There is a Vietnamese restaurant called Present in Falls Church, VA that my mother and I love. The food is absolutely delicious, and the atmosphere far surpasses that of all of the other Vietnamese restaurants in the Falls Church/Eden Center area. For those of you unfamiliar with that area of Virginia, it is Vietnamese restaurant central. Some of our other favorites in the area include Huong Viet and Viet Royale. If you're in the area you really have to check them out. Try the butter-fried frog legs and lotus root salad at Huong Viet, and the banh xeo and caramel shrimp at Viet Royale. But if you go to Present, you absolutely have to try two things - the "Treasure of the Sea" (a fantastic salad made with pineapple, carrot, onion, lemongrass, fried garlic, roasted peanuts, tiger shrimp, and calamari) and the "Silken Shawl Imperial Autumn Roll" (the best pork and shrimp stuffed Vietnamese spring roll that you have ever had).
Today for lunch I decided to try and make a version of their "Treasure of the Sea" using large shrimp, pineapple, red onion, cilantro, mint, roasted salted peanuts, lime juice, fish sauce and a touch of sugar. I can't claim that my version of the salad is anywhere near as good as the one they serve at Present, but it was still a really nice fresh, tasty lunch on a warm late spring/early summer day. The next time I make the salad I think I will add in calamari for variety and perhaps some fried shallots for crunch.
Recipe (and pictures of the food at Present) after the jump!
