FOOD & DRINK INDY ENDORSEMENT

We savor Vietnamese crispy rolls, and have our minds blown by Thai honey duck in DHS

By Jimmy Boegle

WHAT Vietnamese crispy rolls

WHERE Rooster and the Pig, 356 S. Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs

HOW MUCH $16

CONTACT 760-832-6691; roosterandthepig.com

WHY It’s a crispy, savory delight.

I’ll never forget the first time I tried Vietnamese food. I was a college intern, home for the summer in Reno, and a colleague took me to lunch at Golden Flower Vietnamese Restaurant.

The pho. The bún (grilled pork with cold noodles). The imperial rolls. OMG, I was in love.

I get food from Golden Flower every time I am back in Reno. Here at home, I frequent a couple of Vietnamese places—and few months ago, I was afraid we’d lost one of those places, Rooster and the Pig.

If you read the column on the next page regularly, you know why. If you don’t, a recap: In early February, a major electrical issue shut down the building that Rooster and the Pig, Rio Azul Mexican Bar and Grill, and several other businesses call home. It would take more than two months—during the busiest time of year for Coachella Valley restaurants—for the issue to be resolved.

The closure forced Rio Azul to close for good (under the original ownership, at least). Fortunately, such was not the case for Rooster and the Pig, which reopened in early June. Thank heavens.

While the Vietnamese food I first fell in love with at Golden Flower is as old-school as it gets, Rooster and the Pig’s fare is decidedly unique and modernized. However, one of my favorite menu items is one of the more traditional dishes—the Vietnamese crispy rolls. Filled with ground pork, wood ear mushrooms, jicama and glass noodles, the rolls are amazing.

While they’re different from Golden Flower’s imperial rolls in a number of ways, the flavor profiles are similar—and Rooster and the Pig’s Vietnamese crispy rolls remind me why I first fell in love with Vietnamese fare all those years ago.

WHAT Thai honey duck

WHERE Thai Palms Restaurant, 12070 Palm Drive, Desert Hot Springs

HOW MUCH $20.95

CONTACT 760-288-3934; thaipalmsrestaurants.com

WHY It’s unique.

I’ve eaten at a lot of Thai restaurants—and I’ve never had anything quite like the Thai honey duck at Thai Palms Restaurant.

We met some friends there for dinner on a recent Monday evening. While there weren’t a lot of people dining at the restaurant, a steady stream of people came in for takeout orders— which I took as a good sign.

Thai Palms is clearly doing something right; according to the menu, the DHS restaurant has been around since 2001, and there was also a location in Palm Springs for a while.

We ordered all sorts of food. While some dishes didn’t quite excite our taste buds, others did, including the tasty wonton chicken soup ($6.95 for a bowl) and the huge, delicious papaya salad (a steal at $9.95).

However, the dish I can’t stop thinking about is that Thai honey duck. Wow.

Let me be clear: This dish is not for everyone. If you don’t like entrées with a big dose of sweet along with the savory, do not order this— because it’s very sweet.

But, wow, it’s different. Wonderful crispy duck is joined by broccoli, cabbage, lots of bell pepper, pineapple and ginger. (The menu says the dish comes with tomatoes, but there weren’t any on my plate.) And it’s all swimming in a brown sauce that’s … well, it’s hard to describe. Yes, there’s honey, but there are also several other flavors I couldn’t quite place. (Tamarind, perhaps?)

Put it all together, and it’s one of the more bonkers plates of food I’ve had. Frankly, I wasn’t sure what to think at first—but I couldn’t stop eating it.

Did I like the Thai honey duck at Thai Palms? I think so. Would I order it again? Maybe. Should you order it? If you like your mind blown, go for it.