Description
There's no other way to say it: Lua Bistrot is way too sleek for Little
Saigon. Among the neon-lit declarations of tackiness, Lua sticks
out like a polished Porsche in a lot full of compacts. The restaurant looks
good enough for James Bond rendezvous in with a smoldering
Russian spy. Yet when you look at the prices, you realize how well the
place does indeed fit into a neighborhood full of discount noodle joints,
except here it's more princely food that's sold at a pauper's price.
As of this writing, a fist-sized hunk of filet mignon with its own
à-la-minute pan sauce is served with thick, garlic-festooned fries, salad
and a fried egg for $9.95. Most everything else-from wok-tossed cubes
of beef with onions to fried chicken with rice to com tam with Vietnamese-
barbecue pork chops called suong nuong-are even cheaper than that. They've
stopped giving out free crème brûlées, but at $1.25 a pop,
there'll be more room for martinis on 007's MI6 expense budget.
