Elite Event: Year of the Snake at Saigon Kitchen

What Anne said about the slaw. This wasn’t just slaw… this was * slaw. And, I’m TOUGH on food, and especially on slaw. I hope to see that offered when next I go.
Mounds of tasty food; forget your standard fast food Chinese fare. This ain’t it. But what it IS is the new go-​to when in Hartford. Its with walking of The Center and, well, just about anything downtown. Others have enumerated the offerings in detail, so we’ll not repeat their eloquent efforts, but I will say that the chicken kin were my faves; peanut sauce rich and the hot and spicy had a decent kick. The tofu, of all things, pleased me greatly; that’s a lot to say from an avowed carnivore.
There’s something about an open kitchen… and staff. Many of the crew were out and about, answering questions. One question answered at a subsequent event was, «Why Saigon, when the food is Chinese?» Wull, the influence is VN, as the owners were born there, but they are ethnic Chinese, and the food is solidly in that court.
And, a stately nod to the Crispin, which was wonderfully tasty, and the offerings by the Green Tea House tasty.
Emily and Paige, well done.
* Guess… Google translate.

So, this was by far the best Chineese in the area!
I am so happy we were able to attend.
Everything was so clean from the food, to the atmosphere and the kitchen as well.
I won’t repeat what everyone else has written, but I will say…
«When can w go back»!!!

What a great event! The food was delicious, and seemingly endless. I can’t wait to go back to Saigon Kitchen to get some more tofu. Seriously, that was probably my favorite dish, and I’m debating going back there today to get more. Big thank you to Crispin and Blue Moon for providing the drinks. The Crispin was a great compliment to the food. I thought the number of people for the size of the venue was good. It almost bordered on too full, but I find that it makes people mingle and meet more than they otherwise would. And, as always, I met some great people at this event. Thank you, Emily!

This was my first Unilocal Elite event and what a fun evening.
I enjoyed meeting other Unilocalers in area and really enjoyed the food at Saigon Kitchen. The Spicy Tofu had me going back for seconds. Although the restaurant was a little cramped for such a well attended event it was great to have Blue Moon there and the Tea company as well.
We dine in out in Hartford frequently and never noticed this hidden gem or a restaurant.
I will definitely attend another Unilocal Hartford event and make it back to Saigon Kitchen as well.
Also… loved the special Unilocal fortune cookies!

My first Elite night out… absolutely superb! Thank you to Emily C, and the Saigon Kitchen staff for a truly great evening. I was not aware of Saigon Kitchen before this event, but I will definitely be back. Great food, great hosts, I loved meeting other Unilocalers. Yeah Unilocal!Thanks for a memorable night in Hartford.

I loved everything about this.
Finally, I have found a Chinese place in Hartford that is good for the vegetarians.
Thanks Emily and Paige for setting this up!

There’s a big difference between «takeout» Chinese food and more upscale Chinese food. I clearly saw the difference at the Year of the Snake Elite Event at Saigon Kitchen. Let me say «SK» definitely falls into the latter category.
I had heard many good things about this place prior to attending and the rumors were all true.
Saigon Kitchen got it right with an excellent buffet that had all the common staples: crab rangoon, pan seared dumplings and spring rolls for appetizers; veggie lo mein and veggie fried rice for sides and hot and spicy chicken and chicken satay with peanut sauce for the main dishes. (I skipped the sesame tofu and Asian style slaw)
My favorite dish was the hot and spicy chicken. Similar to Hunan Chicken, I actually thought it needed more kick. But I realize when hosting an event like this for a diverse group you have to keep the heat to a minimum. It tasted great and overall I would order this again.
The dumplings featured more filling and less shell, always a plus, and the spring rolls and crab rangoon were not at all greasy.
Great variety and great taste. And extra credit for an open bar featuring Blue Moon beer and Crispin cider as well as tea selections from the excellent Green Teahouse in West Hartford.
This spread of food was on par with the the better rep Chinese restaurants in the area such as Great Taste and Butterfly.
Thanks to Emily C. for another outstanding Unilocal Elite event! I will be coming back here to try many of their other menu items.

I have to admit, I didn’t even know this place existed. Even though I’ve been right around the corner! So a big shout out to Emily for the introduction.
The food was plentiful, and delicious. Much to my amazement the tofu was my favorite food of the night. And I don’t even like tofu. But this was not the normal mushy, bland, no flavor tofu of my past experiences. I also enjoyed the dumplings, lo mein, rice, and chicken. So much good food to try.
Blue moon beer is the best– and I’m not a beer drinker. But it was perfect for washing down all the good food.
The tea service was a lovely addition that fit the evening.
It was a little cramped in there for the huge turn out that attended. But everywhere I turned were smiling faces saying hello and introducing themselves. So while it was crowded, it was a really friendly crowd.
These events keep getting better and better. Thanks to Emily!!!

Dayum.
Oh, sure, some of you fancy pants Unilocal Elite gangstas and your loquacious vocabularies best describe your eating experiences in Shakespearean monologues. But why spend so many words when a simple swear word can do the trick.
That’s right, muthafuckas. Dayum.
We’re talkin’ about endless piles of spring rolls and dumplings so mouthwaterin’ they make you wonder if somebody got stabbed. Crab rangoon filled with that savory crabmeat so good it makes you think, «Did a virgin get sacrificed for this? I wonder if she was cute.»
The vegetable lo mein, the sesame tofu, the peanut sauced-​drizzled chicken. I don’t have to tell you. You were there! You remember!
«But Josh, what if the food runs out?» Oh, sure, in a regular ol’ Unilocal event maybe that’s possible. But here at Saigon Kitchen, they’ve apparently built a wormhole in their kitchen which goes directly to some alternate universe where they seemingly have so much awesome Chinese food that they can just keep feeding me until the only thing left is a full stomach and the gentle regrets of a life lived too hard, too fast.
Dayum.
Oh, did you want beer with that? How about cider? No, alcohol isn’t your thing because your promised your parole officer you’d take it easy on Thursdays? Well enjoy some lovely tea, presented by The Green Tea House. Don’t worry if you don’t «get» tea — all of the wonderful health benefits are printed right there on a label so even you and I can understand. High quality shit right here.
Dayum.
If there was a drawback, it’s that Saigon Kitchen lacked the size to contain the awesomeness of the food, the beer, the tea, and of course, the lovely company of all of my fellow Unilocalers and their +1’s, whom I vow to treat somewhat like human beings even if I don’t really trust them.
Thanks again to Emily and Page for throwing another lovely event. Thanks to Saigon Kitchen for bringing out piles and piles of bangin’ Chinese food. Thanks to the Green Tea House for their wonderful teas. And thanks to Blue Moon and Crispin Cider for bringing the nectar of the gods.
Dayum. It just kinda says it all, doesn’t it?
Just in case it doesn’t:

Imagine a high quality Chinese buffet.
What’s on the menu? How about three appetizers; say crab rangoons, spring rolls, and pork dumplings. What are the entrees? How about veggie lo mein, fried rice, sesame tofu, hot and spicy chicken, peanut chicken, and a zippingly refreshing carrot celery slaw. Oh, and let’s throw in an open bar with Blue Moon, Crispin cider, and an apple-​sake. How about some raspberry fortune cookies and excellent tea to end the meal? Toss in a super friendly attentive staff that must have filled the food trays 20 times. And let’s top it off with about 50 of the nicest people you’re ever going to meet.
That’s what I saw at last night’s shindig at the Saigon Kitchen, The food was ridiculously good, I loved the tofu (it looked like roasted pork) but had a great silky smooth taste. I also liked the peanut chicken with its decadent peanut sauce.
I had a great time mingling with the crowd and having some great conversations with some very nice folks. I’ve never been to the Saigon Kitchen before, but now that I know where it is, I absolutely will patronize them. The staff there was so accomodating and friendly.
Thank you Emily and Paige for putting all of those moving parts together. I really had a great time.

What do you get when you combine a killer chinese buffet with enough mouth watering items to make even the pickest eater swoon, a great group of poeple, and an open bar featuring Crispin cidar and Blue Moon beer? Another fabulous Unilocal event shared with the company of old and new friends on a Thursday evening.
I will admitt that prior to last night’s event, I have passed by Saigon Kitchen several times, thinking that it was just another Chinese take-​out restaurant. Small in size, I thought it was nothing special. However, after spending several hours at Saigon Kitchen, mingling with the staff and owners, and trying their amazing food — I realize I was wrong. Saigon Kitchen has to be doing something right to remain in business for 25+ years.
I wish I could pick a standout but everything I ate was really that good. It’s amazing to see how even your most standard Chinese menu item– like the vegetable spring rolls for example — can be elevated using quality ingredients that you could tell were fresh and not frozen.
Everything that the staff and owners at Saigon Kitchen prepared for us was awesome — from the crispy tofu to dumplings (a personal standout for me). The steam trays were constantly refilled, so no matter what time you arrived, you were guarenteed something good! And at the end of the night the staff even provided containers for the left overs so you could relieve the experience in the comfort of your home.
My personal favorites included the dumplings which had just enough crispiness without being too greasy. I had been hard pressed to find a dumpling in the Hartford area that has more meat than dough, but after last night I think my quest has ended! Even my +1 (a non tofu eater) raved about the «sesame» dish and was quite surprised when I told him it was tofu. You better believe I got a picture as proof.
Also — can we stop and talk for a moment about the carrot/​celery slaw. I was told by one of the chef’s — recent culinary school graduate — that the slaw was something she just «whipped up» before the event. What??? — please put that on the menu ASAP. Fresh and citrusy with a hint of cilantro — it was a perfect compliment to everything else Saigon Kitchen had to offer.
.
Additionally — Angela the Crispin/​Blue Moon reprenstative was great. Mark and I have met her at a previous Elite event (Griff’s Chicken Shack) and the SunWine Fest and consider ourselves her Crispin Groupies. Always pleasant, it was great to see her at this event.
Again — another great job by our CM Emily C and Paige. A good time was had by myself and my +1 and we will definately be back during normal business hours for the crispy tofu, dumplings and hopefully some of the carrot/​celery slaw.