Shout-out to Saigon 39!

   Today I had to run to see an orthopedist at lunchtime, and he was at KU Med so I had been planning to stop by Saigon 39 on my way back to work to pick up take-out. I hadn't been there for a while, so I was pretty excited. The doctors were running way behind schedule (over an hour!), which was frustrating, but I did really like my doc. Unlike most docs, he spent a reasonable amount of time talking with me & assessing the issue with my back, hip & knee, which was worth waiting for. (More on the not-so-happy diagnosis in a later post.) Anyway, by the time I got to Saigon 39, it was 2:35. Thank goodness my boss is so cool & understanding!!!
   I walked in and several staff members were hanging out. The guy was particularly friendly and said, "Oh, I'm so sorry, but we closed at 2:00!" He must have been able to read the disappointment on my face, because he quickly said, "But if you want take-out or spring rolls, we could do that for you!"
   Talk about amazing service! He took my order & brought me a big glass of water while I waited. When he brought out my food just a few minutes later (#8: Bun with chicken, anchovy vinaigrette AND peanut sauce, medium-spicy, to be exact! Plus shrimp & cilantro spring rolls.) he had nicely boxed everything, with EXTRA peanut sauce & sriracha sauce—just in case my dish wasn't hot enough—and chopsticks and even a to-go cup of water.
   He walked me out & thanked me for coming by. He told me that sometimes on Sundays people will call in, and though they're closed on Sundays, they won't disappoint a customer & will often tell them to come on it. He said his family has run the business for 20 years. I happily told him that I've been coming for almost 13 years—though not as often as I liked, I can still order my favorites without looking at the menu! Clearly, their service is the reason that people keep going back for more. And on top of that, the food is outstanding too. I need to go there more often. Who's with me???

   This would have looked better, but I scarfed down half of it just to regain enough energy to take a photo. Ingredients include rice noodles, cilantro, carrot, onion, grilled chicken, red & green peppers, anchovy vinaigrette, peanut sauce & sriracha.