Saturday, November 17, 2007

"The man in the black pajamas, Dude."

Worthy fuckin' adversary." Sorry for the profanity, and the possible racial offensiveness, but it's a quote, and who doesn't love The Big Lebowski?

Needless to say, this is Vietnam's entry into the Coffee Wars. Here a link for brewing directions. As for supplies, if you're in the Cleveland area the filter set (around $4), two choices of coffee (Cafe Du Monde and Trung Nguyen), and a few options for sweetened condensed milk (but surprisingly not the Eagle Brand that the aficionados seem to prefer) can be found at the market located next door to Minh Anh (5428 Detroit Ave, Cleveland, OH). If you're curious about why Cafe Du Monde is considered by some to be authentic, I invite you to visit Cafe Du Monde at the French Market in New Orleans, or just consider which immigrant populations would be most attracted to Louisiana's shrimping industry. Minh Anh makes a good Vietnamese coffee, but I think #1 Pho (3120 Superior Ave, Cleveland) makes an even better one.

It's an easy drink to make at home. Regarding taste, think of it as the best frappuccino ever, and it gets you, or at least me, wired. This was a strong entry, not shocking taking into account the French influences in Vietnamese food and culture. In fact, as I'm drinking the coffee and typing this entry, I'm munching on a crusty baguette (from Vera's Bakery at the West Side Market) with brie and watching In Julia's [Child's] Kitchen with Master Chefs (the name of show on the website is different--who needs the Food Network?).
This is going to be a tough one to top. Up next, Italy.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Another interesting colonial influence in Vietnamese food is the pate & jambon & garlic aoili sandwich on baguette, with chilis, cilantro, and radish pickles.

Glad you liked Dragonfly.

The CFT said...

Sounds like quite the sandwich Todd, and I'm glad you're able to look past the pictures and check out the blog.

Thanks for the suggestion.