The beauty of nopales, or prickly pear cactus, is

In fact, nopales grow wild pretty much throughout the world where the climate is arid. They provide a food source both in their flat paddles and fruit. In Mexico, the fruit is called tuna. It is succulent and delicious. The most common color is red, but tunas can also be red, yellow or purple.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Latino Perspectives Magazine offers a  twist on a classic cocktail with a couple of recipes for “martini de tuna.”

A Scottsdale company, Prickly Pear Ranch, offers a drink mixer, Pêra, Latin for pear. It is made from the fruit of the prickly pear cactus. Originally, it was touted as the perfect mixer for a margarita.

Another version of the “martini de tuna” includes prickly pear vodka from Arizona High Spirits Distillery in Flagstaff.

Peratini

In a cocktail shaker with ice, add:
¾ oz. Premium vodka
¾ oz. Limoncello liqueur
½ oz. Dry vermouth
½ oz. 7-Up
1/3 oz. Pêra Prickly Pear drink mixer

Shake and strain into a sugar-rimmed martini glass. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Garnish with a lemon slice.
One 11-ounce bottle makes up to 24 martinis.

Visit www.pricklypearfruit.com.

Prickly pear martini

(Developed and designed by Mac Gregory, Director of Food and Beverage at The Phoenician Resort & Spa)

2 oz. High Spirits Prickly Pear Vodka
1 oz. Agave nectar
½ oz. prickly pear syrup
Splash of sweetened lemon juice

Add all ingredients over ice in a shaker glass. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a drizzle of prickly pear syrup on the rim of the glass.

Visit www.arizonahighspiritsdistillery.com.

Cinnamon:

Garlic: May reduce the risk of heart disease by decreasing blood cholesterol, preventing clogged arteries, and lowering blood pressure; it also may reduce cancer risk. Place 10 garlic cloves and 1 cup of olive oil in a pot; simmer gently for 30 minutes. Cool and refrigerate for up to a week. Use the oil for garlic mashed potatoes, sauteed vegetables or vinaigrettes.

Cilantro: Considered an aid to the digestive system. It is an appetite stimulant and aids in the secretion of gastric juices. The essential oils of the cilantro leaves contain antibacterial properties and can be used as a fungicide. Rich in vitamin C. All parts of the plant are edible, but the fresh leaves and the dried seeds are the most commonly used in cooking.

Oregano: The oil made from oregano boasts numerous and varied health benefits. Its active ingredient, carvacol, is a natural compound that fights bacteria, fungus, parasites, and viruses. It’s used both internally and topically to treat all manner of infections, and there is even an increasing amount of scientific evidence to prove its effectiveness. When buying, look for bright bunches without blemishes.

Cumin: It is a stimulant as well as a great herb for digestive disorders and even as an antiseptic of sorts. The seeds are rich in iron and are thought to help stimulate the secretion of enzymes from the pancreas which can help absorb nutrients into the system. It has also been shown to boost the power of the liver’s ability to detoxify the human body. An aromatic spice with a distinctive bitter flavor and strong, warm aroma due to its abundant oil content.

Cayenne Pepper: Contains capsaicin, which blocks pain signals and may help deactivate nitrosamines and other carcinogens. But be moderate: Too much hot pepper may promote stomach cancer. Just a pinch of cayenne livens up chili, spaghetti sauce and vinaigrettes.

Stevia sweeteners: A natural, zero-calorie source of sweetness. They are composed of highly purified steviol glycosides, which are extracted from the sweetest part of the stevia plant. Like other low-calorie sweeteners, they are “intense” sweeteners, meaning a very small amount is required to achieve the desired sweetness. They are a suitable option for people with diabetes.

Turmeric: A popular spice contained in curry powder that has been studied primarily for the potential health benefits of its active polyphenolic component, curcumin. Curcumin gives turmeric its yellow pigment, which lends itself for use not only as a dietary spice, but also as a coloring agent. Curcumin has been studied for its potential to reduce risk of cancer, osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer’s disease. Curcumin has also demonstrated potent antioxidant activity.

Ginger: Quells nausea and vomiting caused by motion sickness or digestive problems. Great in tea. Simmer a finger of ginger, freshly grated, in 4 cups of water. Reduce by half and stir in honey to counter the herb’s heat. Or combine candied and raw ginger in muffins, cookies and spice cake.

Sweet basil: Was honored as the “2003 Herb of the Year” by the International Herb Society. Perhaps the only herb that tastes as good as it smells. It has soothing properties associated with the mint family to which it belongs, and is be used in herbal concoctions offering relief for nervous headaches and digestive complaints.

“A meal without wine is like a day without sunshine.”
– Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

This quote serves as my personal mantra and I have it mind with this recipe for Pollo Enchilado as it incorporates two kinds of wine in the preparation. This recipe has been in my family for three generations, and over time it has morphed and gained personal twists and accents.

My addition is to marinate the chicken in Barefoot Chardonnay. Bathing the chicken in this wine prior to cooking allows it to absorb the buttery, rich flavors of green apple, peach and its hints of honey and vanilla.

The second wine is useds when making the sauce. In my family, good sauce is the key to any successful recipe.  I use Barefoot White Zinfandel as the secret sazón in the Adobo sauce.  The refreshing taste of fresh pineapple, ripe strawberry, and sweet citrus balances out the heat of the chilies.

The result is both sweet and spicy. From my family to yours, please enjoy this recipe for Pollo Enchilado with a cold crisp glass of Barefoot Moscato, a deliciously sweet styled wine that pairs perfectly with spicy Mexican food.  Cheers!

For more “Cooking with Barefoot” recipes, visit BarefootWine.com.

Pollo Enchilado

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
6 onions cut in fourths
4 garlic heads cut in half
1 bottle of Barefoot Chardonnay
1 ½ cups of butter
4 cups of water

The Salsa:
30 chiles ancho (the dry version of poblano chilies)
15 chiles guajillos
½ cup of vinegar
3 cups of Barefoot White Zinfandel
3 cups of water
4 onions cut in fourths
8 cloves of raw garlic, 8 cloves of grilled garlic
2 tablespoons of oregano
1 ½ tablespoons of mashed cumin
Salt to taste, 1 tablespoon of pepper
1 ½ cups of olive oil
4 slices of onions

Preparation of chicken: You will need a large deep container. First add onions and garlic to the bottom of container. Then add chicken and bathe chicken with the bottle of Chardonnay and leave to marinate for two hours in the refrigerator.

Preparation of Adobo (salsa): Soak all chilies in the vinegar, wine and water for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes transfer all into the blender. Blend with the onions, raw garlic, grilled garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Blend twice to obtain a better mix of all ingredients. (Make sure that it is not lumpy. Reserve extra sauce to top dish before serving).

Heat up olive oil in a saucepan and fry the slices of onion, add the chili sauce and cook on low to medium heat for one hour. (Add salt if needed).  Grease/smear the chicken with the butter. Then grease/smear the chicken with the salsa. Make sure to have salsa underneath, all around and inside the chicken. Place the onions around the chicken.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and cook for 1 hour or until tender.

For presentation: Garnish with sliced avocado, radish and sliced onions.

Pairs well with: Barefoot Moscato or Pinot Grigio to cut the spice a bit or if you’re feeling like red, Cab goes really nicely, too.

A long time ago someone told me that when you go to a restaurant, you should order a dish you’re not likely to cook at home, either because you don’t know how, or because it’s too complicated to prepare.

Sure enough, every time I go out to eat, I try to order some kind of soup. The reason is that I don’t know how to prepare a good caldo, and because I’m tired of canned menudo.

But for the sake of this column, I will learn how to prepare one of the oldest soups eaten in Mexico and the American Southwest. So I hope you’ll practice your cooking skills along with me so that next time you go to that “authentic” Mexican food restaurant you don’t order tortilla soup.

Also known as Sopa Azteca, tortilla soup originated centuries ago when the Spaniards arrived in Mexico. The combination of European cooking style with native ingredients made this soup one of the most representative of the Mexican menu… and one of the most delicious, too.

When you get to your kitchen, blend tomatoes, onions, garlic, guajillo chiles and epazote. Then put the chicken in a saucepan to a simmer. In another saucepan heat corn oil over low heat, and add the sauce you have in the blender. After 20 minutes of cooking, add the chicken, salt and pepper, and cook for another 20 minutes.

While you wait for your soup to be ready, cut the tortilla into strips and fry them in hot oil until they’re crispy. If you prefer, you can go to your local supermarket and get a bag of tortilla chips. That’ll work, too.

At dinner time, serve your soup with the tortilla strips on top, avocado, sour cream, cheese, chile strips and chicharron. Buen provecho!

Tortilla soup

(Ingredients for serving of four):
1 quart chicken broth
2 tomatoes, roasted and peeled
2 large cloves garlic, peeled
1 white onion, peeled and chopped
2 guajillo chiles, seeded and deveined, soaked in hot water until soft
4 epazote leaves
corn oil
corn tortillas
crumbled queso fresco
sliced avocado
Mexican crema
Chicharrón (pork rinds) or shredded cooked chicken
Strips or rings of guajillo chile

Recipe courtesy of Karen Hursh Graber, Mexico Connect

If after reading this article you feel overwhelmed by the amount of time you’ll spend at the kitchen (as I do), try these places, which according to our LPM staff, serve very tasty tortilla soup:

Asi es la Vida
3602 N. 24th St. Phoenix

Café 24/7
Lone Butte Casino 1077 S. Kyrene Rd. Chandler

La Parrilla Suiza
Mesa, Phoenix, Peoria & Tucson

Tejocotes are the fruit of the hawthorn tree, and have a distinctive flavor somewhere between plums and apricots.

During these cold winter nights, a good ponche will make your celebrations warmer

“And so happy Christmas, for black and for white, for yellow and red ones, let’s stop all the fight.” – John Lennon

Well, it’s finally that time of the year when we get to reflect on the achievements of the present and goals for the future. During this season people get stressed buying gifts and making their way through the busy airports, but in reality, it should be a time of calm and serenity.

No matter who we are, or where we are, December means the end of something. With celebrations at home, school or the office, this month brings special moments to each of us. We enjoy getting together with those we love and miss those who are not with us anymore.

It is the time to rejoice and tell everyone around us that never is too late to start all over again. Our culture knows the importance of that message and that is why these fiestas de fin de año are the main celebrations in our calendar. Posadas, tamales y nacimientos attract people to our home as the season places smiles and joy on our faces.

In Arizona, this is very true. We are so used to the hot temperatures of our summer, that as soon as our thermometer goes below 70 degrees we think we are living in the North Pole and need people around us to feel the warmth again. Then, we go to our friend’s house and enjoy the camaraderie of the season, and a good ponche… con piquete!

Ponche is a traditional Mexican beverage prepared during the Christmas holiday. At first, it looks like hot fruit salad on a pot, but once you taste it, you know why Mexicans love this time of the year.

Put water to boil at lower heat in a large pot. Add apples, pears, oranges, guava, grapes and tejocotes cut into medium size chunks without deseeding or pealing. Also add tangerines and sugar cane, but these should be pealed. If you want you can add prunes and raisins, too. After a few minutes, add cinnamon and sugar. Let it cook an hour or so. Don’t forget to stir until the heavier fruit sinks to the bottom. When the fruit is soft and the liquid has a brownish color and a sweet flavor, your ponche is ready. Some people like to add rum or brandy to their ponche cup (called ‘con piquete’) for those cold winter nights.

Don’t forget to celebrate this season with ponche and tamales. But above all, don’t forget this is a time to give value to those things we cannot buy at the store.

My best wishes for 2009, and as el Maestro Lennon once said, “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Let’s hope it’s a good one, without any fear.”

The former senator shook my hand and sped off, late to a Saturday meeting. I sipped the last of a rich vanilla latte and felt a little extra cool for hob-knobbing with a local legislative legend.

Now, I don’t know Mr. Gutierrez. I’m just name-dropping. I have hung out with his son twice – briefly, but I guess that doesn’t really count.

It isn’t the first time I’ve bumped into local statesmen at this place. A couple months back I had a surreal moment sitting at Drip’s small coffee bar when Mayor Phil Gordon slid into the chair next to me to eat breakfast with his son. A polite nod was shared between us as I sipped on my drink, thinking “does he ever dress down?”

Something about Drip entices these locally prominent personalities. It could be the owner, Gina Madrid. I’m told she once found it neccessary to reprimand the impatient mayor, making him wait to be served because others were first. So, I think he likes the tough love! He did throw himself out of a tree recently.

Tom Simplot has snuck in for his usual latte. John Kitchell slips away from the construction business for an occasional bite of organic toast. Nobody knows why they come, but it’s not to be seen.

Maybe Gina is too nice? She spoils half her customers with personalized dishes that aren’t on the menu. I think they just like the cool orange silverware, though. How shallow.

Spoons and forks aren’t the only design element that stands out. The downtown locale’s interior is streamlined with angular touches of postmodernism. There are smooth surfaces, the clean lines of custom-made furniture and art gracing the napkin dispensers.

This is a place for Andy Warhol lovers and green-conscious architects. The décor makes my cluttered mind nervous; I like dive bars and smoky street corners.

Gina is always in control of this environment, even on crazy Saturday mornings when all of Coronado neighborhood rides up on restored bicycles or in the latest hybrid car to start their day. With “Rain Man” precision, she remembers nearly all her patron’s names.

The place hums with conversation and the tapping keypads of laptops as patrons surf the Internet on free wi-fi. Viné Saccento, Gina’s business partner, will stop by to talk about music. Sal, the landlord, walks through, a bright friendly face that makes you forget he’s gone grey.

Sam the Chocolate Guy rents a back room where he packages some of the most delicious chocolates this side of the Aztec empire. If you’re lucky, he’ll come out and offer a sample of his latest creation.

But that’s just dessert. Gina hasn’t only perfected the art of an Italian espresso machine; her menu options are bright, crisp flavors that match the décor; breakfast could be granola and the “egg n-a hole” with zuchini. For lunch, choose from all-organic sandwiches, and soups. Keep an eye out for their pastries; sometimes home-made cookies and danishes are slid into the  display container on their coffee bar.

If you don’t want coffee with your meal, there are juices, Italian sodas and a wide variety of Ineeka teas. These are hip enough just for the advanced design of their teabags that cradle the opening of your cup while steeping.  Then again, I’m easily amused.

The portions aren’t huge, but I felt healthier just knowing I was eating organic. Well, that and I wasn’t in a dive bar. With a glance around at the caffeinated crowd buzzing through their breakfast, I realized half these people knew each other.

Drip Coffee Lounge is a non-alcoholic, hipster-Cheers! The theme song’s probably an indie pop song, though. And keep your eye out for furtive politicians sneaking in to eat. And don’t blow their cover, as I just did. That might ruin the charm for Gina’s classy little dining escape.

After shoveling the last bite of my Italian sausage egg scramble, I stuck Mr. Gutierrez’s email address in my pocket, ordered a second latte and jittered my way through the rest of the weekend, happy I could lower myself to name-dropping at the water cooler on Monday morning.

Drip Coffee Lounge
2325 N. 7th Street, Phoenix
(602) 795-9905

We Latinos have many reasons to enjoy living in this country, but if there’s one we are very happy about, it’s the combination of festivities throughout the year. We celebrate not only the customs from our homeland, but we also incorporate to our party calendar dates such as the 4^th of July and Thanksgiving.

South of the border to La Patagonia, Thanksgiving is not celebrated. But for those of us who have made our way up north, this celebration has become a meaningful holiday. It might be that we have come to understand the roots and traditions of this nation, or maybe it’s just about having a long weekend, who knows?

But as the saying goes: “Al pueblo que fueres has lo que vieres” (When in Rome, do as the Romans do). So whatever the different reasons we have to celebrate el Día de Accion de Gracias, we know it’s another opportunity to be thankful, gather with family, dance salsa and enjoy good food … with a Latino flavor, of course.

While it is important to keep the tradition of turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans and pumpkin pie, to fully appreciate the meaning of Thanksgiving, we would like to suggest an extra dessert that will make your Thanksgiving evening even sweeter than cranberry sauce.

In the past it would have taken hours to cook buñuelos. In fact, it would have been a better idea to find a place to buy them, but in our ever-changing world, some things are now easier to get … and buñuelos enjoy that privilege.

From the Middle East to the Americas, each culture has a favorite celebration to cook buñuelos: Christmas, Ramadan, Passover, Hanukkah … and now Thanksgiving.

It’s not that hard. Go to your favorite local supermarket and buy a bag of flour tortillas. Once you’re home, pour canola oil into a pan and wait until it is very hot, but not smoking. Drop the tortilla into the oil and fry it until golden brown, which should take a few seconds. Remove the tortilla from the pan, drain it on absorbent towels and sprinkle cinnamon sugar. A disfrutar!

Living in a country where so many cultures blend, we do not want to take anything away from this tradition. Instead, we would like share and appreciate the meaning of Thanksgiving the way it is. So why not to add a little bit of sabor Latino? If you fix buñuelos for this next dia de Gracias, pretend every bite is a blessing and be thankful for it.

Gracias LPM!

“Que es eso? Queso?”

I had my doubts. I know my cheese. And it’s missing. There’s been an invasion of the cheese snatchers! Night of the missing chee…ok, I’ll stop.

But, for the love of culture, where has all the good Mexican cheese gone? There’s a doppelganger in its place, a stunt-double: dreaded CHEDDAR! For god’s sake, it’s yellow! It wasn’t yellow when it was milk!

Yeah, I said doppelganger. Want another fancy word? Simulacra. It’s everywhere: false representations of something real thing, taking over as a more believable representation. Like Mexican food in America. Really, now. If you took cheddar away from Macayos, they’d go bankrupt. Crowds would cry out, “THIS is not Mexican food!” Fools, I say!!!

So I hit the investigative trail for some elusive favorites. Panela, cotija, requesón, Chihuahua, and strong añejo enchilada. Oh, yes! I’ll need a diet after this story.

Now, any good Mexican knows a few varieties are at the Ranch Market, and Food City. But I’m a foodie, not a chef! Where’s the restaurant? I started the hunt online.

Within two clicks I found a week-old article about a deadly strain of tuberculosis hiding in some unpasteurized Mexican cheeses. That was in Southern California, but hey – the element of danger makes for bonus points!

Oaxaca Restaurant: I first risked my unvaccinated life at this south Phoenix establishment. I’d been here years ago and remembered it as a cozy little piece of authenticity.

Failure. Not only was there no tuberculosis – they only use American and Monterey Jack cheese. And the coziness? Gone. Now it’s a big, tan airport terminal-esque restaurant with high ceilings and no wall art. The food was textbook mediocrity and I was heartbroken.

La Tolteca: My next destination held a little more promise. This place is lively, with every wall a canvas for amateur muralists who just couldn’t put the damn paintbrush down.

I mixed things up with a Mexican pizza slathered in Oaxacan cheese and a side-order soft taco with machaca and a mound of soft Queso Fresco – Mexico’s take on a Spanish cheese called Burgos.

The light flavored Queso Fresco stole the show. I could sit and scoop a bowl of that stuff into my mouth like a very happy lunatic.

The Mexican pizza just wasn’t the right place for Oaxacan cheese. Still, it wasn’t yellow.

Strolling through the grocery portion of La Tolteca, I spotted an enormous wedge of Cotija cheese sitting in one food counter. That was my next prey. Who needs parmesan, when we have Cotija!?

First I tried Tacos de Juarez, glamourously located next to a bus station on 7th St. Failure. “No Mexican cheese aqui!” – with a smile, she said!

Back to the Internet. Several places around town claim Cotija as an ingredient in their fancy fusion cuisine. But fusion? I don’t want thermonuclear physics! Just lunch – good ole’ Mexican cheese lunch.

What about Tradiciones? Not on the menu! You guys are right next to the Ranch Market!

I was desperate for success. I probably frightened the waitress at Sierra Bonita Grill by ordering so much food. Green corn tamales with Manchego cheese, three mini quesadillas stuffed with black beans, spinach leaves and Mexican Menonita cheese. I washed it all down with a big bowl of Sopa Azteca sprinkled with Panela cheese.

But no cotija.

They were wimpy on the cheese they did have, and I was heartbroken by the soup. Something about that salty soup stock tasted like Campbells had screwed up another classic. It only made me miss real Sopa Azteca in the hills of Zacatecas.

After I engorged myself, I had to escape. There was hardly enough cheese to make it worthwhile, and all the cowboy paintings on the wall were freaking me out.

That’s when I realized I was trying too hard. No need to break into my retirement fund for a taste of Cotija. That night I stopped at a Mexican hotdog stand in Glendale. “Just the bacon. No cheese. Thanks.” Truce!

But let’s save all the Chedder for where it belongs: Art galleries! That’s the only reason people go is for the cheese, anyway… isn’t it?

It’s 8 p.m. in a Mexico City suburb. Kids are still playing on the streets when a van honks its horn and the guy driving it shouts: “!El pan y la leche!”

Housewives come out and buy some bread pieces for the merienda (a light afternoon meal), and even some bolillos for tomorrow’s tortas. Once the van is gone, everyone goes home. It’s time to gather with parents and siblings and share the experiences of the day while enjoying a concha fresh from the oven and a hot chocolate.

Every night el pan dulce bonds families, a tradition that Mexicans have taken with them beyond its borders.

El pan dulce is as essential to the Mexican culture as el mariachi. It dates back to the Colonia era in 17^th century, when the Spanish crown brought new recipes to Nueva España. During the 1860s, the European influence in the cooking of bread increased with the presence of the French emperor Maximilian. Years later, when the Mexican Revolution was over, soldiers took home bread recipes from different regions, creating a great variety of panes that today can be found in any panadería.

The first thing to learn about Mexican sweet bread is the name of each pan, which usually refers to the shape it resembles. For example, el cuernito, la concha, el cochito or el elotito (the horn, the shell, the pig and the corn cob).

However, these names sometimes have another meaning with some kind of playful tease or even sexual connotation. El ombligo is a bread with the shape of a popped-up belly button, but it also looks like a breast, which gives it the nickname of Chichi de Monja (nun’s breast).

Some people refer to breads such as el bizcocho to use as pick up lines. They say, “Oye guapa, estas hecha un bizcocho!” (Non-literal translation: “Hey, good-looking, you’re as sweet as a bizcocho!”)

Another characteristic of the breads’ names is the items they are associated with, such as la bandera cookies because they have the green, white and red colors of the Mexican flag.

In many Mexican celebrations it is essential to have some kind of sweet bread. During Día de los Muertos, all panaderías have pan de muerto, which is a soft round shaped bread with pieces in the form of bones on top of it and covered with sugar. It is usually put in the ofrendas, or altar offerings, and when eating it is dipped in sweet drinks like chocolate caliente.

This upcoming Día de los Muertos stop by most, authentic Mexican panaderías in the Valley, get your tray and clamps and shovel in as many panes as you hunger for. Pan de muerto, un panque o una concha, for your merienda, breakfast or snack. Just make sure you get the freshest pan calientito.

So as the song says:

En la tarde

la hora de la merienda

don Juanito’s voz

would sing again.

Pan!

Pan Calientito!

70-year-old viejito

carrying en su Canastota

el dorado corazon

de nuestra gente…

Don Juanito by Jesus “El Flaco” Maldonado

The problem with having honest friends

A friend criticized me for objectifying mi gente when I wrote in the August issue about gazing at the waitress during my last review.

We mustn’t reinforce “Spicy Latina” clichés, she said.

So this month, I steer clear of Latinas, altogether. I’m dragging my barrio taste buds to an entirely new realm: Vietnamese food!

Up 19^th Avenue, just before Camelback, is a place called Da Vàng. Remember the name, because there are a few dining establishments in the area.

A friend went into the wrong restaurant and found a dark, smoky room where she was stared down by something like a Yakuza mafia gambling ring. Not appetizing.

At first, Da Vàng doesn’t seem all that appealing, either. But it’s certainly authentic. The names are frightening and I worried I might order “boiled leaf monkey”. That would break my heart.

Thankfully, Kristin the Canadian walked in and sat down at the table next to me. She knew the menu and saved me the embarrassment of running out in terror.

I settled on the spring roll appetizer and a soup bowl called Phó Tái Nam; “Special beef soup with rice noodles, sliced beef brisket and vegetables” claimed the menu.

Just to prove my bravery, I ordered a drink called Soda Xi Muoi: preserved plum and club soda. The pudgy little fruit sat on the bottom of my glass, looking like it had been slowly dissolving there for a week. I decided I’d had worse, and found it actually tasted okay… but I’m pretty sure drinks aren’t supposed to have debris floating around in them.

As I sat there sipping my drink, I watched other food being brought to tables around me. I should never have eaten breakfast. The soup bowls are large enough to go swimming in! And when the waiter arrived with my spring rolls, I realized soup wasn’t the only challenge.

These weren’t spring rolls! Those were Vietnamese breakfast burritos! The clear rice-paper wrapper showed leaves, shrimp, bean sprouts and rice. Wait… and a thin slice of pork. I felt healthy just looking at them. There was no oil on them – they had to have been boiled. I worked the two sticky rolls apart. I dipped the first spring roll into some hoisin peanut sauce and chomped down.

The flavor was a surprise… mint! Fresh, crisp, healthy, minty perfection. On a hot summer day, that’s a perfect meal to make you feel human again.

A plate of greens arrived, with sprouts, small chile peppers, and more mint. I was starting to see a theme in the cuisine. With some instruction from Kristin, I learned they were soup ingredients. When my own personal vat of Pho Tai Nam arrived, I tossed it all in and added a couple spoonfuls of Asian chile sauce for kick.

It wasn’t anywhere near as salty as I expected. And the mint matched perfectly with the tender strips of beef.

What I loved most, though was how everyone around me ate with abandon. Spoon in one hand, chop sticks in the other, they all but shoved their faces into the bowl.

As I finished, I decided to throw caution to the wind and lifted the entire bowl to drink the delicate broth… and damn near choked on the chile sauce I had added.

Though soup is a mainstay of Vietnamese food, another specialty at Da Vàng seems to be their sandwiches. All are served on French baguettes. The menu also offers up their version of stir-fry, egg rolls, and more.

The restaurant might look as far from Scottsdale glamour as it gets in the Valley, but the food is worth it and very affordable. My soup monstrosity was only $5, the spring rolls were $5.25 and the drink, $2.50. The staff seems nice. They’ve obviously grown used to newbies and are more than happy to explain meals to frightened folk.

As I paid my bill, I found another surprise. In a cooler by the cash register are Vietnamese desserts. The cashier helped me figure out what each one was and explained that a bit of crushed ice is usually added.

On the top shelf was a black bean and coconut milk cup. Down lower were fruit concoctions with thick coconut milk. I chose the most colorful one to take home.

That afternoon, I devoured my dessert like a kid who has discovered a new candy bar. I couldn’t tell you what a single fruit was in the cup, just that it was sweet Vietnamese delight.

Da Vang Vietnamese Food
Open Mon-Fri 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Reopens from 5:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.
3602 N. 24th St., Phoenix
Phone: (602) 952-1255