Adam & Eats: Tran’s Restaurant

Editor’s note: Adam Brandt is a graduate from the Cobra Kai School of Culinary Callousness, where he received their highest award, the Red Apron of Merciless Eating. Aside from eating and talking about eating, he makes pots, paintings, prints, books, photographs, and generally, a big mess. He has been the studio assistant at Mudpuppy Pottery for almost nine years and is attending a local university in a desperate attempt to earn a biology degree.

This week I bring you yet another goody. This time we have to hop to the opposite side of the street from where we were last week and land in a place filled with winos, bombs, and salmon from the Rio Grande. No, this is not the set of a summer blockbuster. It is an Asian restaurant.

Located on Rogers Avenue, just a few minutes walk away from Mr. Shark, is the home of Tran’s Restaurant.

Simple, sparse, and tidy are the words that come to mind as you enter Tran’s. You will have barely had a chance to wrap your head around the beautiful giant Koi carved into the front sidewalk before being thrust into the insanity that is their menu. The ordering process is like that of a fast food restaurant, where you place an order at the counter, pay, and then wait at your table for your food to arrive. That is, if you can figure out what you want to order.

The normal recipes are represented there of course (Moo Goo Gai Pan, chow meins, lo meins, eggrolls, etc.), but the items that caught my attention and more than likely yours as well are named things like “Wino Deluxe”, “Donald Bomb”, and “Rio Grande Salmon.” According to Mr. Tran and his wife Kim, the ridiculously friendly and helpful owners and operators of Tran’s, they love recipes regardless of the nation of origin, so they serve a little bit of everything. They hesitate to limit themselves to a specific genre, but the cuisine is patently Asian in nature ranging from Chinese to Vietnamese with a pinch of American influence thrown in for good measure.

Suggestions for what to order? But, of course. I must give a little caveat first, though. If you don’t love garlic, you might be a little put off by Tran’s heavy-handed use of the stuff. Okay, that said now back to the food.

If I had a t-shirt that read “I Heart Wino Deluxe” I would wear it everyday. Maybe I’ll learn an instrument, start a band, and we’ll call ourselves Wino Deluxe. That’s how awesome it is. The Wino Deluxe is a combo plate of pan seared shrimp, beef, and chicken, with mixed veggies, all piled high atop a mountain of rice that has been cooked in rice wine and ginger. Holy crap! This plate is so savory that your taste buds will abandon the other four tastes and become fervent disciples of the church of Umami.

Savory food not your bag? Well, the curry coconut plate has the wonderful combination of sweet and spicy down to a fine art. It consists of your choice of meat (or Tofu for you vegetarians out there), vegetables, and a thick curried coconut milk sauce layered on a bed of fluffy white rice. Also, their steamed dumplings are in my top three for the entire River Valley. I have yet to try the Donald Bomb, but it has black beans on it, so it is bound to play upon my heartstrings.

The best thing about the menu, other than its playfulness, is that almost every dish can be made as spicy or mild as you want it to be. Let’s put it this way; Mr. Tran makes my Wino Deluxe “regular spicy” and my eyelids sweat. Or maybe those are just tears of happiness. Who knows?

If you love to eat delicious food with bizarre names, I highly recommend Tran’s. And if anyone happens to make me a “I Heart Wino Deluxe” t-shirt, please email me and let me know. I’ll wear it proudly as I prowl the streets looking for more places to fill my belly and tell you about it. Until next week, good eating to you and yours.

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When he’s not beating his eggs, Adam makes time to respond to e-mails that get past his hard-ass spam filter. You can try to reach him at [email protected]

Adam also has this thing called Sandwich Control.