Comments on: Saigon Bistro: A Best of D.C. Contender or Just a Pretender?

By: The Readers Had Their Say in 2009, Too - Young & Hungry - Washington City Paper

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:06:46 +0000

[...] Saigon Bistro: A Best of D.C. Contender or Just a Pretender? [...]

By: gogohamster

gogohamster — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:39:37 +0000

GoGo Hamsters are the new number 1 Christmas present ever!

By: Ali T.

Ali T. — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:35:33 +0000

I agree the Pho is not so great, but Saigon Bistro has some of the best Pad Thai I've had in the District. It's completely different from others that I've had, but it's delicious and just the right amount of spice and not too peanut-y. Highly recommend.

By: ls

ls — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:18:31 +0000

My wife and I had lunch at Saigon Bistro today and both of us left unimpressed. While not bad, it was not good enough. There are better choices in the area for my limited dining dollars.

By: Is It Now Possible to Get Good Pho in the District? Well, Sometimes. - Young & Hungry - Washington City Paper

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:52:11 +0000

[...] pho has been, in my experience, hit or miss. My first bowl of “Special Beef Noodle Soup,” with well-done brisket, rare beef, and [...]

By: hamster

hamster — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:38:38 +0000

I tried the grilled chicken on vermicelli at Saigon Bistro and it was a travesty. Miniscule portion, limp greens, meat had obviously been grilled hours earlier as had the spring roll. Offensively bad.

If you go to DC Noodle, try the spicy noodle soup. It's sort of Thai style, with peanuts and cilantro. Much better than the soy noodle soup, which just didn't have tons of flavor. I was very impressed by the spicy noodle soup, and it's a really large portion.

By: tomaj

tomaj — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:51:40 +0000

Tim—I think you cannot judge a Viet place by the pho anymore than you can judge a Japanese place by its ramen unless it specializes in the stuff. Only then can you expect the really good stuff; they don’t work well when the place is doing them on the side. Saigon Bistro probably deserves another chance but with its menu featuring “pad tha” (their version of pad thai?) and singapore noodles, I wonder about it. Also, they say the staff ran “an exquisite Vietnamese gourmet restaurant in their native homeland” (as opposed to their non-native homeland?), but it doesn’t say that the homeland in question is actually Vietnam.

By: grubscout65

grubscout65 — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:56:46 +0000

Tim,

I am afraid I need to disagree. I don't pretend to be a Pho expert. But I know what I like and I liked #47. Okay, okay I got it to go which I am sure is a Pho no-no. But it was damn satisfying on a cold Feb. day. Also, I was pleased with the decent amount of fat on the brisket it added to the broth. So, Tim you and I certainly differ on this one.

By: Tim Carman

Tim Carman — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:09:14 +0000

Lots of good commentary/questions here.

HCC: I'm sort of embarrassed to admit it, but Pho 75 is still the best. I think there's a reason for it: It's all they do, day in and day out. But I also really like this place: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/bestof/2008/foodanddrink/show.php?id=35137. I'm also going to NoVa this afternoon for more pho tastings. (It's Best of D.C. time, if you can't tell.)
J: You know, I'm not at all fond of dissin' on small, independent business owners, particularly in this economy. I will go back and eat more at Saigon Bistro (I did sample other items, including some grilled meats, which were chewy but loaded with good grill flavor and what tasted like a miso sauce). As far as positives go, wait for tomorrow's column. A pure rave.
SG: I will put DC Noodles high on the list. Thanks for pointing me that way.

By: SG

SG — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:56:06 +0000

Tim,
Will you try "DC Noodles" for me on U Street? It is in the space where "Simply Home" used to be (which was sort of a bizarre furniture store/restaurant hybrid). I have actually heard good things but would like to hear from a trusted source.