(This venue is closed.) I did like the crispy skate.
The "rainbow chard" and anchovy tomato vinaigrette, however, though they were fine complements to the fish, seemed to stray from Southeast Asia. Although I wasn't expecting Mai House to serve simple classics like bun cha or banh xeo, much of the meal didn't strike me as particularly Vietnamese. The atmosphere, on the other hand — less elegant than it was functional — seemed very familiar from my visit overseas.
One Asian flavor that stood out (literally as well) was the lemongrass in the "short rib skewer rolls," shown below; so did the curry in an appetizer bowl of mussels (not shown). Also at the table (all from the $35 Restaurant Week dinner prix fixe): watercress and fennel salad with kumquats and tiger shrimp, in a ginger citrus vinaigrette; braised pork shoulder with roasted winter squash and Vietnamese spiced bacon; clay pot organic chicken with quail eggs, lemongrass, ginger, and chilis (sweet overall; not shown); sesame donuts with kalamansi honey and Vietnamese coffee gelato; holy basil chocolate "ganache" (more like a ganache-coated cake) with passion fruit and kumquat; almond banana cake with black sesame ice cream and coconut tapioca sauce. I did like these last two desserts quite a lot, as well.
Mai House
186 Franklin St. (Greenwich-Hudson Sts.), Manhattan
212-431-0606
www.myriadrestaurantgroup.com/maihouse/index.html
