork and crabmeat rolled in a thin rice wrapper and fried until crispy. We thought it was fine, but nothing special, and we couldn't necessarily taste the individual ingredients.  We started to worry - was Present all hype?

 

 

The Rich Folks Golden Crepes (Bánh xèo) (below), a Saigon-style crepe with pork, shrimp, bean sprouts and green onions, served with fresh lettuce, herbs, and fish sauce, did not really calm those worries.  It was sort of a weird dish. While we'd been envisioning esomething more like French crepes, what we got was like a calzone made with rice paper. The filling was primarily bean sprouts, and the shrimp were a bit tough. The contents seemed a bit random, if not completely bland. But it's safe to assume that our Vietnamese Crepes experience failed due to user error, as I don't think we ate it the right way - we completely ignored the pile of greens that accompanied the dish. It probably tasted a lot better when eaten in conjunction with some refreshing mint and lettuce. Perhaps we could've benefited from a Vietnamese for Dummies Tutorial. We found out later that it was available, if we had only asked - later on in the meal, we heard our server patiently explaining the best way to enjoy a dish to a party a couple of tables down from us. 

 

From this point, on our meal started to get out-of-control good. Better in both taste and name was the Hard-Working Piglet (Sườn ram mặn) (below), pork ribs caramelized in a clay pot. The ribs were nicely cooked, really tender, and very flavorful (slightly sweet), but as Angela noted they were also really fatty, resulting in the dish being a little oily. On a side note, we couldn't help but chuckle at the naming of the food. I'm still curious if the humor is intentional -  the mental image conjured by the Pig and Friends Crepes is priceless, and I wonder what it'd be like eating the Sophisticate Golden Chicken. Humor aside, I think Present should be commended for successfully using the word Gregarious in the name of one of the dishes. I'm not certain that I could've ordered it with a straight face. 

One dish we did order with a straight face was the Spicy Beef Vermicelli Soup (Bún bò Huế) (below), with round rice noodles, sliced beef shank and "pork pastries."  Whatever originality it missed in its name, it made up for in flavor. The delicious noodles soaked in an amazingly, bold and rich broth along with a variety of tasty meat tidbits (we couldn't quite figure out what they were). My palate with regard to Vietnamese cuisine may be too limited to explain the difference between this soup and phở, but I can tell you exactly what I prefer about this Vietnamese soup. In most of the phở I've ever had (and it's a safe bet that I just don't know how to order it) I've been served meat stewing in a plain, watery broth. The broth to this soup was layered with sweetness and spices, and had a tasty base made from various stocks. I've been critical of phở in the past, but if I can get phở that's more like this (and maybe someone can enlighten me on what the actual difference is), I would be a lifelong fan.

 

 

The Country Road (Vit sót cam) (below), was another major success. The simmered half duck was roasted until crispy and marinated with "Chef's special orange sauce." And special it was. The orange sauce was not only a fantastic complement to the duck, but also to the bowl of rice I drowned in the sauce. The duck was very tender and if it had been socially acceptable, I probably would've tilted the plate to my mouth to drink that sauce.

We've yet to try the other Vietnamese, Washingtonian-Ranked and Cheap Eats favorite Four Sisters. If it's even half as good as Present, then northern Virginia has a nice little corner on the Vietnamese market. 

*None of these are actual statistics. 

Comments

[Evan]

Looks delicious. I can't believe I NEVER went there. Its truly a crime. I LOVE bun bo hue. This soup, I believe has pork and beef parts, and i believe pigs blood. I think that is what gives it the darker color and more complex flavor. I'm a HUGE pho lover, and you can definitely get good soup in Northern VA. That crap at the places in DC is, well, crap.

[Evan]

Sorry, i forgot to add that the best pho, in my opinion, is pho bo tai, which is just the eye-round. You want to get it on the side or "rare," so that its not over done. If its on the side, you can add it and the broth cooks it for you, as you want it. I also love the soft tendon. Go here: http://www.pho98.com/

[Sylvie]

I need to give you my phone number so that when you ever question how to eat vietnamese food, you can just text me and I'll respond with instructions. Banh Xeo is delish with the right greens.

You meal looks amazing. I hope Marshall and I head over there soon!

[Angela]

Sylvie-
Heh, that's probably a great idea. Even better? You go with us next time (you and Marshall both!). It was pretty silly, we just kind of sat and stared at the greens for awhile, then dug into the rest of the dish. I did have a bite at the end where I combined it with the mint, and it was much better.

[Melanie]

Have you tried Pho 75 in Rosslyn? I dream about the soup there sometimes.

And we just went to Four Sisters for the first time last weekend. Delicious!

[Angela]

Evan-
I THOUGHT you might have something to say about this post - I can't believe you never went to Present! You'll have to come back to make a special trip (did you ever go to Four Sisters?). Anyway, we're making another run out to the suburbs this weekend, so thanks for the tip! I know that eventually, I'll find a pho that Mark will like.

[michelle]

I LOVE this place and laugh everytime I read the menu with the whimsical zen names - "happy cow floating in the river," or whatnot.

[Angela]

Michelle-
Heh, me too. My favorites were Warm-Hearted Piglet, Fish Going Wild, and Lightning Squid (a deep sea super hero).

[Evan]

I did go to Four Sisters with some folks on Yelp. I thought it was quite good. I finally found some good Pho places to try in nyc. I hope that they can live up to my expectations

[Angela]

Melanie-
Okay, now we definitely have to go to Four Sisters. Also, if I can convince Mark to give pho another try, we'll hit up Pho 75 (he has the car).

Evan-
Ooh, I bet NYC has GREAT pho places. You'll have to let us know where they are, I visit my sister a lot.