Trending: Vietnamese fare

Vietnamese food is more than pho and banh mi, a fact Henry Trieu has been proving since his years at San Francisco’s acclaimed Slanted Door. At his aqua-hued bistro—a charming sit-down affair opened in April—the Saigon native showcases the cross-pollinated cuisine of his hometown, a rich blend of Chinese and French influences. While Edith Piaf croons over the stereo, Bushwick locals tuck into Chinese-inflected cha tom ($7), crispy, compact nuggets of sweet shrimp, jicama and shiitake mushrooms wrapped in tofu paper; and elegant slips of sautéed eggplant ($9), coated in silky coconut curry and lemongrass sprigs, over glasses of Finger Lakes riesling. Catfish kho ($15) comes the traditional way, in a bubbling clay pot, flaky white fillets rendered mahogany brown after an hour-long simmer in nuoc màu (bittersweet caramel sauce).

With its blaring hip-hop and skater dudes manning the woks, this thatch-trimmed bungalow, which debuted in January, may seem more Brooklyn than Queens. The second you bite into the Saigon Special ($6.75), you might wish it resided there, too, instead of way-out-there Ridgewood. The sandwich is a swine lover’s dream in house-made cha lua ham, crispy bacon, cinnamon-heavy sausage and five-spice pork pâté with a sriracha kick—the handiwork of Thai-born brothers Jimmy and Jacky Tu, who earned their stripes at Eleven Madison Park and Korilla BBQ, respectively. And the siblings dispatch plenty of other trekworthy street eats, both traditional—seared bo luc lac beef cubes crowned with toasted peanuts and fried garlic ($11)—and modern: Crab spring rolls come sheathed in Chinese egg-roll wrappers instead of standard rice paper ($7.50).