VN Cafe, inside Springfield Mall

[DonRocks]

On a frigid Wednesday morning, the desolate Springfield Mall made Landmark Mall look like Mecca during the Hajj. If you ever find yourself here (like, for example, when you're driving on the beltway and hit a motherfucking pothole at full speed, and the Firestone in Springfield is the only place that has your tire), you have three dining options: The Food Court, Silver Diner, or VN Cafe. This was a no-brainer.

VN Cafe is a little pho house outside of Target and the DMV. It's the only pho house I can remember seeing that doesn't have any fatty cuts of meat - only meatballs, eye of round, and well-done brisket. And that's exactly what I got in my small bowl ($6.95). When I asked if they had tendon or tripe, Lana, the kind owner (click here for the website which includes a link to her catering business) told me no, but "there's tendon in the meatballs."

This is the takeaway item here, and it's a hilarious one: The target audience for VN Cafe is the Olive Garden crowd (during their moments of derring-do, when they decide to buy their minivans with optional! Sport! Package!). They think they're playing it safe by ordering meatballs, but what they're actually getting is not only tendon, but also tripe (I saw some), ear, snout, tongue, skin, bone, horn, organ, fur, hoof, and eye ... dare not think what else. It's the nastiest food imaginable, but they think they're eating a ground up chuck steak. Well, hardy har har!

Cheers,

Rocks.