My favorite thing about traveling is that there are so many
wonderful things you can see and experience during your time
there. The food contributes to the aroma of the city, and the
languages spoken within these restaurants indicate the diversity and
wealth of global culture that a city can provide an individual. As I
get reacquainted with the city of my youth, I visited Asian Grill at
333 North 78th Street.
I came here thinking I was going somewhere else that I had
heard about before. But, when I arrived I saw that that place was
no longer there and, instead, there was a new Asian restaurant in its
place, with the magic words, “pho” glowing in red neon letters.
The name leaves the imagination starved, but there are two other
words that are much more impressive: chili paste. It does not matter
that they were out of basil, because the chili paste is key. I love the
stuff. They leave oiled down, milder versions on the table, but if you
ask, they will bring out the real deal that is in back that packs more
of a punch – like Thai chilies sort of punch. This simple fact makes
Asian Grill the number one place for me.
The owner was gracious enough to come out and apologize for
running out of basil. A married couple owns the Asian Grill. She
is Hmong and he is Vietnamese. She said her husband likes