12 replies to this topic

[dinwiddie]

This place has become a regular for us since we can all find something we like. No wine list to speak of, but the food is very good.

Taste of Saigon has some of the best Vietnamese food in the area. Their specialty is a black-pepper sauce that is a perfect combination of spiciness and sweetness and can be served on a variety of meats and seafood (I really like it on the soft-shell crabs.) My wife goes for the soups normally, and my son and I are almost certain to have a steak, especially with the black-pepper sauce. Another favorite is the lime-marinated steak. I have also enjoyed the steamed whole rockfish with black beans and scallions and the venison with curry and coconut sauce.

The menu includes over 100 dishes, including a range of noodle dishes and several of French origin.

The restaurant is located in the back of an office building on Hungerford Drive (355) but the atmosphere is cozy and elegant. In good weather, you can sit outside in a really nice patio dining area with trees and shrubs that seclude you from the parking lot. Service has always been good and the prices are reasonable.

[perrik]

FYI, there's a second Taste of Saigon in Tysons, on the bottom floor of an office building across the street from Tysons Galleria.

[Gastro888]

Taste of Saigon isn't bad but if you want really good Vietnamese food, drive down to Eden Center. (Granted with gas at 3.50 a gallon this may not be the best option...)

I'd get their sauteed dishes versus their soups and banh xeo.

[dinwiddie]

Taste of Saigon isn't bad but if you want really good Vietnamese food, drive down to Eden Center.  (Granted with gas at 3.50 a gallon this may not be the best option...)

I'd get their sauteed dishes versus their soups and banh xeo.

Since I live in MD, I don't find much reason to go as far as Eden Center when there are lots of great places much nearer. But there is great Vietnamese food in Eden Center I agree.

[perrik]

Alas, we indeed don't have a lot of good Vietmanese food in the MD suburbs. I liked Mihn's better than Taste Of Saigon, but it's in Arlington and I'm in Silver Spring. I like Vietmanese food, but not well enough to cross the bridge unless I'm going to be on the other side anyway!

(I'll make the trek for Sichuan food, no problem)

Ba-Le on Rockville Pike is probably the best source for bahn mi in the MD burbs, and I'm also a fan of Pho 75. We really need a more serious Vietmanese place, but maybe Montgomery County just doesn't have the Vietmanese population to support it?

Darn it, now I'm hungry for pho. There's a new-ish pho place near Burtonsville called Pho Real, guess I'll have to try it out...

[Joe H]

I really like the Taste of Saigon. I've only been to the one at Tyson's but have been 20 or 30 times over the years and every one has been well worth the trip. With all due respect to the Eden Center for what the Taste of Saigon serves, I believe it is excellent and would not hesitate to promote it along with several of the restaurants in the Eden Center. In fact for several dishes I believe that it may be the best of all. In particular their mussels which compete with Mannequin Pis and Bistro Bis for D. C.'s best. The "black pepper sauce" which Dinwoodie mentioned is outstanding; worth ordering on any of a number of dishes they have.
This is one of many restaurants which have received relatively little mention on any of the food boards but have consistently delivered outstanding meals.

Edited by Joe H, 08 September 2005 - 06:33 PM.

[Pat]

This place has become a regular for us since we can all find something we like. No wine list to speak of, but the food is very good.

I had not heard of this restaurant but stumbled upon it one day for lunch when I was out in the Rockville area and had time to kill. I could see the sign for it, but it was hard to find the entrance. I'm glad I persisted. The meal I had was excellent. I remember ordering way too much food and eating all of it . It was crowded at lunchtime, but the service was also very good.

[dinwiddie]

I haven't been to the one in Tyson's (why bother, the one in Rockville is close by). What is interesting is that Taste of Saigon really shows the French influence on Vietnamese food. This is not your typical hole-in-the wall place. It is a fine dining restaurant in many ways. But the menu is huge, the food very good, and the service has always been very good.

My son asked if he could get the recipe for the black pepper sauce. He was told that it is a secret and he'd have to marry into the family to get it. Since the hostess was one of the daughters, and very attractive I must say, he said that he'd consider it when he was of age.

[perrik]

The only Vietmanese restaurant that I've convinced my husband to try is Taste Of Saigon, which he liked. Definitely a good beginner's restaurant. He's reluctant to try pho - well, he's reluctant to try most foods, so this is no surprise. I think he would love it, but he doesn't entirely trust me, not after I had him try a piece of meat at a churrascuria without telling him what it was first. (it was chicken heart)

We see movies at the AFI Silver regularly, so I'll try to convince him to try Pho Hiep Hao soon. I won't mention the availability of tripe or tendon.

My cat is due for a teeth cleaning soon, which is a good excuse to drop by Pho Real (his vet is in the same strip mall).

[jdl]

No wine list to speak of, but the food is very good.

Does this literally mean no wine list? Or is it just not worth talking about? If there isn't a list, can you BYO? I haven't really figured out the liquor law in Virginia.

[DonRocks]

The black-pepper sauce in Ma Pu's Signature Dish ($11.50, with chicken) has a very appealing flavor, with the black pepper playing an undertone to the sweetness, some of which seems to come from vanilla.

There is an incredible amount of fat and oil in this brown sauce, which separates when reheated, the fat solidifying and turning white upon cooling. It's a very tasty dish, but I recommend eating it while it's hot, picking out the chicken and broccoli with a fork, keeping the (very good) rice separate, and leaving as much sauce as possible behind when you're finished.

Cheers,
Rocks.

[Ericandblueboy]

Haven't gone to Taste of Saigon (Tysons) in a long time but I was reminded of its existence last night when we went to O'Malley's to celebrate St. Paddy's day. Thus reminded, I went back to TOS today for lunch. The cha gio were a bit greasy and the crepe dish very bland (full of sprouts, shrimp and chicken). After reading this thread, I think I ordered poorly. I should've tried one of their signature black-pepper sauce dish.

[d-harp]

Taste of Saigon would occasionally make its way into the office lunch rotation. Definitely not as good as it used to be, but still a good alternative to mall chains in the area. I used to get a good beef curry dish but when they re-designed the menu (and raised the prices) a few years back, it disappeared. Tried the pho (not bad but I wouldn't get it again) but ended up ordering vermicelli dishes most of the time.