Tung Nguyen
Hy Vong Vietnamese Cuisine, 3458 S.W. Eighth St., Miami, 305/446-3674, Hyvong.com
The Vietnamese food Nguyen creates in a cramped kitchen at Hy Vong in Little Havana is addictive. Nguyen left Saigon, Vietnam, for Miami in 1975 at age 28, seven months' pregnant and widowed. Thanks to the kindness of her American sponsor, Kathy Manning, she got a home in which to raise her daughter, and South Florida got a restaurant like no other. (See Best Vietnamese Restaurant.) The two women opened Hy Vong in 1980, and the place is legendary for its long wait. Nguyen rewards customers' patience, however, with cooked-to-order dishes that are healthy, soulful and unlike any you'll find this side of Da Nang, where she grew up on a farm as the eldest of seven children. Her signature item is her pork-mushroom rolling cakes, but ask Manning what Nguyen does best and she'll recommend an earthy butterflied shrimp served with house-made flat noodles, fresh greens and ground peanuts. She could just as easily advocate the just-filleted snapper topped with a fresh mango sauce or the slow-roasted duck in a black currant dressing. Hy Vong devotees drive from as far away as Palm Beach County for Nguyen 's food, and her admirers include the famed Michelle Bernstein (see Best New Restaurant), who hired Nguyen to cater her wedding.
Is
your favorite place to eat safe?
