Rebel Heroes Not So Rebel

I’ve introduced a ton of my friends to various bahn mi delis in the Falls Church area (the Mecca of Vietnamese food). For the majority of the people who I have brought there, drunk or sober, they have thoroughly enjoyed the many different Vietnamese sandwiches Falls Church has to offer. A little background information before I go into my review.

Vietnam was ruled and heavily influenced by China for hundreds of years. Both countries share similar customs, holidays, traditions, and most importantly in the context of this article food. After Vietnam defeated China and gained independence they were conquered by the French, eight hundred years later, for about a hundred years. The hundred year rule by France brought a lot of bad things but the best result of it in my opinion is the fusion of French and Vietnamese cooking. Honestly you could say that Vietnam was the first Asian country to implement Fusion cooking on a national scale.

Out of this fusion of food emerged the Bahn Mi sandwich. There are a lot of different types and variations of the Bahn Mi but the most commonly eaten Bahn Mi sandwich consist of the following:

• Fresh Vietnamese French Bread (Light, airy, crunchy, fresh)
• Asian Mayonnaise (Does not taste like Hellmans or Kraft mayo)
• Heads Cheese (google this is you do not know what it is)
• Pate
• Ham
• Fresh Pickled Carrots and Daikon
• Fresh Cucumber
• Fresh Cilantro
• Fresh Chili Peppers

I hope you’ve noticed how many times I’ve emphasized fresh in my list. Vietnamese food uses a lot of raw vegetables; raw vegetables tastes best when FRESH.

Rebel Heroes is a food truck that serves variations of the Bahn Mi sandwich. When I found out about them I was both excited and a bit disappointed as I have had the idea of doing the same thing in the Arlington area. I finally found time on a weekday (they’re close on the weekends) to try out Rebel Heroes a few weeks ago. As I was walking up to Rebel Heroes with Jason I see my friend Johnny (yes, Johnny is Vietnamese and he knows what good Vietnamese food is) with his girlfriend eating Bahn Mi sandwiches. He immediately tells me that it’s not worth trying but I’ve already made the trek so there’s not point in not trying the food. After perusing the menu I end up ordering the Roast Pork Banh Mi sandwich ($5.50) while Jason orders Che-Che-Chicken with mild lime mayo ($6.00). Needless to say the experience was underwhelming.

There was so much wrong with the sandwich I don’t even know where to begin. The bread was stale and chewy, the meat was dry and bland, the mayonnaise tasted like Hellmans, the carrots and daikon were not fully pickled, and the vegetables were not fresh. Jason’s sandwich had the same problems. The owner, a mid 30s Vietnamese woman, was nice and service was amicable but good lord the food is bad and pricey. A Bahn Mi sandwich is only $3.00 - $3.50 in Falls Church. If that’s an unfair comparison since Arlington is a higher priced area then take a look at all the other sandwich/hoagie shops in the area: Panera, Teeters, Subway, Whole Foods, etc. Those places also offer free water and a nice climate controlled seating area. What irked me the most and caused me to write this review were the favorable reviews that other professional reviewers were giving Rebel Heroes.

I understand and know that objectively reviewing food is incredibly difficult especially with ethnic foods you have never tried. I am far from being a food expert but I have eaten at more establishments than I can remember and grew up in a food oriented family. The Washington Post’s Catherine Barker writes, “The meat in her signature Roast Pork Banh Mi ($5) is thinly sliced and moist, nestled in an airy baguette with bright cilantro, jalapeño slices, pickled carrots and daikon radish.” (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/01/AR2010060100786.html I know I am citing my references incorrectly but I’m too lazy to break out the MLA handbook.) Last time I checked bread is pretty much a universal food. If you can’t tell the difference between good and bad bread then you shouldn’t be reviewing anything. In the Washington City Paper.com Time Carman writes, “hate to put so much pressure on such a young business, but I think Rebel Heroes may already be the best food truck going.” (http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2010/05/05/rebel-heroes-may-already-be-the-best-food-truck-on-the-streets/) He also writes, “These are lusty and multi-layered sandwiches that lean on tradition without being beholden to them.” MULTI-LAYERED??!!?! How can a sandwich with barely any ingredients that are bland and not fresh be multi-layered?

Nothing angers me more than when I read idiotic reviews from people who try to foray into foods foreign to them and base how a dish should be by that ONE experience. Professional food reviewers know the food they are eating very well and it is not uncommon for a reviewer to visit an establishment multiple times to check for consistency.

There really is nothing rebel about Rebel Heroes.

Rundown:

Price: High

Service: Good

Food: Bad

Restaurant Décor/Setting: Street Food

http://www.rebelheroes.com/

Asian Spice

Happy New YEAR EVERYONE! One of my New Years Resolution will be to get back on the ball of updating this site.

Asian Spice opened about a year ago right in the heart of Chinatown on H St NW between 7th St & 8th St. I've heard a lot about the restaurant from friends but never got a chance to try them out since most of the comments about the restaurant was that it was overpriced.

So, on New Years Eve I decided to take my parents to lunch and my sister suggested Asian Spice. I was a bit hesitant at first but the decor looked pretty interesting (Cafe Asia like) and the employees were friendly.
Usually I like to get a good sample of the menu by ordering a few appetizers, entrees, and desserts but since this was a late lunch and had to meet friends for NYE plans we only had entrees.

We at family style and shared all the entrees. It was a bit unfortunate that two of the dishes ordered were the same since I like to try as many different flavors as possible. To the left is a Teryaki Bento Box. Everything in the Bento Box was pretty standard. The one thing worth noting was the Teryaki chicken. The Teryaki sauce was not too sweet (a common problem at many places) and the thinly sliced chicken breast was moist, tender, and not over cooked. This is definitely a great item if you need to have a quick lunch with all your food groups.

The second dish is a Malaysian Curry Noodle. None of use were very impressed with this dish. It had large chunks of chicken breast that were over cooked and extremely dry. It also had an assortment of vegetables such as potatoes, fried shallots, onions, mushrooms, and green onions. The curry was a cross between a Panang and Red Thai curry. It was overly sweet and you could really taste the coconut. In the menu description the noodles are described as rice noodles but from what I could tell they were Udon noodles. When eaten with rice it wasn't as sweet but you definitely had to be very conservative with the curry sauce.

Per my sister's recommendation the Thai Spicy Seafood Fried Rice is so good that we had to have two orders worth. She was right, this dish was indeed very good but not the best Thai fried rice I've had. This dish had a great smokey flavor in the rice as if it had been cooked on a wood grill. The shrimp, scallops, and calamari were fresh and decently sized. The only criticism I do have of the dish is that I wish the basil were chopped and sprinkled on the dish or at least removed from the stem. The fried rice tastes a lot better with the fresh basil but is a bit of a hassle since you have to remove them from the stem yourself and spread them on the rice.

The decor of Asian Spice is a contemporary Asian style that reminds me of Cafe Asia in Arlington. The lighting creates a great date like ambiance and the tables are sectioned off in small groups to offer some privacy. I'm pretty sure that the service I received is not common as the waitress we had reminded me of how servers are in high-end restaurants in Asia (at least that's what my parents said). We had a lovely waitress that would stand right behind us and rush to us whenever she saw that our water cups were half empty or if we needed sauces or napkins. It was nice having someone magically appear nowhere with what you need without having to ask but I don't think it's typical of this type of restaurant (she was probably new).

Asian Spice is a bit pricey. Lunch for four with only entrees and two drinks (hot tea) came up to be almost $85. It's a nice restaurant and the service and food was good but I wouldn't recommend Asian Spice if you are looking for authentic Asian cuisine. The location is great as you're in the heart of Chinatown and right off the Gallery Place metro station. I could see a nice dinner for two being around $100 including appetizers, dessert, and drinks. I think this place would make a great happy hour or b-day gathering though.

Rundown:

Price: Moderate
Service: Great
Food: Good
Restaurant Decor/Setting: Casual/Business Casual

717 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 589-0900

http://www.asianspice.us