SAN FRANCISCO - FOCUS ON THE BAY AREA - August, 1998

Who's the BEST CHEF in the Bay Area? 15th Annual San Francisco Food Awards

RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR
THE SLANTED DOOR - CHARLES PHAN

Chef Charles Phan's winning vision for the Slanted Door is to do simple Vietnamese food and do it well.

In a city brimming with lofty culinary diplomas and critical Zagat-toting patrons, Charles Phan opened the Slanted Door with a resume that included architecture student, software salesman and ninth-grade busboy. Instead of hiring the designer du jour, he chose to create his own space-celadon and wood and beautifully spare-and not downtown, but just off of the funk of 16th Street in San Francisco's Mission District. In an age of corporate backings, his popular Vietnamese restaurant is family owned and operated: Phan's sister is the proprietor, his wife runs the office, the kitchen is full of aunts, uncles and brothers-in-law. And, daringly for this fusion-crazed town, he bypassed ahi tuna towers and wasabi mashed potatoes: you'd even be stretching it to label his cooking East-West. The restult? The Slanted Door packs the house.

Certainly San Francisco has its share of immigrant families who have gone into the restaurant business, but Phan is unique in serving Vietnamese food in an urbane setting, using local and organic ingredients paired with a creative wine list. "People are really surprised at what Vietnamese food can be." He explains. "It isn't just the places that have five to ten pages of menu."

Phan, 36, matter-of-factly tells us his incredible story. He was born in Da Lat, between Quai and Saigon. After the Vietnam War, when he was 13, his family fled to a refugee camp in Guam. From there, they landed in San Francisco's Chinatown, eventually starting a garment business in the Mission District. Phan attended U.C. Berkeley, where he studied architecture, moving on to New York to work with a firm. When that didn't satisfy him, he came back to his family's business in San Francisco. In 1995, they struck upon the idea for the restaurant. With little more than faith, Phan took the leap from home cook to chef.

Although Phan focuses on the street foods of Vietnam-crisp imperial rolls, delicate Vietnamese crepes, caramelized shrimp-he tries to be flexible, creating vegetarian renditions of classic dishes, keeping his customers' taste in mind. But, of course, some flavors don't suit an American palate. "We tried to serve lemongrass minced pork with shrimp paste, but a lot of people sent it back." Phan remembers. But taking a risk can be can also be rewarding. "Gail Greene from New York magazine ate it, and she came back a second and a third time, asking why that dish wasn't on the menu any more. So, it was memorable for her. My definition of a good dish is that you remember it."

Part of Phan's job is maintaining these high standards, which means he's on the line six days a week. In the midst of a dinner rush, the narrow open kitchen appears chaotic. Cooks clad in white jackets and jeans stand back to back, calling out orders in a hybrid of Vietnamese and English: metal spatulas clank against huge blackened woks engulfed in flames: half-plated dishes balance precariously on what little counter space is left between bunches of Vietnamese mint and tangles of rice noodles. Phan calmly orchestrates, informing the wait staff that the lamb is from Sonoma tonight, filling bowls with dipping sauce, turning a chicken breast on the grill. He'll be on his feet until 2 a.m., when he makes his fish orders for the next day.

When we ask why he keeps it up, his answer is, not surprisingly, modest. "It's about the whole act of eating. You could be dealing with a Supreme Court justice or a neighborhood artist, but when they come here there's no hierarchy. It seems so really basic. And the satisfaction is so immediate. I can see myself doing this for the rest of my life."

SHAKING BEEF
Light and dark soy sauces, rice wine, and Vietnamese fish sauce are available at Asian markets such as New May Wah Supermarket (Clement Street or Irving Street). Regular soy sauce can be substituted.

2 pounds filet mignon, fat trimmed and meat cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon sugar
2 large pinches salt
1 pinch ground pepper
Peanut oil

Vinaigrette Sauce:

1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup rice wine
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
3 green onions, cut into 1-inch lengths
1/2 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
8 teaspoons butter
1 head red leaf lettuce, separated into leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of 1/2 lime

In a nonmetal bowl, mix meat with garlic, sugar, salt,pepper and 2 tablespoons oil. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Prepare vinaigrette sauce by combining rice vinegar, sugar, rice wine and soy and fish sauce.

Divide meat and onions into four equal portions for cooking four separate times. Place a wok over high heat, add about 2 tablespoons oil, and when smoking, add 1 portion of beef in an even layer. Let it sit until it forms a brown crust. With a spatula, turn meat to brown on the other side. When meat is brown (about 1 minute), add 1 portion of green onions and sliced onion, then cook onions for 30 seconds. Pour 3 tablespoons of vinaigrette sauce down the side of the wok, then shake pan to release beef. Add 2 teaspoons of butter and continue to shake pan until butter is melted. Spoon hot beef over some red leaf lettuce. Repeat with remaining beef, onions, vinaigrette and butter, adding more oil to wok each time. Serve with salt and pepper mixed with lime juice for dipping. Serves 4

Suggested wine: 1995 Yarra Yering Dry Red #2 (Rhone blend), Yarra Valley, Australia