New Sampan Article: Anita Chue: Another Influential Woman Restaurateur in Chinatown

"The most interesting feature of Chinese life to me was that on board their boats, or sampans, as they are called....Upon these boats live whole families of three and even four generations."
--The Fall River Daily Herald, November 20, 1888

As I mentioned previously, I have a new writing gig, contributing to Sampan, the only bilingual Chinese-English Newspaper in New England. I've previously written five articles for Sampan, including, In Search of the First Chinese Restaurant in Chinatown, Malden’s First Chinese Restaurant, Quincy's First Chinese Restaurants, Ruby Foo, Chinatown’s First Woman Restaurateur (Part 1), and Ruby Foo, Chinatown’s First Woman Restaurateur (Part 2).

My newest article, Anita Chue: Another Influential Woman Restaurateur in Chinatown, is now available. In January 1945, as World War II continued, Anita and Gordon Chue opened the Cathay House in Boston's Chinatown. The restaurant became immensely successful, considered not only one of the best Chinese restaurants in Boston, but one of the best in the country. Much of that success was due to Anita, who made a significant impact in Chinatown and elsewhere.

The Cathay House was famous with national celebrities and local sports figures, and much of its success occurred despite it not having a liquor license for over fifteen years. Anita later opened a second restaurant in Brookline, and would later work and consult with a variety of other Chinese restaurants in the Boston area. Like Ruby Foo, Anita was an intelligent, charming and savvy business woman who became a success in the restaurant industry, and introduced many people to the wonders of Chinese cuisine, especially Cantonese.

I'm currently working on a new article for the next issue of Sampan, which will be published later this month.

What is a "sampan?" The newspaper's site states, "A sampan is a popular river boat in traditional China. This small but useful vessel, by transporting cargo from large boats to the village ports, creates a channel of communication among villages." And like that type of boat, Sampan delivers news and information all across New England, and "acts a bridge between Asian American community organizations and individuals in the Greater Boston area."

Sampan, which was founded in 1972, is published by the nonprofit Asian American Civic Association, "The newspaper covers topics that are usually overlooked by the mainstream press, such as key immigration legislation, civil rights, housing, education, day-care services and union activities. These issues are crucial to the well-being of Asian immigrants, refugees, low-income families as well as individuals who are not proficient in the English language."

There is plenty of interest in Sampan which will appeal to all types of readers, from restaurant reviews to historical articles, from vital news stories to travel items. In these current days when racism and prejudice against Asians and their restaurants is high, it's more important than ever that accurate information about the Asian community is disseminated and promoted. We need to combat the irrational prejudices that some possess, and support our Asian communities just as we would support any other element of our overall community. We are all important aspects of a whole, and we need to stand together.

Support Sampan!

Việt Citron: Fresh & Tasty Phở, Bánh Mi & More

A number of restaurants opened during the beginning of 2020, and then the pandemic struck, temporarily closing these spots and then eventually allowing them to open with significant restrictions. One of those new spots is Việt Citron, a Vietnamese restaurant located on the Middlesex Turnpike in Burlington, near to H-Mart. I dined there once before the pandemic struck, and I've since dined there several times once it reopened. Overall, it's an impressive restaurant with very fresh and delicious Vietnamese food, and I highly recommend it.

The restaurant is owned by a husband and wife team, Howard Lee and Tran Lee (also known as Ngoc Lee), and this is actually their first restaurant venture. They want to being authentic Vietnamese food to the area, choosing to offer a small, selection of dishes, made from scratch and using many local ingredients. An admirable objective and it's certainly the type of restaurant which appeals to me.

Chopping some Crispy Pork Belly!

Prior to the pandemic, the restaurant seated about 30 people in a very casual setting, though there isn't any interior dining right now. Currently, the restaurant has limited hours of operation, from Thursday to Sunday, 11am-7pm, so you can stop by for lunch or dinner. They offer take-out, delivery, and have a few outside tables in their parking lot, where I've dined several times. The menu is also currently limited, and there are some minor changes week to week.

The Menu has four Lunch Deals ($13-$16) on Thursday and Friday, from 11am-2pm, such as Bánh Mi & a Fresh Drink and Wicked Rice Bowl & a Fresh Drink. There is a Seasonal Special, Bò Lá Lốt ($14), and Specialities, including Bánh Mi ($12), Wicked Rice Bowl ($12) and Bánh Hỏi Bowl ($13.50). There are a number of Sides, such as Summer Rolls ($6.50), Mama Tran's Chả Giò ($7.00), and Grilled Asian Eggplants ($13.50). There is usually a Soup choice, which changes on a regular basis, and currently they offer three types of Beef Phở ($13-$15).

In addition, they offer several Pound/Bulk Order products, great if you are having a group of people at your home. You could get an order of 20 Frozen Mama Tran's Chả Giò ($38), 16 Summer Rolls ($49), 1 pound of Salt Roasted Crispy Pork Belly ($16.95), or Grilled Garlic Tiger Prawns ($24). I haven't ordered any of these items yet, but their Pork Belly is on my short list.

Prior to the pandemic, I enjoyed an ample bowl of their Tru-Việt Phở Gà: Hà Nội Style, which is made with 12 hours chicken bone broth, Phở rice noodles, chicken, cilantro & scallions, and served with bean sprouts & fresh herbs and a chili lime sauce on the side. They offered three different types of this Phở, including Tru-Việt Phở (local cage-free chicken), Naked Phở (boneless chicken), and Plain Phở (no meat).

During the winter, this was the perfect dish to warm the belly. There was a freshness to the ingredients which appealed to me, and that has remained a significant aspect of all their dishes. Everything tastes so fresh, and it's clear their vegetables haven't been sitting around wilting. The Phở broth was complex and flavorful, relatively clear, and each spoonful was pure hedonistic pleasure. The chicken was tender and meaty, and the noodles had just enough firmness to them. It was also an aromatic dish, the smells delighting you even before you take a taste. I need to check out their Beef Phở.

Mama Tran's Chả Giò are crispy fried egg rolls wrapped with ground pork & shrimp and seasonal vegetables, and accompanied by a chili fish sauce dip. Unlike the egg rolls you might be used to at Chinese restaurants, these wrappers are made from rice paper and are much thinner and lighter, though with a pleasant crunch. The interior is tasty, with a nice blend of meat, seafood and veggies, that works harmoniously together. The sauce has a mild heat which compliments the egg rolls.

The Summer Rolls are made from fresh rice paper rolls wrapped with pork, shrimp, herbs, lettuce, and vermicelli, and come with a peanut sauce dip. Instead of the pork and shrimp, you could select tofu or grilled sirloin. The translucent wrappers show off the plump shrimp inside. Again, the summer roll has a delicious blend of flavors with an emphasis on freshness. The peanut sauce added another level of complexity to the flavors.

Their iconic Bánh Mi is made with an artisan Vietnamese baguette, pickles, jalapeños, cilantro, signature aioli, garlic soy reduction, and you get a choice of a protein, including lemongrass sirloin, Big A** chicken, grilled prawns, crispy pork belly, or crispy tofu puffs. I opted for the pork belly and it was an excellent choice. The pork belly was tender and crispy, with crunchy bits and soft fat, and there was an ample amount within the sandwich. The freshness of the other ingredients, including the baguette, stood out and each bite beckoned you to have another. Again, the blend of flavors and textures worked very well together and I look forward to enjoying plenty more of their Bánh Mi in the future.

The Bánh Hỏi Bowl ($13.50) comes with square rice noodles, lettuce, fresh herbs, cucumbers, pickles, scallion oil, ground peanuts, and a choice of protein, along with a side of chili garlic fish sauce. I chose the lemongrass sirloin, tender and aromatic beef, enhanced by the crunchy peanut bits and fish sauce. The square rice noodles are little light packages of noodles, and can easily be dunked in the sauce. Freshness is the rule here as well.

Bò Lá Lốt is basically Grilled Lolot (also known as Betel) Leaf Beef, where the tender beef is wrapped in the thin leaves and then grilled. They can be added to a Bánh Hỏi Bowl or a Wicked Rice Bowl, which was my choice. This was another aromatic and delicious dish, and each beef roll was flavorful, moist and compelling. There were also slices of cucumber and Asian pear, and the pear was a slightly sweet and pleasant addition to the dish.

This dish is traditionally paired with Mam Nem Sauce, a pungent fermented fish sauce (usually made from fermented anchovies) and mixed with chili, lemongrass, and pineapple. It is not recommended for beginners, who might want to stick with their regular chili garlic fish sauce instead. Personally, I quite enjoyed this sauce, and didn't find it to be overly pungent bur rather had an intriguing and rather alluring aroma. I also loved the umami of this complex sauce, which had elements of both heat and sweetness. It enhanced the flavor of the Bò Lá Lốt and I could see it working well with other dishes too.

If you want a hot and spicy sauce, you could try their Mama Trans Chili Garlic Paste, which possesses an intense heat, as well as a nice depth of flavor.

Service has been excellent, as well as personable and accommodating. Việt Citron is still a new restaurant and it certainly needs your support in these troubled times. Your support is completely justified as they offer fresh, delicious Vietnamese food, a welcome addition to the Burlington region. I've thoroughly enjoyed my visits to Việt Citron and will be returning regularly. Check it out, get Phở, Bánh Mi, or another dish and you'll understand why I'm impressed.

What are you waiting for? Việt Citron is open all weekend.

Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I'm back again with a new edition of Thursday Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting, upcoming food & drink events. For now, some of these events will simply be the opening of certain restaurants, generally ones dear to my heart for a variety of reasons. And I hope everyone dines out safely, and tips well.
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1) Uni, on Commonwealth Ave., has now opened the Uni Clam Shack! From Tuesday through Sunday, from 12pm-4pm, their Takeout Window will be open for a special Summer lunch. You can order items including Fried Clams and three different types of Lobster Rolls: Classic (with celery, Japanese mayo, lemon), Warm (butter poached), and Chilled Brown Butter (brown butter mayo, bacon). You can order online at Toast for a quick pick-up or visit them to order in person. You can also order from their usual Take-out menu as well, from Sushi Wagyu Beef Dumplings.

2) Woods Hill Table in Concord has launched a special BBQ menu that they will offer, for take-out or outdoor dining, every Friday and Saturday throughout the summer from 5pm-8pm. Woods Hill Table has added picnic tables for outdoor dining, and seating will be on a first come, first serve basis. Take out orders can be placed HERE or by calling 978-254-1435.

Chef Jesse’s Famous BBQ Menu (Pick 2 protein, 3 sides $55)
Proteins
--Smoked Grass Fed Beef Brisket
--Pulled Woods Hill Table Pork Shoulder
--State Fair BBQ 1/2 Chicken
Sides
--Chef Matt's Mac and Cheese (Elbow Mac, Aged Cheddar)
--"Boston" Baked Beans (Woods Hill Farm Bacon, Brown Sugar)
--Red Potato Salad (Whole grain mustard, Scallions)
--Cole Slaw (Celery Seed, Buttermilk)
--Uncle Jesse's Cornbread

Woods Hill Hot Dog Plate $22
2 grass fed all beef hot dogs (cheddar aioli, bacon bits, scallions)
pick 2 sides

Dessert
Pier 4 Chocolate Cake (Vanilla Icing) $4

3) Puritan & Company’s Chef/Owner Will Gilson and Pastry Chef Brian Mercury have worked with the team at Cambridge Crossing to create a new outdoor dining experience for the Summer months. Starting Thursday, July 16, Will Gilson and his team will debut “The Lexington at Picnic Grove in Cambridge Crossing”. It will be a new outdoor dining venue at the soon-to-open Cambridge Crossing development.

A completely outdoor venue, The Lexington at Picnic Grove by the Puritan & Company team is going to be a max of 80 guests, seated at socially distanced tables. The menu will include beer and wine, along with summertime favorites like burgers, hot dogs, lobster rolls, etc. There will also be some special menu items through the season that they will be testing out for The Lexington menu. Reservations will be required and can be made through opentable.com.

The name “The Lexington” came from one of Will Gilson’s three venues opening up at Cambridge Crossing in Early Fall 2020. The venues will be named The Lexington, a rooftop bar; Geppetto, an approachable Italian concept; and Café Beatrice, an all-day café.

The menu will include:
Appetizers including Oysters, Grilled chicken wings, Grilled bacon wrapped scallops, Potato chips & za’tar onion dip, and Buttered lobster toast
Grill including Wagyu hot dog, Grilled burger, Tacos (Fish, chicken, or impossible), Spice-roasted Cauliflower quesadilla, Lobster roll, and Chopped salad
Dessert including Sundae cup, Pistachio rice krispie treat, and Cookie bag (assorted 3)

Rant: Losing Taste & Smell

At this point, in less than six months, approximately 132,000 people in the U.S. have died from the Coronavirus, and of that amount, about 8,200 people have died in Massachusetts alone. Some people think our fears of the virus are irrational, and have even made silly statements such as you have a greater chance of dying from food poisoning than the virus. Such a load of BS.

In the U.S., about 3,000 people die each year due to food poisoning. In half that time, the coronavirus has already killed 132,000 people, about 44 times the amount who die annually from food poisoning. Just consider that statistic. It would take 44 years of food poisoning deaths to be equal to the amount of people who have already died from the coronavirus.

However, though death is the worst result of the coronavirus, we cannot ignore that the survivors may also acquire permanent and debilitating side effects. Just because you survived the coronavirus doesn't mean you have returned to your pre-virus health condition. Specifically, I want to address the matter of losing your sense of taste and smell. There isn't sufficient data yet about this problem, but the evidence does show it's very common for those who get the coronavirus to have a diminished sense of smell and taste. That diminishment remains with some people even after the coronavirus is gone.

A person close to me, who had the coronavirus about three months ago, still has a diminishment of their smell and taste. They might never regain their pre-virus smell and taste. And that is a scary and terrible situation! Would you want to lose your sense of smell and taste? Would you want a loved one to lose those senses? I very much doubt it.

For a food and drink writer like me and many others, that could be devastating. For chefs, cooks, wine makers, distillers, and those in similar positions, it would also be devastating. Even the average person would likely feel devastated if they could no longer taste their food, or if it tasted strangely different than it once did. It's not just some minor side effect of the coronavirus. This is a worrisome side effect that we must also consider when evaluating coronavirus risks.

There are other potential permanent effects from the coronavirus which could adversely affect your health. I just concentrated on one in this article. I know other people with other lingering conditions, which pose serious health threats. We can't just evaluate the danger of coronavirus by how many people it kills, even though that number is high. We have to also consider all of the potential risks to those who survive the disease as well.

Would you want to lose your sense of smell and taste?

Thursday Sips & Nibbles

After a hiatus, due to many restaurants having been closed, I'm back again with a new edition of Thursday Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting, upcoming food & drink events. For now, some of these events will simply be the opening of certain restaurants, generally ones dear to my heart for a variety of reasons. And I hope everyone dines out safely, and tips well.

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1) Davio's is now offering a special New England Clambake. This classic summer meal includes Maine Lobster, New England Clam Chowder, Little Neck Clams, local corn, baby creamer potatoes, and blueberry shortcake with vanilla ice cream - all for $65 per guest. It's available for patio or in-door dining at the Seaport, Chestnut Hill, Lynnfield, Braintree, and Foxborough locations. Or you can order this spread to-go for any summer celebrations at your home.

2) The Tasting Counter, led by Chef Peter Ungar, is one of my top favorite restaurants, will be opening next week, at 50% capacity, meaning they will go from a 20-seat restaurant to a 10-seat restaurant. Their first dine-in service will be Friday, July 10. They will offer 2 seatings on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Between services, they've built in a 30-minute buffer to mitigate congestion with guests coming/going, as well as to ensure adequate time for their staff to completely sanitize and clean the restaurant before and after each service. You may purchase tickets online here.

3) Chef/Owner Anthony Caturano has recently reopened three of his restaurants, and his fourth will open very soon. Prezza, Tonno Wakefield, and Tonno Gloucester are now open, with both outside and inside dining available. The Blue Ox will reopen on July 8, apparently for inside dining only, and they will also have a new menu incorporating the signature dishes of The Blue Ox. Reservations for all four spots are strongly recommended and can be made online.

4) Puritan & Company, led by Chef Will Gilson, has just reopened their interior dining room and they also have a small patio. Check out their list of some of the safety precautions they have taken to enhance the safety of their customers. Take out will still be available during this time, and they will be offering their famed Brunch on Sundays. Reservations must be made.

5) Tambo 22, led by Chef Jose Duarte, is located in Chelsea and opened just a short time before the pandemic so I haven't dined there yet but I'm excited to check it out. It offers Peruvian cuisine, from Ceviche to Paiche, and the Menu looks exciting. They are now open for patio dining or inside dining,  with all of the proper safety precautions.