Brooklyn Park—a booming little Minneapolis suburb just waiting for a little Vietnamese place to open up. Enter Sam Nguyen, owner of the Duc Thanh strip mall, who had high aspirations to do business his own way. “I own the strip mall, but due to the bad economy, many of my renters ended up backing out of their leased rental spaces,” Sam shared, “it was then that I realized I could go in a different direction. I turned to the help of my wife and her delicious cooking to keep business going.”And thus, Thanh Vi, a new restaurant that offers both Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine. Located in the strip mall off of Xerxes Avenue, the vibrant green sign is truly hard to miss.

Thanh Vi has a nice, warm, and bright atmosphere and can easily seat a large party on their many tabletops or comfy red booths. Even around 7:00 P.M., the eatery had tables filled up with people from all backgrounds, waiting to be seated or ordering things to go, trying to get at some of that delicious traditional cuisine. The staff are super-friendly and ready at hand to answer questions, or serve you your traditional Vietnamese iced coffee, fruit shakes, or bubble teas. A menu that offers over 90 items, plus a wine and beer list makes this place easygoing and casual enough for families, but also nice enough to go out on a date.

The food satisfies, as all Vietnamese and Chinese food should and the flavors are definitely there, mostly due to the authenticity of the food. Sam Nguyen’s wife prepares all of the Vietnamese flavors, but has hired a Chinese chef to cater to the Chinese side of the menu. You can tell how fresh the ingredients are and how well-versed the chefs are as well, because every piece of food was just right. The vegetables in the moo goo gai pan were bright and crisply al dente, the mushrooms were fresh and not canned, and it wasn’t over sauced and yet, the sauce was what tied the dish all together. Other favorites of the staff as far as the Chinese specialties go are the chow fun plates (stir-fried wide rice noodles) and the Thanh Vi Special Triple Hot Spicy (beef, pork, and chicken stir-fried with scallions and a special hot sauce—note: the menu says this is spicy, but it was a bit tame for myself. Ask for it extra spicy!)

Vietnamese staples are wonderful here, too—there is the usual cooler kept up near the front of the register that offers homemade treats, like sticky rice filled with mung beans, and plastic cups filled with tri-color jelly. The pho does not disappoint, with its mild and slightly sweet broth that comes topped with onions was satisfying, especially for one of my dining companions who had been nursing a cold. There are vermicelli noodle salads (bun), broken rice platters (com), Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches on fresh French baguettes, and a big array of special soups like the seafood and pork egg noodles, or the rice noodle soup with BBQ pork, shrimp, ground pork, quail eggs, various pork organs, and Asian greens. Other things I think I’d like to give a go are the crispy salad with boneless chicken feet, as well as the intriguing Vietnamese rendition of a beef carpaccio.

Thanh Vi will have been open for one year this month and in honor of the accomplishment, Sam will be offering a 10% discount for all diners during the month of July. “This is my first time running a restaurant and although my wife cooks, this is the first time she’s cooked on this level, catering to many people. We have no experience!” said Sam, “but thankfully, business has been keeping up thanks to the Hmong community, especially the young families [around Brooklyn Park]. I used to be a travel agent and even back then, the Hmong community supported me. For them to continue supporting this business has been extremely helpful and I am thankful.”

No longer will the Hmong and Brooklyn Park/Brooklyn Center communities need to drive into Minneapolis or St. Paul for authentic and fresh Vietnamese and Chinese food. Thanks to Sam Nguyen and his fantastic idea to team up with his wife and family, a great place is just around the corner. Happy eats!

Thanh Vi Restaurant

3023 85^th Avenue

Brooklyn Park, Minnesota 55443

(763) 424-9259

Hours:

Sunday – Thursday 10:00 A.M. – 8:00 P.M.

Friday – Saturday 10:00 A.M. – 9:00 P.M.

www.ThanhViRestaurant.com

Restaurant Review

By Elizabeth Thao