I had lunch at Callahans yesterday and saw a large banner announcing the opening of a new Vietnamese restaurant, Viet Gourmet. It’s going to be in the venue that used to be Lily’s Cafe. I thought a few years ago it was going to reopen as a Vietnamese restaurant, but the person’s funding or help fell through. Maybe he or she is having another go at it?
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If I’m not mistaken, that’s where An Loi was going to relocate after they closed on Thomas Johnson Drive. I don’t know whatever happened to them. Perhaps these are the same people.
They just put the sign up a couple weekends ago. I was watching them put it up from Callahans parking lot. They took the curtains down too. I havent seen much activity though and I drive by it about 3 times a day.
And…. Jennifer’s has been sold to Mick Strine who plans on reopening it as Mick’s American Grill (or something similar to that name…)
Originally, the Vietnamese eatery An Loi was going to relocate to that location from its oversized facility on TJ Johnson Drive. That didn’t happen, due to a combination of family squabbling and funding issues.
Too bad. An Loi was a fantastic Vietnamese restaurant, with a menu featuring dishes from more than a half dozen regions/provinces, and an emphasis on freshness.
Here’s hoping the new Vietnamese restaurant is a worthy successor.
I don’t see a resturant surviving there. I could be wrong. When did Jennifers sell?
Rosemont is potentially a killer weekday lunch location, given the tons of nearby Ft. Detrick workers. Come evenings and weekends, it’s like TJ Drive where An Loi was: a ghost city.
The key to survival is to have very low overhead (i.e. low rent) and try to tap the delivery/carryout market. Of course, you’re food has to be dynamite and you had better advertise like crazy.
Speaking of restaurants, does anybody know what’s going on with the new Mexican restaurant that was supposed to open in Brunswick next to the McDonald’s? I thought it was supposed to open a couple months ago, but I haven’t seen anything since.
Not sure exactly when Jennifer’s sold..but the announcement was made at a Rotary meeting this morning!
Just had lunch at Lucky Corner! Always delicious. It will be interesting to see how this new Vietnamese restaurant does. I enjoyed An Loi, but the service was very slow.
Someone told me they think Jennifer closed her restaurant so could use the money for her campaign.
I just grabbed a to-go lunch from Jennifer’s on Monday (she’s a couple buildings down from my clinic), and I haven’t noticed a “closed” sign since then. I’m pretty sure she’s still open. Someone else correct me if I’m mistaken…
Speaking of new restaurants, Pablano Grill next to Pizza blits further up Rosemont is very good and soon to have a bar. There Mango fajitas are very good with real mango pieces in them. They have a kids menu as well. Try it out!
We have been loving the Vietnamese food at Viet Aroma on Jefferson lately. Their flavors are stronger than what we found at Lucky Corner. Their Bun was really delicious and the server was beyond gracious and charming.
By the way, Jennifer’s has been on the market for well over a year. This was not a spur of the moment thing.
i’ve had viet gourmet yesterday, it was great! lunch was a good price and servers were nice and down to earth, definetly coming back
I eat at Viet’s Aroma so frequently that the waitress just says, “the usual?” Love that place. Going to try out Viet Gourmet today.
Had lunch at Viet Gourmet. Highly recommended. Friendly service, extensive menu, delicious food, reasonable prices. I can’t wait to go back.
I had lunch there today as well. I am a Pho-for-lunch junkie. I think Viet Aroma’s Pho is better, overall.
I know it’s not for everyone, but I need some tripe in my Pho and enjoy the gummy bits of chewy tendon. The one I got today had a glob of tendon that was a couple tablespoons in mass (obviously, just not chopped finely enough). I bit into it, but no really edible. And I didn’t find the broth as rich and flavorful as Viet Aroma’s.
That said, their menu is much more diverse. A lot of different fish dishes and sauces I haven’t tried before. We’ll definitely be trying it for dinner some time soon.
My family had dinner at Viet Gourmet last night. My daughter had Pho and we ordered their chef’s special. It was delicious.
My husband and I ate at Viet Aroma and both of us got “SICK” all day. The soup does not have any aroma. I would not go to Viet Aroma again.
My husband and I highly recommended to go and try Viet Gourmet. They have friendly and down to earth service, extensive and diverse menu, delicious food and reasonable prices. I can’t wait to go back.
Viet Gourmet, someone said it’s good; someone said it bad. I guest it depends on each individual’s taste. I can’t comment on that. My experience at Viet Gourmet after dinner is that I had to drink a whole bucket of water. They overused “MSG”.
My family had dinner at Viet Gourmet last night. My husband and I ordered Black Pepper Steak, Combination Pho and Shrimp with Black Bean Sauce. I was very please with their food. It was AWESOME. Speaking about “MSG”, I totally disagree with previous comment . Personally, I am allergic to MSG. When I go to restaurant (Chinese/Thai/Indian/Japanese/Vietnamese) their soups and stir fried gave me problem. When I went to Viet Gourmet last night, I did NOT have any reaction to the food at Viet Gourmet like I did big time with Lucky Corner whom has used MSG in their food.
We went to Viet Gourmet yesterday for lunch. The place was packed and we had to wait 15min for a table. The staff is very friendly and helpful and although it was very busy we got our orders within the next 10min. We were a party of five and one dish was wrong, so we did not have to pay for this in the end. The quality of the food is exeptional. I had chicken with lemongrass and it was very delicious. By the way, the portions are really big so you get a good bang for the buck (I wasn’t able to finish the rice…)We liked it so much that we came back today for lunch, just me and my wife. The place is not so busy on the weekend so no waiting today. Again, the food was fresh, hot and delicious. No complains. We will definetely come here more often from now on. The only cloud in the sky is a somewhat limited availability for parking space in the area. Well, to do a little walk after such a good meal isn’t too bad afterall…Cheers and enjoy the huge variety on the menu!
I love Vietnamese foods. I can call myself as an “Expert” since I’ve been hanging out with Vietnamese friends, eating and studying Vietnamese foods for years. My family had dinner at Viet Gourmet after the Advertisement they did on Frederick News Post. The food is below average. All dishes we ordered are typical Vietnamese dishes, but I don’t think they are “authentic”. The soups are either overly sweet or salty. Pho noodles soup is on the sweet side while beef stew noodle is on the salty side. We have not tried other soups and we are not planning to. In my theory, these 2 soups represent Vietnamese soup’s evaluation. In other words, if they are not doing well in these 2 soups, you should not expect more in others. I am not recommending the Fish dish at all. It’s too dry and fishy. My guess is that it just went straight from the freezer to the steamer. The caramel fish is a little bitter… The OK dishes are Quail and fried rice. The atmosphere and decoration is toward Chinese rather than Vietnamese, but nice and clean. Price is high compare to other Asian restaurants in town ($2-$4 depend on dishes). Even though we got a discount, the after discounted price still a little higher than other restaurants. Viet Gourment is not on my list of “regular place” for Vietnamese food.
Comments from “Vietnamese Food Expert”,
I also read the Frederick News Post article.
To the “they overuse MSG” people…. They claim to not use any at all. Although some people do have real allergies to MSG–I think most people who think they are allergic to it get headaches from the amount of sodium. Glutamates occur naturally in foods like vegetables, meats, milk, cheese.
I do find Viet Gourmet’s dishes to be saltier than Lucky Corner. I enjoy both places. The food at Viet Gourmet seems similar to Taste of Siagon. I have yet to try Viet Aroma but am planning on it.
The Viet Gourmet is EXCELLENT. The owner is a former chef at The Taste of Saigon restaurant in Rockville. The food is authentic and well-prepared, and the portions are generous. It has ambiance and that’s a plus. I hope they make it ’cause it’s a really nice experience eating there.
Remember: You can always request your dish be prepared with less salt and zero MSG. Even a 50 percent reduction in salt is meaningful and you’re not apt to notice a major difference in taste, especially once your taste buds get recalibrated.
Here’s a good salt substitute: Also Salt. It is quite good and lacks the metallic taste that afflicts many products. Unfortunately, many Asian restaurants load their dishes with salt.
Also Salt’s main ingredients are potassium chloride and L-lysine mono-hydrochloride.
The chef at Viet’s Aroma is the one who was the former chef at Taste of Saigon in Rockville. I know the owners of both restaurants. Viet Gourmet is the newest addition to Frederick Vietnamese flavors. As an offspring of Taste of Saigon, one of the most highly rated restaurants in the DC area, Viet’s Aroma in the Weiss Festival Plaza is the best of the best in my 20 years experience with Vietnamese food. But isn’t it lovely to have such variety in little ole Frederick!