I guess for this one I need to change my name to the SOUTH San Francisco Food Dude!
I’m trying to put my finger on exactly what it is that makes me love this place so much. And, I’ll be honest, there’s really NOTHING fancy about this joint. There’s nothing wrong with the meat, but it’s definitely not high grade, free-range, every chicken had a personal masseuse before they were lovingly slaughtered with Mozart concertos playing in the background meat that we, as spoiled Americans, have come to expect. And, be prepared, if it’s busy you might be seated at a “group table”, eating next to strangers, so you need to be able to hang with that, especially if you come during a peak time.
And yet … there is something just so damn AUTHENTIC about this place, that keeps drawing me back. Very often, I am the only “round eye” (that is to say, non-Asian) in the place. It really feels like this is what a restaurant in Vietnam would feel like.
Fresh Spring Rolls (with Shrimp, clearly.) $5.95
The other thing that I absolutely LOVE about Ben Tre is that they have a huge “Side Order Selection” on their menu. You can get just about anything you want “on the side.” For example, you’re ordering a rice plate, but you want a little soup on the side? No problem – a bowl of chicken broth or beef broth will run you $2.
Side order of beef broth for $2. Thank you!
Or, you’re ordering a vermicelli bowl, but you’d love to add a fried egg to it? No problem – one fried egg costs an extra $1.35
Or, you’ve ordered a wonderful combination of RICE and some kind of protein (beef, pork, shrimp, chicken, tofu) but you notice that the plate is woefully shy of healthy green vegetables? No problem – veggies on the side, $1.25. Garlic noodles, meatball, one imperial roll (instead of a full platter) – all of these can be yours.
THIS ATTITUDE I LIKE!
Because, let’s face it, so often one encounters the exact opposite attitude, especially at Chinese restaurants. Meaning, you can get a small hot and sour soup with your lunch special, but if you show up at Dinner, and you’d like a small side order of hot and sour soup? FORGET IT. You can only order a FULL order at dinner time ($6.95 instead of an extra $1.95) Well, you know what? At that point, I’m just NOT going to order ANY soup. So, my question to you, Mr. Chinese Restaurant Owner, is: at the end of the day, what would you rather have more of: money in the cash register, or hot and sour soup in the pot?
LEARN to be flexible, like Ben Tre. Give the people, even us “round eyed devils” some options. Don’t make me order a whole platter of egg rolls when all I really want or need is ONE, please. Okay? It’s not that hard, but damn, y’all act like asking for something that isn’t specifically listed on the menu is gonna throw the kitchen into complete chaos.
(Believe me, thanks to the October 13, 2014 issue of The New Yorker, we now know why: everything on the Chinese restaurant menu has to be as simple and cookie-cutter as possible because all the kitchen staff is temporary, moving from one restaurant to another, and if we ask for something that doesn’t fit into a neatly defined, pre-determind category, oh boy! Now someone actually has to talk to the line cook, now this mother-f**king whiteboy wants to be treated special and not just order sweet and sour pork like everyone else.)
BUT I DIGRESS.
Typically, I do not get the Pho here, I usually go for one of the combo platters or rice plates, and then I get a cup of beef broth on the side. For example, I strongly recommend #36, Ben Tre Rice Platter Special Combo which comes with your choice of meat, along with shredded pork and a fried egg on top.
#36 combo, style D: Beef rice plate with shredded pork and a fried egg. $8.95!
The last time I was there, I got the #45, which was listed as “special yellow rice” with your choice of protein. I got some of their wonderful Nuoc Cham (fish sauce) on the side to top it off and it was perfect!
#45 – Special Yellow Rice, with Beef, plus a fried egg for an extra $1.35
They’re right on the way to SFO, so I usually stop off here and fuel up for a big flight. The food is so much better, and cheaper, than anything in the airport.
Ben Tre. Good stuff. You’re not going to impress your date by taking him/her there, but you are going to eat well and it’s going to be easy on your wallet. And THANK YOU, Ben Tre, for making a menu that works WITH your customers, not against us.
Leave A Comment