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A Cultural Experience

        Are you yearning to travel but with a bank account that says “Sure, as long as it’s within 20 miles of home!” Then an evening at Eden, a Vietnamese market place in Falls Church, VA may just hold the answer. A microcosm of Vietnamese culture, there you’ll find an array of shops with their many specialty food items to the jewelry stores predominantly featuring Buddas. Even the video stores with posters of Vietnamese movie stars give you the sense of having dropped into an Asian city by turning a corner, or 7 corners for that’s its location. The Four Sisters restaurant was our destination for the evening, a family style establishment offering a wide variety of Vietnamese dishes to choose from. Casual in appearance with a warm helpful staff it’s a great place to take a date or the whole family. The extensive menu and assorted meal combination will provide something to everyone’s liking at an affordable price.

When you first arrive at Eden be prepared to don your beltway armor. Eden is an enormously popular destination for the Vietnamese community and the parking lot is not nearly enough space to accommodate the number of cars present. Keep your sense of humor and think of it as a game of chicken and tag done with cars as you search for a parking space only to be cut off by a smaller perhaps more maneuverable car. Got a giant SUV? Be forewarned bigger is not better here.

Once you’re parked, take some time to peruse the shops. If you’ve never visited an Asian city I think you’ll find it fascinating. For instance, the jewelry stores with lots of jade and gold done in Asian symbols, and grocery stores filled with Vietnamese specialties some that can only be found here. It’s no surprise then that the clientele is overwhelmingly Vietnamese. As you wander through the labyrinth of stores you can read over menus posted in the various resturants and chose from take out to sit down dining.

            Our choice for the evening was Four Sisters. The Asian name is Hu’o’ng Zue, which means, ”Taste of home”. Key ingredients in Vietnamese dishes are fish sauce, shrimp paste, lemongrass, mint basil, chili pepper, & curry. There are no American dishes on the menu but even the most timid of diners will find something to order. As you step inside the atmosphere is casual with wooden tables and chairs arranged in groups of 2-10. Plastic tablecloths and assorted cheap imitation art do nothing to enhance the dining experience. The food however makes up for any lack of ambienance. Service is efficient while being warm and friendly. If you’re not familiar with this type of cuisine ask for help the staff will give you ingredients and suggestions on dishes you’ll be comfortable with. My son-in-law happens to be Vietnamese and guided us through all our selections- a definite advantage.

The menu is extensive, broken out into the usual categories of appetizer, salad, soup and entrée. You’ll find pages of soups (a meal in itself) and beef chicken, pork, seafood, and vegetable entrees, in addition to house specialties, rice dishes, noodle dishes, and family combinations. You can see why a helpful staff is really essential here.

Since we were dining as a family we decided to take advantage of one of the combination dinners. Ours included appetizer, soup, salad, three entrees and dessert. The meal is served family style with the appetizer, soup and salad rapidly followed by the entrees. This could be a cultural thing or just timing to speed the diners through. My preference would be to have the entrees held until the appetizer soup and salad was completed. A small objection only because the delightful summer roll appetizers with their crispy rice wrapper and juicy meat filling need time to be savored. The shrimp sour soup was not one of my favorites though my daughter and son-in-law loved it. Lotus root slaw with its’ pungent sweet/sour dressing was a unanimous thumbs up. All entrees were served in platters and bowls to be shared. Spicy an slightly sweet the caramelized pork goes nicely with the large bowl of white rice that accompanies all three entrees. Lemongrass Beef is thinly sliced beef with a distinctive smoky flavor served on a bed of fresh leaf lettuce and green onion, tender and juicy, another favorite. Lastly, the shrimp and broccoli arrive, a mild and welcome accompaniment to the other more spicy dishes. The shrimp are sautéed to a firm perfection. While the broccoli leaves are served nicely wilted and accompanying shoots cooked to just the right stage of crispness, surrounded by a light and mild sauce. For dessert a plate of fresh and sweet honeydew melon struck just the right final note. Fresh ingredients careful preparation and aesthetically pleasing presentation all contribute to this being a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

        When you’re looking for a little more then just a meal served by someone other then yourself Four Sisters makes an excellent choice. A bit of an adventure, the parking alone provides entertainment. You can introduce your family to some new foods and new ways of eating (forks are provided for the chopstick impaired) and enjoy a delicious meal served by friendly people. All in all, a short trip to a world away.