Like Four Sisters? Like Vietnamese food? Like Thai food? You’ve GOT to try Present. I met with friend of mine for dinner and at his suggestion, we ended up at Present…We were in for a treat. Present delivers ‘not your average’ Vietnamese cuisine in pretty and TASTY packages. All dishes here were a sometimes odd mix of different flavors and textures packaged in perfect bites. When in doubt, just ask your waiter. You won’t be sorry you did.

My friend and I are legendary for our “black hole” appetites. Living up to our reputation we ordered (and polished a total of 2 generous dishes… Here’s how it started.

Papaya Salad @ Present

Taking note of the recommendation by the DC food guru (Sietsema), I ordered the papaya salad laced with beef liver jerky. I assembled the julienned papaya, mint peanuts and jerky on top of the shrimp crisps and drizzled a bit of sweet/spicy soy sauce. WOW. It was a mind-blowing mix of textures and flavors that was truly one of my top bites in the area….

Carmelized chicken (can't remember the name), "Cow in the Open Field"

As if on cue, our main dishes of peppered beef cubes on top of watercress and onions with a salt/pepper/lime sauce, caramelized chicken, and duck noodles hit our tables as soon as we inhaled the papaya salad. Sadly, I forget many of the creatively constructed poetic names.

"Duck Swimming in Golden Pond"

I loved the “Duck Swimming in Golden Pond” (Duck Soup with Ramen-style noodles). In spite of the funny name, it was delicious. The savory duck broth was oh so rich and flavorful. If you can’t tell already, I have this thing about creating the perfect bite. On my spoon: a little bit of noodles, some broth, a piece of fried duck leg, topped with pickled radish and Sriracha…After inhaling more than my fair share, I looked up to see the other two neglected dishes waiting for my attention.

The “Cow in the Open Field” dish (Carmelized beef cubes atop watercress) was surprisingly “gamey” (for a lack of a better word) – and glazed with caramelized onions and garlic. The perfect bite: bitter watercress topped with carmelized beef and onions dipped into the lime/salt/pepper concoction for some acid. The chicken was delicious with a similar caramelized glaze, but pretty ordinary Vietnamese fare. Regardless, I followed one bite after another until my stomach couldn’t take it anymore.

Sometimes I wish my stomach were bigger so I can fit more food!

The service here matched the excellence of the food. The waiter was like an internet database of each of the menu items AND they were GENUINELY enthusiastic about the food. “Psssh, is it good?” He scoffed at my inquiry about the papaya salad as he immediately took my order with no time to respond. THAT was enough to have me SOLD. The owner of the restaurant personally checked on each table (even filling up our water) to ensure that we were happy with our food and experience! Always a good sign!

Seeing that a line had started to form outside in spite of the thunderstorm, we quickly grabbed our checks and left with big cheeses on our faces and, I’m sure, in our bellies. Sietsema’s friend was right. “Watch out Four Sisters!”

Present - 6678 Arlington Blvd Falls Church, VA 22042 (703) 531-1881

Bookmark It

Hide Sites