Que Nha Restaurant, St. Paul, MN

 Now that our little family lives in the heart of the Minneapolis / St.Paul metro area, we've been able to explore many new neighborhoods and restaurants that we just couldn't quickly reach before. St. Paul's University Avenue corridor is a short hop away now, and this neighborhood is in the middle of significant changes - first, a strong increase in Asian populations and businesses, and second, the building of the Twin Cities' second light-rail line - which will connect the two downtowns in 2014.

We checked out the well-reviewed Que Nha Restaurant tonight, located on the corner of University and Victoria (immediately on the Green Line's Victoria station, very convenient.)

The restaurant is spotless, and at 4:30 on a Saturday afternoon, ready to serve that evening's customers. They have a deli counter as well as sit-down service, so great for grab-and-go lunches.

  

The extensive menu covers all the Vietnamese classics, with a strong selection of seafood (and even goat), with a broad set of southern Chinese dishes available as well.

Our daughter heard they had congee - and talked about it nonstop on our drive there...  here's the big, happy pot it came in (about 2/3 gallon):

And inside was a generous helping of beef, plus ground peanuts, cilantro, green onion, and garlic.

My wife had a grilled chicken on rice with crispy vegetables. The glaze on the chicken was very light, with a nice BBQ tang.  Chili oil in the sidecar for dipping.

They weren't able to make Banh Xeo tonight, so I ordered a curry chicken with vegetables and was mightily impressed.  Ate the whole thing...  the curry was not overpowering & had a nice sweetness from just a bit of coconut milk and crushed peanuts.  The sauce was really nice when I mixed it with rice; the gentle heat from the curry felt good after being in Minnesota's blustery cold.

And the congee was a big hit ... our girl ate three bowls of the stuff (and I had a bowl too.)  Enough for leftovers to have for breakfast tomorrow!