Fishing through My-Le

A walk into My-Le Family Restaurant almost feels like a stroll into the park for a picnic. The restaurant dons a quaint, sentimental touch with the standard plastic, red-and-white-plaid table covers, the polyester roses on each table, the speckles of dirt on the walls and even occasional appearances by bugs on the ceiling. Fortunately, the scent of homemade recipes wafting through the restaurant's interior certainly makes up for the unpolished dining areas.

The house prides itself on its grand selection, running the gamut from salads and rice vermicelli to stir-fried egg noodles and vegetarian dishes. The dishes are concocted entirely from homemade recipes, says owner Le Dempsey. My-Le sets itself apart from other Vietnamese restaurants by keeping strictly to Vietnamese ingredients and refusing to Americanize the food.

The French-style drip Café du Monde coffee sweetens the menu selection and is a must-have with the pho (Vietnamese noodles). However, the price ($3.00) is lofty for a thin cup of Washington, D.C.-bought coffee mixed with ice, condensed milk and sugar, and the coffee is already pre-made and blended, which doesn't leave much room for the diner to adjust the drink to a specific level of strength and sweetness.

The most famous of My-Le's dishes is pho ($5.50-$5.95), a satisfying and relatively cheap beef noodle soup common to Vietnamese houses throughout the area. White noodles and various cuts of meat are simmered in the beef broth and accompanied by plates of fresh bean sprouts, jalapeño peppers, lemon slices and mint leaves as optional natural seasonings. Add a swirl of Srikacha chili sauce or hoisin sauce to spice or sweeten the broth, or use the sauces as condiments for the meat.

Fortunately for vegetarians, there are a plethora of appetizing options, particularly the vegetarian crispy spring rolls ($3.00). The light egg pastry, filled with aromatic shredded cabbage, carrot and sprouts, was fried to perfection and lightly coated in vegetable oil.

Sadly, things aren't looking so great for the carnivores. The poultry at My-Le could use a lot of work; lemongrass oils overpowered the bland, tough and garlicky chicken, and the hot peppers were undetectable in the stir-fried chicken with hot pepper and lemon grass. The chicken swam in a pool of unnaturally neon yellow oil, and even the accompanying steamed broccoli was difficult to finish.

On the other hand, succulent chunks of beef steak prepared Vietnamese style ($9.95) are presented on a bed of sweet, tangy tomatoes, topped with slices of raw onion and piquant watercress.

An entrée or two along with a bowl of pho would make a hefty meal even without dessert, of which there are only two options. The flan cake caramel ($2.50) and fried banana ($3.00) are rather expensive compared to other Asian restaurants in the area and are subject to limited availability. But even though the desserts are unreliable, one thing is certain: You are guaranteed to find your niche in the over 90-item menu at My-Le.

MY-LE FAMILY RESTAURANT, Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine—8077 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910. 301-588-8385. Open: Monday through Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Prices: Appetizers ($3.00-$5.95), Entrees ($5.95-$11.95), Pho: Small Bowl ($5.50) or Large Bowl ($5.95)

Recommendations

• Pho Tai, Nam: slices of eye-of-the-round steak and well-done flank served in a bowl of soup with rice noodles, bean sprouts, hot pepper, a slice of lemon and fresh mint leaves (Small Bowl-$5.50, Large Bowl $5.95)


• Beef Steak Prepared Vietnamese Style: pieces of steak cooked medium-rare mixed with sweet, tangy slices of fresh tomatoes, watercress and raw onions ($9.95)