Thanks for reaching out and making it clear. I come to Rosemont once a month I will have to check out some of the places on the list.

Under the weather Sunday, speedy, no charge delivery, well packaged, aromatic broth and offaly bits and pieces of #21 for me and #23 w/rare beef for my bride the perfect restorative.

I'm about to go here for lunch and according to Menupages.com, they have something called pendyword juice. Anybody know what this is?

I think they mean pennywort juice, which I've seen before in cans at Ba Le and other Asian stores. I can't say I've ever tried it, though

Pie Lady wrote:I'm about to go here for lunch and according to Menupages.com, they have something called pendyword juice. Anybody know what this is?

Sharona wrote:I think they mean pennywort juice, which I've seen before in cans at Ba Le and other Asian stores. I can't say I've ever tried it, though

It's a green herbaceous plant that is similar in to watercress but without the mustardy kick, milder and sweeter in taste. They are sold fresh at the asian markets on Argyle. Very refreshing in the hot summer weather. Simply wash, then put into a blender with cold water and sugar then strain onto ice.

This is sold in "sinh to" (smoothie/juice) stands on the street all over Vietnam.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centella_asiatica

Hoanh Long has been nominated as a Great Neighborhood Restaurant. Please discuss the nomination here. Discussion continues through March 7.

Thanks

I'm in for Hoanh Long as a GNR. Definitely.

I've been a huge fan of good Vietnamese food ever since my first lunch at the old Mekong Restaurant on Argyle & Broadway in the '80's. At that time it seemed like that 2-block square area was it as far this wonderful cuisine, and most if not all of the restaurants around there were/are top notch.

Fast forward 25+ years & while the concentration has widened, most Vietnamese restaurants are still on the North Side & a few in the Carol Stream/Lombard area, with the exception of Dung Gia in Des Plaines. Problem with the diffusion has been that quality has suffered at some of these places, maybe because of the Americanization of the tastes. U.S.-style pho is not a pretty sight. Just bad soup.

Not the case at Hoanh Long. Big portions. Reasonable. And authentic renditions. Not sure if it's Hue (north) or Saigon (south) influenced, but the pho is the best I've had in Chicago. Lemon grass chicken is wonderful as well. And don't forget the high-octane condensed milk-sweetened iced coffee.

I have been a fan of Hoanh Long since they opened some years back and would vote for it to be on the GNR list.
I wrote many lines about this restaurant on other threads dealing with Vietnamese food.
I agree that their Pho as well as the Lemongrass chicken, and the Banh Xeo, are some of the best you can find in the city.
My only regret is that their chicken white meat, as it is the case in so many Vietnamese and Thai restaurants, is too often overcooked.
P.S Nevertheless I still mourn the loss of Peter Lo's, a most delightful Chinese restaurant whose very vibrant Sichuan cuisine was to my taste the best of its kind in Chicago. It occupied what is now Hoanh Long's space in the late 70's and early 80's if my memory does not fail me. Rene G might know for sure.

For those who have not yet been to Hoanh Long, and for those who just want to return with some ordering power, I'm planning to put together a dinner for next Tuesday, March 1, at 6:30pm. Hoanh Long is closed Mondays so I hope to speak to them tomorrow to arrange the dinner. I will post details early tomorrow evening on the events board.

This, I really liked:



Wrapping this “dumpling” in a leaf or dipping it in sauce (both of which I did) seemed to defeat some of the deliciousness of the crispy thing. Next time, I eat a whole one myself; no leafing or dipping.

When this was served, Ronnie_suburban tapped the shell and said:

RONNIE: You hear that?
ME: Is that Morse Code? What’s it saying?
RONNIE [still tapping bao, grinning broadly]: It's saying, "Eat me."

This pile of stuff contained snails:



It was pretty good, though a little soggy (you detecting a through-line here?), and although I enjoyed eating it with big fistfuls of basil and cilantro branches (feeling just a little marsupial), I liked it, though I’m not sure it’s a great dish.

Overall, I started feeling a little carb-depleted at the end of the meal. I needed a bowl of rice, or more dumplings, or something.

Still, I think this is probably a worthy GNR nom.

jnm123 wrote:I'm in for Hoanh Long as a GNR. Definitely.

I've been a huge fan of good Vietnamese food ever since my first lunch at the old Mekong Restaurant on Argyle & Broadway in the '80's.

I miss Mekong as much as I miss Hong Min. Hoanh Long is next on my list since we got to Aroy Thai yesterday.

David Hammond wrote:This, I really liked:



Wrapping this “dumpling” in a leaf or dipping it in sauce (both of which I did) seemed to defeat some of the deliciousness of the crispy thing. Next time, I eat a whole one myself; no leafing or dipping.

When this was served, Ronnie_suburban tapped the shell and said:

RONNIE: You hear that?
ME: Is that Morse Code? What’s it saying?
RONNIE [still tapping bao, grinning broadly]: It's saying, "Eat me."

This pile of stuff contained snails:



It was pretty good, though a little soggy (you detecting a through-line here?), and although I enjoyed eating it with big fistfuls of basil and cilantro branches (feeling just a little marsupial), I liked it, though I’m not sure it’s a great dish.

Overall, I started feeling a little carb-depleted at the end of the meal. I needed a bowl of rice, or more dumplings, or something.

Still, I think this is probably a worthy GNR nom.

I'm not entirely sure I agree with your conclusion but after 1 visit and 3 dishes, I'm not sure I'm qualified to know, either. I'm not well-versed in Vietnamese cuisine either, so take that into account, too. I've eaten at a few places on Argyle and that's about it.

I liked the crepe ok and I think it was well-prepared but the flavors didn't wow me. I found it bland, at least in comparison to the version I've enjoyed at Tank Noodle. The beef lemon salad was, for me, one note -- sweet. There was no heat, nor any acidity to balance out the sweetness. The snail salad was essentially the same dish with a different protein (our bad for ordering 2 similar dishes).

I'm looking forward to tomorrow night's dinner, just so I can get a better snapshot of Hoanh Long's offerings.

=R=

LTH group dinner last night at Hoanh Long. The company was great, as were the beverages, but based on that meal, I do not support the restaurant for a GNR. Service was inattentive at best, zero decor, and the food was good, not great. The highlight for me was the goi ga (chicken salad) with fresh ingredients and a good balance of flavor. The low point was the rubbery salt and pepper shrimp ( I know, not Vietnamese). In between were solid renditions of a number Vietnamese classics. In every case, Tank Noodle, Pho 777 or Pho Xua has a better version. To be fair, last night was my first visit and maybe did not have a representative meal.

Hmmm......I've had better food, but I thought the service was very attentive. Our server replaced plates twice, filled water glasses about every 10 minutes, bought extra napkins without asking and split the pho into separate bowls without being asked. That ensured we all got some with everything in it, for me the service was a high point, but I was at the girls end of he table. I agree the beverages were wonderful, very nice cider FrankP.

The food for me was a mixed bag. My favorites were:

Banh Tom: shrimp cake with sweet potato salad which were actually fried balls(?? they weren't really cakes) of whole shrimp and sweet potato. I'm going back for those.

Banh Cuon Thit Bo: rice cake noodle rolls with grilled beef. Really liked the flavor on these, beef tasted grilled, noodles were toothsome, good flavor

Goi Du Du Tom Thit: papaya salad w/ shrimp & pork, I really liked the flavors here a good solid standard

In the good,but I've had better category:

Bahn Xeo: crispy, but oddly muted, not too flavorful

Goi Ga: I liked this and the chicken was moist, but again too sweet and needed to be more aggressively seasoned.

Pho Doc BIet Hoanh Long: Just too sweet for my palate, but the ingredients were fresh, the tripe was really good. I hate when it's too chewy, but this was a good version, the beef, meatballs, liver and tendon were all top notch it just need more flavor for me. I'd love to try this again and ask them to up the seasoning.

I only had a couple of salt & pepper shrimp and mine were fine, but I've had much better versions in Chinese restaurants. I'm on the fence for Hoanh Long, there is certainly better to be had on Argyle, but if I lived close by I'd be a regular, I'd just tell them to up the seasoning. I guess that qualifies me as a yes with reservations for GNR.

I didn't do any of the ordering at the dinner last night, to which Frank refers above so I'm not entirely sure what all the dishes were. Nonetheless, here's a photo recap . . .


Papaya Salad with Pork and Shrimp



Wraps



Fried Shrimp (and sweet potato?)



Crepe



Chicken Salad (goi ga)



Beef Lemon Salad



Pho - Beef Medley



Salt & Pepper Shrimp



Spring Roll with Chinese Sausage

I'm not quite as down on Hoanh Long as Frank and I defintely enjoyed the meal more than my first one there last week but I didn't have anything last night that would have me rushing back to Hoanh Long. My favorites were the goi ga and the pho. They were both solid but nothing that blew me away. I've definitely enjoyed the food at other Vietnamese places more than at HL but I'm just not well-versed enough in this cuisine to declare them better. I'd certainly go back to HL if someone asked me to join them but I can't foresee planning any meals there, either.

=R=

I don't know about Hoanh Long as I've never been there, but Ronnie Suburban Photography should be a shoo-in for a GNR.

Kennyz wrote:I don't know about Hoanh Long as I've never been there, but Ronnie Suburban Photography should be a shoo-in for a GNR.

Seconded!!

I certainly enjoyed the LTH company at last night's dinner, but I also thought the food was very good and worthy of GNR status in my opinion.

My favorites: I thought the Goi Ga was as good a version as I've had at Hoanh Long . . . and as good a version as I've had in Chicago - bright and well balanced flavors, fresh herbs, contrasting textures.

I also thought the pho was excellent with all of its delicious beefy bits. I found the broth to be as complex and well seasoned as always and I find their homemade garlic/chili paste to be a great addition - still my favorite version in town. And with respect to the pho, I also appreciated Hoanh Long's willingness to not only serve everyone his/her own individual bowl of pho, but to ensure that each person received a taste of each beef component.

While I've enjoyed the rice noodle rolls with beef (Ronnie's second picture) more on a couple of past visits (I thought the rice noodle was slightly too moist last night), I still thought they were quite good.

I also thought the fried shrimp and sweet potato dish, which I had never had, was delicious and beautifully crisp. Some other dishes I enjoyed, but did not love. I've enjoyed the lemon beef salad more on other visits. And I thought the shrimp in the salt and pepper shrimp dish was just sad.

But I also thought that the care that went into each dish was apparent (as shown in Ronnie's beautiful pictures), and I appreciate the very fresh herbs and lettuces which are part of each dish. So as much as I like GNR Tank, in my opinion Hoanh Long delivers better food and does it more consistently, and deserves to be recognized as a GNR.

Thanks BR for organizing the event. It was great to sample so much of the menu to get a clear picture of what the restaurant offers. Also thanks to Frank for bringing the apfelwine (or is it apple wine?), it was a pleasant accompaniment to the food.

I have to agree that the service was excellent. Clean plates, a full water glass, and soups that were made easier to share made the experience much more enjoyable. The vibe of the place definitely felt like a hidden gem. Family run, a handful of locals stopping by for a quick mid-week dinner, fresh noodles and vegetables in the dishes. Argyle is a fun neighborhood, but some of the restaurants can feel dingy and the food mass produced at times. Hoanh Long has a pleasant dining room and an impressively large menu for a neighborhood Vietnamese spot.

I thought Hoanh Long put out some very good food. All the vegetables were fresh and crunchy, particularly the herbs and lettuce that are critical to the cuisine. My favorite of the night was the one dish I hadn't had before, the rice noodle rolls. The wrapping was soft and a little sticky, and the grilled beef was a little sweet and tender. I also liked the shrimp cake and the crepe. Both were crispy without being greasy or heavy. I didn't like the pho as much as some others, the broth was sweeter than I prefer though the meats were good.

All in all, I enjoyed the food though nothing I had at Hoanh Long surpassed the best dishes I've had on Argyle. There was a similar flavor profile in many of the dishes making it somewhat uninteresting by the end of the meal. I wish I had a Vietnamese restaurant of Hoanh Long's caliber in my neighborhood, but I wouldn't choose Hoanh Long over Argyle.

I think what you're seeing here is a place that does some Vietnamese classics really well, others just OK.

Being from north suburbia, I love that Hoanh Long doesn't require me to drive into that Argyle/Broadway cluster, and because of that I focus on their strengths. The Pho Doc Biet Hoanh Long is my favorite pho in the area, period. The lemon grass chicken with crunchy red pepper is what it should be as well, with the requisite spicy gravy/juice over the angle-cut cold cucumbers. But Ben Tre at Kedzie & Touhy does a MUCH better Salt & Pepper Shrimp, and in that same vein Dung Gia by the Des Plaines train station on Northwest Highway does a crisper Bun Bo salad than Hoanh Long.

Depends what you're hungry for on a given day...

turkob wrote:I have to agree that the service was excellent. Clean plates, a full water glass, and soups that were made easier to share made the experience much more enjoyable.

For the most part, I agree with this. At times, it was somewhat difficult getting our server's attention but by and large, the service was very good. Extra napkins, water refills and clean plates were all brought without prompting. OTOH, I wish our server had steered us clear of those salt & pepper shrimp. For that, I'd have considered the service excellent rather than just very good.

=R=

I haven't been to Hoanh Long, living near Argyle, and I'm not so likely to get up there soon. I have nothing to say about the place. Just the eaters' comments: this thread makes it sound as if a large handful of places in Uptown that are not GNRs or candidates are as good or better. Is it simply a Great [for the] Neighborhood Restaurant?

LTH,

I've been to Hoanh Long many times since its opening in '07, fan of the pho, love the banh xeo and goi ga and can't resist spring rolls, both shrimp and sausage. No skimping on fresh accompaniments, house made hot sauce* for the asking and a friendly courteous family vibe.

Hoanh Long, count me a fan!

*hoanh long sauce

Hi,

I went to Hoanh Long a few times after Monica Eng highlighted it. I remember going twice in one day. At the less hectic lunch visit, any adjustment to a dish was accomodated. These were not unreasonable requests, more related to heat level. When I returned during the evening when it was packed, they declined to adjust the heat level.

I went a few times more, then stopped. I didn't remember especially why until I visited during the nomination period. When I opened the menu, my memory was refired. The prices were just a bit more than Argyle and wasn't exceptionally better to skip visiting Argyle.

I ordered the combo meat pho. The assorted herbs was not as wide a range as Tank's. They accomodated my request to have the raw meat on the side. They gave me a blank stare when I asked for melted beef fat to add to my soup. It was something Erik M had alerted me to. I get it elsewhere, not everywhere and definitely not at Hoahn Long.

When the soup arrived, the fragrance of the broth was terrific. I was impressed by the broth's flavorful taste. I later took my extra broth home to add to a bread pudding. The tendon was quite tender, surprisingly thick and larger pieces than I seen anywhere else. My friend and I could not decide whether we liked the tendon presented this way or not.

I'm not pining to get back, which largely reflects why I haven't been there in a few years.

Regards,

This is my first post! Hello!

We were in the mood for Pho last night, but were not willing to trek to Argyle in the snow/rain. We decided to try delivery. Alas, Tank said we were out of their delivery area. Instead, we tried this place. I wasn't sure what to expect, as i've never gotten Pho delivered before, but i was pleasantly surprised. I got the rare beef and soft tendon pho, and we shared the papaya beef salad. They compartmentalize everything for delivery, which was a relief; the broth was in it's own tub, the beef and noodles were together in another, and the sprouts and herbs were in another container. we had to heat up the broth a little bit, but it only took a few minutes.

the broth was amazing; much more flavorful than the two places we've been to on argyle (Tank and Pho Viet). The papaya salad was cold, crisp, fresh and perfectly hot. i was so impressed i created an account! my only complaint, and it's not really one since it made me sure i was getting something authentic, was that it was almost impossible to order over the phone due to the language barrier. i talked to three people and only one had a basic grasp of english. pretty sure i had to spell "Whipple Street" three times.

looking forward to next time, hoanh long.

Anyone know what's going on? Both times we've passed recently, we've noticed the windows completely papered over. Can't tell if it's being rehabbed for Hoanh Long or, god forbid, taken over by someone new.

Just called .....they are open!!!

And this, from a recent YELP posting:

And what's the best part of my recent visit? Finding out that they will be opening a brand new SHINY restaurant just two doors down in September. As the sales lady stated "same owner, everything brand new". I was truly excited for this small mom and pop business of how well they've been progressing to want to open up in a larger facility. Clientele must be booming.

Thank goodness.

Jerry D wrote:Thank goodness.

Amen to that!! Great news for us--AND for them. Very glad to hear it; thanks for checking.

Had Pho Tai (rare beef) here for lunch here today. Still a very good place run by friendly people. Pho was rich and tasty - perhaps a bit sweet. The room was larger and nicer than I recalled from a few years back. I intend to stop here more often this winter.

The Evanston Lunch Group™ ate lunch here today. You can see photos and comments from our lunch by clicking here.