I am a huge fan of Vietnamese food; it's probably my favorite cuisine. So, I was very excited to try the newest gig in town, "Pho Hai Binh". They're located on South 27th Street at Howard Av.

The first positive experience for me was the fact that they have a website - I love that I don't need to store paper takeout menus. Secondly, when I arrived, they were extremely friendly and courteous. Since I went on their first day open, there were some glitches like the credit card machine not working, but that's not a big deal.

Now the food. Delicious! I know there are a lot of fans of Phan's garden on OMC and they do serve good food, however I feel that Hai Binh blows them away. This tastes like some of the freshest, authentic food I've ever had. My best experiences with Vietnamese food come from Toronto (high Vietnamese population) and Brussels, where we lived in the Vietnamese neighborhood. And, I can safely say that Pho Hai Binh meets the standards of the great food I've had in both places.

I recommend trying #42, which is vermicelli mixed with really fresh aromatic vegetables / herbs, and then topped with charcoal grilled shrimp, egg roll (Vietnamese style - Cha Gio) and charcoal grilled beef or pork. The dish is called Bun Tom Cha Gio Thit Nuong. As well, they have the staple food of Pho, which is a fantastic noodle soup in many varieties.

Bottom line - fantastic new Vietnamese restaurant in town. It's gotten me really excited for my upcoming trip to Vietnam in the new year!