Mekong Grill, 24 Chestnut Street, Ridgewood, N.J

Although my son in law traveled in VIet Nam and loves to make Viet Namese food I'd avoided trying it. I'd heard the word fish sauce used in this style of cooking and was put off by that. Very foolish of me.

I recently went with friends to the Mekong Grill, in Ridgewood, N.J. This is a small, charming restaurant on a side street in this lovely upscale town. I went reluctantly anad was thrilled with the food. This is a fairly new restaurant in a town filled with eateries. It offers two tables outside. Parking, even mid week, was quite an issue and reservations are suggested. The driver eventually, actually moved cones and parked in a no parking spot. a graduated at the top of his class from the French Culinary Institute, and two other mbers - his eldest sister, Hai (#2, as her younger 10 siblings rThe Chef and owner is Tai Nham aThefer to their eldest sister) bringing to the table recipes handed down from generations before her, and his brother-in-law, Weng

The decor is warm in color and there is no noticeable noise. Our waiter was so pleasant and so attentive, we were very impressed. He gave us a little history about the place (they have another store in New York State) and was glad to take time and suggest items to us.

The owner and Chef is Tai Nham, a French Culinary Institute graduate. Working with him are his sister and brother in law. The first Mekong Grill has been in Rockland County for thirteen years.

Mekong Grill is open 6 days a week from 11:30-9:30 (Sun, Tues-Thurs) and Fri/Sat 11:30-10:00 p.m. They offer weekly specials. By the time we left at 8:00 pm people were waiting to get in.

There are Vegetaran Specialties running $10-$12.00. You can get Rolled items choosing from about 9 items. These are in the $5-$7.00 range. Items like Spring Roll, Tofu Avocado Roll or Sugarcane Shrimp Roll all sounded wonderful.

You can get something from the Sandwich area, a Mekong Banquette, that offers slices of Vietnamese Pork, Ham, fresh Cilantro, Cucumber, julienned Carrots and Mayonnaise (hot chili on request) for $6.00.

They have Grilled, Stirred & Fried, Tossed and Ladled (Pho or Hu Tieu) lists. These are all very reasonablly priced. The specials offer items like Black Pepper Squid, Seafood Tempura, Claypot with Spicey Carmel (their spelling) Sauce or Spicy Chili Sauce. These run $11.00-$16.00.

I had Chicken Vegtable dumplings, a Sliced Flank steak marinated in Lemongrass Banh Hoi (with lettuce wrap, chopped scallions, fried shallot & peanuts). The dumplings were extremely delicate in flavor.When ordering the main meal, you can choose Banh Hoi or Bun. Bun style includes Vermicelli which gives you crunchy Bean Sprouts, Cucumbers, Carrots, Lettuce, Basil & Mint, Peanuts and Nocu Mam, a Vietnamese vinaigrette. The flavors were so delightful I enjoyed every morsel. The portions were large enough that, unfortunately, I had no room for desert.

Deserts (Sweet Endings) on the menu were Rainbow, layers of bean, jelly, Coconut milk and crushed ice, Grilled Banana wrapped in sticky rice and peanuts or Ice Cream. $5.00 and under.

Drinks were, besides, regular items, Coconut Juice, Vietnamese Coffee (Hot or iced with condensed milk), Thai Iced Tea or Lychee Jello.

A meal for three people came to a little over $70 with the tip.

I can't wait to go back.