We’ve been working our asses off! At least we’ve gotten into a nice groove. We start the day, work, have some time exercising, grab some dinner, then come back homeish (the term we gave to the hotel room) to chill and either finish the workday or get ready for the next one. It’s similar to our routine back in Michigan, which helps. The ability to anticipate makes things feel more like home. Being surprised every day is exhausting! One surprise I don’t mind, though: a good meal. Wife was hangry and decided that we’re gonna try something a little different. She found a Vietnamese place called Roostar over in Spring Branch that sounded stupid tasty! A quick scrub down after the gym and we hit the road.

We Head to Roostar!

We drive through one of the fancy areas of town and pull up to a freestanding building surrounded by an empty parking lot. We walk into the equally empty dining area and up to the counter where we’re greeted by a pleasant young lady who addresses us as “y’all”. I’m still getting used to that. She points us to a colorful menu which instructs us on how to order their signature Banh Mi and Boxes. There are a lot of choices but the layout is well designed and easy to follow, which makes the process easier. The decision is still tough. Everything looks and smells so good! It probably doesn’t help that I just got out of the gym…

We walk over to a corner booth having ordered the Special Banh Mi, a toasted Vietnamese style sandwich with pork belly, ham, pate, and a pair of Boxes with every combination of meat and starch we could muster. We wanted to try everything. I also got a glass of water while Wife ordered a beer, Dome Faux’m. She thought the can looked fun. She’s pretty cool and really likes beer. It was a little chilly in our corner but one of the very friendly attendants happened to notice me zip up my hoodie and adjusted the thermostat. We lace fingers and reminisce about the days and weeks away from home while we waited for our order to come up; work and home, weekends and food, home. They call my name.

More than a Sammich

The presentation is simple. It’s obvious that the intent is to grab your food and go. A set of three clear boxes, one with a sandwich and two jammed with a mix of colorful aromatics, dense starches and seasoned meats. The Banh Mi first. The bread was freshly toasted, warm, browned and crusty. The cool, buttery proteins were cut by a vibrant mix of onion, carrot, cilantro, cucumber and jalapeño. The flavors were intense but blended perfectly.

Magic Boxes

I ordered my box with Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings, Ribeye and a fried egg over rice while Wife had Grilled Pork and Grilled Chicken served with rice noodles. The wings were cooked perfectly with tart, crispy skin. The drippings of the freshly cooked chicken imparted a hint of lemon and rich chicken flavor in the rice, which, otherwise, would have been a bit flavorless. The Ribeye was toasted with crispy edges and tasty, though a little dry. Breaking the yoke of the egg blended the whole bowl together in a rich, creamy heap of tastiness. Wife’s pork was served similarly to the beef: crispy edges that bring out the flavor. The chicken was also similar to the beef in that it was tasty but a little overdone and dry. Her noodles were quite bland but served with a bright sauce that livened things up. The sauce was cut with a splash of pungent fish sauce that added yet another layer of complexity. Both boxes came topped with a hastily composed mix of greens that really lightened up the mix and gave our palate a rest from the intense flavors.

Drum roll, please!

On to the reason we’re all here. Does the Chef at Roostar get to live out his days or not? It’s long been a dream of mine to eat my way across Southeast Asia, which may be lending itself to my decision; ‘cause I wanna aim for organs. Despite the slightly overcooked proteins, the skillfully balanced, intense flavors and accommodating staff made our evening wonderfully satisfying and reminded me that my new home can be pretty OK. On a scale of tip-the-hat (low) to shank-the-chef (high) The Chef should be proud… for the day or so he’ll be surviving in intensive care. Good luck, bro! Everyone else is rooting for you!

Chef Shanker

Keeping the world in balance.
Have you ever eaten something so delicious it made you angry?