Metairie 2: Orleans Line To Houma Blvd

Gretna

The most ambitious Vietnamese restaurant in the area, Hoa Hong 9 (it means "Nine Roses") not only cooks every Vietnamese dish you ever heard of, but also a full Chinese menu, too. That adds up to almost 300 dishes, including many found in no other local restaurants. A major renovation since the hurricane makes it the most welcoming of all the Vietnamese places, and a good place for the uninitiated to begin their discovery of this exciting cuisine. Prices are almost laughably low.

Uptown 4: Riverbend, Carrollton & Broadmoor

The menus for lunch and dinner seem to come from two very different restaurants. The midday selection is riddled with Asian broth-and-noodles dishes. The evening menu breaks away from all of that. The six small plates and seven large ones could be served in any New Orleans gourmet bistro. You're more likely to figure out the Vietnamese heritage here by looking at the chefs and servers than by reading the menu.