FOOD: Eden Center Featured on NPR’s Kojo Nnamdi Show

By JIMMY SCARANO
Falls Church Times Staff

As the Times’ food writer I feel it is my duty to make our readers aware of any and all culinary developments pertaining to the City.

So I’m here to tell you that yesterday on The Kojo Nnamdi Show, the ever-popular NPR radio series based in Washington D.C., there was an hour-long discussion of Vietnamese food culture in Northern Virginia.  The starting point for much of the conversation was the strip mall Vietnamese food Mecca called the Eden Center, which just so happens to fall within the boundaries of our pint-sized City.

Now, I’ve ranted and raved about Eden many times before in past columns and I’m not about to do it again here.  Let’s just say this show is further proof that the Vietnamese cuisine we have in this area—some in Eden and some just outside of it—is truly special.

I urge you to listen to the broadcast at thekojonnamdishow.org if you want to learn a bit more about the Vietnamese food movement in our area or if you just want to hear a couple of experts describe some of the Southeast Asian nation’s signature dishes and cooking techniques.  The panel includes Washingtonian Food Critic Todd Kliman, cookbook author Andrea Nguyen, and Four Sisters Executive Chef Hoa Lai.

Much of the talk is about pho, the beefy, noodle-filled soup that has captured the hearts of non-Vietnamese diners everywhere.  But there’s also some discussion about the development of Eden, the move of Four Sisters from Eden to nearby Merrifield, and the growth of Vietnamese places outside of Eden that have distinguished themselves as great eateries.  In fact, Kliman makes the argument that the best Vietnamese places in the area are no longer in the Eden Center.  He singles out Present, Four Sisters, and the Arlington hot spot Minh’s as his top three.  Respectfully, I think Huong Viet (which is in Eden), is just as good as any of those in its own way.  I also think that Eden’s bakeries and deli’s are without peers in the region.

Either way, the show is great for anyone interested in learning anything more about the food culture that defines our City more than any other.  Oh, and about half-way through there’s a fantastic call-in question from some food writer in Falls Church named Jimmy.