Joel's Comments on Tay-Ho Visit

Tay-Ho was a perfect first stop for BARF-SUAVE--a solid example of the little jewels University Avenue has to offer. The interior was clean and bright, with green booths, tables, and chairs accented by light from three large, west-facing windows. When Christian and I entered, our hostess/waitress was delayed in the kitchen for a few seconds but practically ran to the front counter to greet us. It was a sign that this is a restaurant that aims to please.

Tay-Ho bills itself as having Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine; we focused on the Vietnamese part of the large menu. We started with orders of lovely spring rolls ($2.95) and crunchy egg rolls ($2.75). Service was extremely speedy--we were still working on the appetizers when our generously-sized main courses arrived. We split the house specialty rice stick soup (Pho Dac Biet, $5.95)--an enormous bowl of flavorful soup, noodles, and thin-sliced beef--and the Com Tam Bi Suon Cha ($6.50)--a plate of grilled pork chops, jullienne-cut pork, and a meat pie on a bed of rice and lettuce. Really delicious, and with portions that provide a truly outstanding value for the money. Tay-Ho would certainly qualify for a return visit from this charter member of BARF-SUAVE.

My overall rating (out of five):
****

The Belgo-American Restaurant Fraternity Samples Tay Ho

Our first sample! I was thinking we should make our way down University, going west from the Capitol an Joel thought we should be more relaxed about the order. We agreed that it should be a place at which neither of us had eaten yet. 

We drove west on University starting at Rice St. Kept our eyes peeled for anything that looked like an eating establishment. Shortly after passing the McDonald's at Rice (fast food chains are off limits), we noticed an inviting-looking Vietnamese restaurant. We did a toke run past Dale and returned to what turned out to be Tay Ho.

The Belgo-American Restaurant Fraternity Sampling University Avenue

Last year during the summer, our then larger group at Thomson-Reuters sampled some restaurants in the wider Eagan vicinity. We went to various places, typically ethnic, like Korean or Japanese, but also good ol' American, like Big Daddy's BBQ, then still on the NE of University and Dale in St. Paul (now it's NW).

BJ, one of the young whippersnappers on the strategy team impressed me with his culinary sense of adventure, his in-depth knowledge of even obscure greasy spoons and his insatiable appetite for more. He is one of the inspirations for this project. The other is the Best Steakhouse on the SW corner of University and Victoria. I must have driven past that corner a thousand times shuttling my kids to or from Capitol Hill school between 1999 and 2010. Despite my curiosity I never went in.

There was the seed of the idea of eating my way up and down University Ave. What I needed was a partner. I mentioned the idea to my lovely spouse, to my surprise she did not take the bait. Instead, she suggested Joel, a perfect choice. A good friend with a good appetite, an iron stomach and a penchant for the weird would be a perfect companion for this endeavor. When I suggested the idea to him, he was on board immediately. We were ready to go and got started.