Bao Noodles
391 2nd Ave
(bet 22nd & 23rd St)
New York, NY
212.725.7770
212.725.6183
www.baonoodles.com

To many Americans, the thought of eating tripe (sections of cow, pig, sheep, etc. stomach), save for a guy like Anthony Bourdain is unheard of; revolting, even.  I am not one of those Americans.  While I do appreciate and enjoy a plate of spicy buffalo wings or a turkey club, I also find that I am learning to enjoy more exotic and ethnic foods.  Vietnamese cuisine is not totally foreign to Americans.  In fact, the recent popularity surge in the traditional French-Vietnamese Bahn Mi has given Vietnamese cuisine a new chance to prove itself on the New York City stage with other more traditional dishes.  Bao Noodles in Gramercy Park is bringing New Yorkers what they want, and challenging us to try something new and different and what I came to find out, a spread that may even satisfy the cravings of Mr. Bourdain, himself.

The facade of Bao Noodles blends in with the rest of the block – boring, and typical of the neighborhood.  But once you step inside you’re transported to French Colonial Vietnam complete with tin ceilings, mosaic tile floor, and a big Tiger Beer logo painted on the brick wall.  60’s pop piping in through hidden speakers.

My wife & I were seated immediately, and handed the brunch menus – typical of many NYC restaurants on weekends.  However, Vietnamese brunch isn’t your typical bacon & eggs, French toast, and home fries many of us are used to.  This was going to be an authentic meal.  Not really knowing what I was getting myself into, I was happy to see the price of the meal would be a mere $9.99 per person; a small price to pay even if the meal turned out to be less than satisfying.

We were encouraged to try the honey tripe with poached egg.  I had never tried tripe before, but my wife had – although Italian style.  Being the adventurous eater that I am, I decided I would go for broke.  My wife stuck with a braised pork belly with hard boiled egg, broccoli, and sticky rice.  The meal also featured a complimentary drink – I chose the Bloody Bao – their version of a Bloody Mary.  We also, on their suggestion got two orders of congee – a traditional Vietnamese rice dish.  Hers came with duck, chicken, and pork – mine with mixed seafood.

The waitress, who may I add was quite pleasant and helpful first brought over my Bloody Bao (which, oddly enough tastes like a traditional Bloody Mary – not that I’m complaining) and the wife’s Jasmine Tea.  We enjoyed our drinks, relaxing and taking in the atmosphere when our plates of congee were delivered.

Each had a generous helping of the rice concoction – mixed with scallions and topped with cilantro, and served with fried dough, soy sauce, and fried garlic chips.  I tried mine first.  Without adding the soy or garlic, the seafood had a bright and fresh taste.  Not bland, but not bursting with flavor either.  The addition of the soy and garlic added a little punch.  Hers, on the other hand was out of this world.  The duck was tender and juicy, the pork succulent with hints of honey and spice.  I didn’t get any chicken, but she says it was good too.  The fried dough served as a nice, edible substitute to a spoon.  Just delicious!

The restaurant started to fill up which hardly slowed the service.  Our entrees were brought over just a few minutes after the congee plates were cleared.

Let me start first with the wife’s braised pork belly.  This is a BIG meal.  If you’re not hungry, don’t expect to finish this.  This is a lot of food!  The dish came as thick chunks of pork braised in stock and included a hard-boiled egg.  She let me have the egg.  It certainly had the texture of an egg, but had taken on the flavor of the pork.  Fantastic!  The pork chunks are fatty and tender.  The fat, however can and should be consumed as it melts in your mouth and tastes just heavenly.  The sticky rice and broccoli sides were also good.  She described the rice simply as Awesome!  I must say I could concur.  The only unfortunate thing about this dish was it was too much food for even the both of us to finish, especially after enjoying all the delicious congee.

Chewing tripe is like chewing slightly over-cooked calamari.  You can’t really break it up, but you can gnash it enough to ease any worries you may have about swallowing it whole and possibly choking.  Once you get past the texture, and the fact that you’re eating stomach the flavor of this dish is rather exquisite.  These nasty bits are cooked in a spicy broth with sliced veggies and dried mushrooms, and is served with a poached egg.  Break the yolk and stir it all into the mix, and you’re in for a real treat.  This dish is probably not for the unadventurous, but that, my friends is their loss.  My first experience with tripe was a very positive one.  I would do it again.

For the squeamish, unadventurous, and those who just prefer the simple pleasures of Vietnamese cuisine Bao Noodles has a wide selection of noodle dishes, salads, vegetarian, and the ever-so-popular bahn mi.

I will return to try their dinner.  I suggest you do the same.  And for once, try something different.  The noodles will always be there.

~Sam