Meat!

Last night Ammon and I decided to indulge in bo bay mon (beef seven ways). This is a favorite meal, because it centers around my most favorite food item. Ill post pictures later.

1. The first course was bo tai chanh, or raw beef marinated in lemon juice and sugar, served with mint, red onions, and peanuts. Its served cold, and tastes very fresh and sweet.

The next five courses were served with rice pancakes, the dipping sauces, and a plate of lettuce, carrots, bean sprouts, and herbs.

2. The bo nhung dam, or beef vinegar fondue, was a plate of thinly sliced raw beef you cook at your table in a pot of boiling vinegar, and wrap up with spouts and herbs in a piece of rice paper. This can get a bit sloppy because the lettuce is wet, and the rice papers are the smaller kind and I don't roll them so well.

3. Bo nuong vi, the vinegar was replaced by a hot plate for grilling thin strips of marinated beef topped with sesame seeds and onions. The marinade looked to be a type of sugary brown stuff. The chopsticks they provide for you are plastic, so at one point I think I burned a bit of the tips, so be careful with that. Also, the hot plate was really hot, so when I put the first strips in, there was a lot of oily splatter. These you roll in with the sprouts and herbs as well.

4 -6 The next three courses were brought out together on a platter; Bo la lot -a beef sausage wrapped in a wild-pepper leaf, bo cuon moi - bits of beef wrapped around scallions, and grilled ground beef on skewers(I don't know the name of this one).

7. The last dish is hot chao bo, or rice porridge with beef, cilantro, and ginger. This is quite tasty and a good end to the meals. Its almost like a dessert, a beefy dessert.

The table was a complete mess after we were done with it. Its so cheap too! Its only $13.95 a person (minimum two).

Pagolac Restaurant
655 Larkin, S.F.
(415) 776-3234.
Tues.-Sun. 10 a.m.-10 p.m.