Best Sandwiches on the Ave.

I ordered by number, then asked for a nuoc chanh. The waitress put her whole body into her smile and asked why not? making lemonade an astonishing indulgence. I set the long-handled spoon aside, and let the grains of sugar fall to the bottom.

Deep-green lettuce, dark basil, and bright coriander fanned out around a central bowl of pale orange sauce. I expected a skewer of meatballs, but set into the disk of salad was a tray with three pieces of sugar cane wrapped in a speckled shrimp paste. The cane was fruit-sweet, fibrous. Translucent pancakes waited in a tower of blue steamer baskets. I made slender rolls, trying not to overwhelm the shrimp. Later, almost sated, I picked up thin white noodles scattered in peanuts with scraps of brilliant lettuce, and dipped them in plum sauce.

[Same game.]