When I was a kid, I read more Archie comics than I care to admit. One thing I could never understand, though, was why Archie would always choose vapid, materialistic, air-headed Veronica, over Betty -- who was down-to-earth, available, and pretty damn cute for a cartoon character.
I was reminded of this conundrum recently when I learned that Tamarine and Vung Tau restauraunts are apparently owned by the same family. If Bay Area Vietnamese restaurants were characters in Archie then Tamarine in Palo Alto would have to be Veronica, while her sister restaurant Vung Tau would be Betty.
Tamarine is a place to go if you want to nibble on mainstream fare like fresh spring rolls (yawn) while sipping a saketini and staring at the beautiful people of... the peninsula. The environment, like Veronica, is up-scale and beautiful, but lacking soul. The food isn't bad, but it's over-priced and the portions are small, leaving you hungry and unsatisfied. Like Veronica. And it's probably a safe bet that there are actually no Vietnamese natives within 100 yards of your table, which would generally be a tell-tale sign that you're in for something authentic.
Vung Tau on the other hand is the place to go when you want a giant menu of stuff you'd never find at Tamarine.The restaurant itself is clean and unpretentious, like Betty. Their dishes are flavorful, balanced and delicious, like Betty. All the usual suspects are on the list, but the fare includes a lot of exotic stuff -- including frog's legs -- that i've never seen anywhere else. Okay, that's not exactly Betty... but this analogy is already pretty stretched!
There are three locations -- SJ, Milpitas, and Newark. We've been four times in the last month to the Milpitas joint, and the place seems to get better each time. I stopped reading the menu, and just look at what people are ordering. Then I just ask the waiter for whatever looks good.
Highly recommended are the "Shrimp Cupcakes" appetizer, and their noodle soups (ask for "dry" which gets you the soup on the side, and a sauce on the noodles). The duck soup with salad dish is also really good.
Sadly for you single guys, the Betty analogy ends with food and decor, as all of the serving staff are dudes :-)
Oh, and as a point of reference, I asked a native what her favorite places were in the area. Her top two choices? The original Vung Tau SJ and Vung Tau II Milpitas. 'Nuff said.
Here is their Menu in PDF.
Vung Tau II
1750 N Milpitas Blvd
Milpitas, CA 95035
(408) 934-9327