Bricolage
Description
Bricolage serves Vietnamese street food but has urbane proclivities. Contemporary art covers the restaurant's exposed-brick walls (don't miss the Nam June Paik–inspired TVs in the bathrooms), and the service is polished. Still, the real stars are the food and drink: Southeast Asian–inspired cocktails, assertive local beers and dishes that reveal the cuisine's signature sweet, sour, salty and spicy characteristics. Chefs Lien and Edward Lin worked for Charles Phan's Slanted Door in San Francisco. Here, they alter their mentor's famous version of shaking beef (bo luc lac) to something called "unshaking beef"—grilled instead of shaken around in a wok. The menu changes seasonally, but there should always be light, flavorful dishes to share family style. Among the options: spring rolls, citrusy and pungent green papaya salad and shrimp and pork crepes to wrap up in lettuce leaves.