My verdict -- don't bother going to Vietnam. Because Four Sisters is SO FREAKING GOOD, not to mention much closer (and honestly, the food is not *that* much more expensive).
To start, we ordered three apps. Shrimp toast looked yummy, but was way too greasy. Although I did respect the fact that they used that egg-yolk-and-olive-oil mayo that I had on a banh mi a few weeks before.
The summer rolls were a total bust. I've sadly had better rolls from the Teeter. These were pretty much all rice noodles and tasteless, and I thought the peanut sauce was a bit off.
But the baby clam salad ROCKED MY WORLD. It's a strange dish, but Sietsema recommended it, so we took a chance. The clams were tender, sweet-salty, and amazing, particularly when scooped up with a shard of giant black sesame rice cracker (here modeled by the lovely Kelli!). I could have eaten the entire dish by myself, but managed to restrain myself enough that the other ladies were also able partake. I think I might have had to sit on my hands though!
We went family-style for the entrees: caramel fish, pork with rice vermicelli and spring rolls, black pepper beef, shrimp with rice crepes, and chinese broccoli. Sorry some of the pictures are blurry...the girls were anxious to dig in so I was trying to be quick! This was WAY better than your standard Asian take-out. By a million gazillion miles. I was amazed by how much fish we got in that little clay pot and how tender it was. I thought it was a bit heavy on the fish sauce, but with rice to mellow it out a bit, it was perfection. The pork was out of this world. Thinly sliced and delicious over the vermicelli...even the deep-fried spring rolls were bursting with ground pork, with little filler. Yum-o.
The beef, which was recommended to us by the waitress, was also awesome. A little burny on the edges (which I love!), and so flavorful. It didn't even need the lime dipping sauce that came with it. The shrimp dish was not bad, but didn't hold a candle to the other three. The shrimp themselves were a little boring, although the crepes were pretty good with a bit of fish sauce poured on top. The broccoli was okay, but I thought a little undercooked and bitter. Pat said the leftovers of the broccoli were great, which leads me to believe it just needed to be cooked a bit more.
Yes, Four Sisters is everything we hoped it would be. And although we ate like queens, we paid less than $30 a piece! I will note that I was glad we ate outside...when passing through the interior to get out, I found the overwhelming smell of fish sauce to be a bit off-putting. (portions x-posted to yelp.com)
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