Description
No self-respecting Vietnamese person who is aware that Little Saigon exists
could ever accept some of the prices Benley charges. This small, long
hallway of a restaurant on the outskirts of Long Beach-where it encroaches
on Cypress and
Los Alamitos-levies $9 for a bowl of pho and $5 for banh mi. Little
Saigonites
would be right to balk-and you should, too. But to dismiss Benley on this
alone
would be a mistake. Focus instead on dishes you're not likely to find on
Bolsa Avenue,
such as the braised short rib on mashed avocado, a tender-as-sin hunk of
meat
slow-braised to be anise-scented and yielding when you tug
at it with chopsticks. And the fried cuttlefish, which is just like all
other
crispy calamari appetizers, yes, but tossed in a zesty salt-pepper-lemon
mixture
and some wilted cilantro to make it surprisingly addicting. Definitely stick
around for dessert, particularly the unfussy and downright-earnest bananas
Fosters served with a scoop of
ice cream and chopped nuts.
