While Tampa Bay quickly took spicy Thai food to heart — my unofficial count shows a ratio of 2.6 Thai restaurants per resident — the subtler flavors of Vietnamese cuisine have been largely overlooked. Between the sublime French/Vietnamese fusion of Cafe B.T. on Gandy to the inexpensive noodle bars like Dong Phuong on Henderson, there's precious little to explore. Lately, however, there are signs that the gap is beginning to close. From Ben Than in St. Petersburg to Saigon Bay in Temple Terrace, a new generation of restaurants offers the Bay area a broader taste of the Vietnamese table. The most recent addition is The Bamboo Flute, where a space once filled by a sandwich shop has been transformed into a snappy package of attractive decor and Asian flavors. Walls have been painted a rich shade of raisin and brightened with custom metal light fixtures that look like large bamboo canes. Glass-top tables keep the small place airy, and tall fabric orchids keep it bright (though they do interfere with across-the-table conversation.)
The decor might lead you to think you're stepping into high-price territory, but one glance at the menu shows a lot of fresh food is available for very little money. My first pick off the menu was fresh rolls. I've never understood America's fascination with egg rolls, which can be so heavy and greasy. I can only assume it's because not enough people are familiar with fresh rolls, which are wrapped in tissue-paper thin rice "skins" rather than wonton skins and served fresh rather than fried, with a mild, peanut-flavored dipping sauce. The fresh rolls at Bamboo Flute are a bargain. Two very large rolls are $3.95 or $4.95, depending on the variety you order. Try the spring rolls, which come filled with three big shrimp, basil, mint, cucumber, cilantro, shredded lettuce, rice vermicelli and an innovation carried from California — a length of wonton wrapper, fried into a crisp thin stick. It adds an extra level of crunch and raises Bamboo Flute's spring rolls above the ordinary.
Pho, the quintessential Vietnamese bowl of spicy beef broth, noodles, choice of protein and plenty of add-ins, like fresh basil leaves, bean sprouts and hot peppers, is also better than average. Quite a few Vietnamese restaurants take advantage of pho mixes, bouillon-cube-like bases which let the kitchen bypass the long process of cooking down beef bones and a zillion aromatics, from radish to star anise, into a rich spicy broth. Bamboo Flute eschews the bouillon cube and prepares its pho from scratch. The results show in the bowl (regular $4.75, large $5.50). Regular, in this case, means large, and large means humongous. Your protein options are that American favorite, sliced beef or the Vietnamese favorites of tripe, oxtail or soft tendon. Oxtail adds more flavors; soft tendon adds a gelatinous quality.
Noodle bowls will lead you back into familiar territory, offering dishes you've probably been introduced to at Dong Phuong or Saigon Bay. A large bowl of long, thin rice noodles is topped with your choice of pork strips, pork hash, shrimp or Vietnamese egg roll, along with a variety of chopped herbs and greens, from cabbage to mint and cilantro ($5.50-$6.25). They come with the mild house sauce. I recommend asking for garlic-chili sauce or hoisin sauce as a sort of booster seat for the flavor.
Prices rise among the signature entrees, as did my expectations, and here I met disappointment. The pan-fried grouper filet ($13.95) was batter-dipped, then fried to the consistency of a roofing shingle. It was served with an extremely mild tomato herb sauce, rice, steamed vegetables and a beautiful dinner salad. The slow-cooked jumbo shrimp ($13.95) was a better selection, as it came with a spicier sauce. Still, it wasn't something I'd be inspired to order again. The best parts of these plates were the beautiful garnishes of chrysanthemums carved from onions.
My beverage of choice with Vietnamese fare is fresh coconut drink, and I especially enjoyed the version at Bamboo Flute ($2). The refreshing infusion is made with thick slices of fresh coconut meat, and though some places add salt (imagine how necessary this is in a hot jungle climate) Bamboo Flute leaves it be, letting the coconut's own fresh, sweet flavor show through. And do explore the dessert menu, for the sweet herb drink ($2.25): an infusion of chopped sweet herbs and sweet beans. It has a cooling effect and aids the digestion, reminding us that Asian cuisine considers health and flavor. An excellent caramel-coated flan ($2.50) comes topped with a spoonful of crushed ice for wonderful effect during these steamy hot days, as does the tri-colored bean pudding, a parfait of sweet beans, including mung, that's made into a parfait with coconut milk and gelatin ($2.25).
Reader's Rave Got a fave rave? Gimme the fax! Fax your rave to Bonnie Boots at 813-248-9999. Here's what personal chef Jan Gerdes of The Good Fork has to say about Thai Kitchen, 1126 62nd Ave. N., St. Pete: "I was introduced to this restaurant by friends who love the new owners (they took over in early March.) We were there on a Friday night and, sad to say, the place was almost empty. I'm sure people don't know it's "new" but the food was some of the best Thai I've had in the Bay area (my husband orders only pad Thai and said it was GREAT). The tables at Thai Kitchen are set with cloth and glass and the folks make you feel like family. Mom, dad, auntie, uncle are all pitching in to help out with the new venture. Prices are good; the food is great, and I like to support locals who serve authentic meals."
This article appears in Jun 7-13, 2001.