Jasmine 26

What: Jasmine 26 (Restaurant)

Where: 8 East 26th Street, Minneapolis (just off Nicollet Ave.)

Rating: 7

Non-Quantifiable Rating: Good enough to make me briefly cheat on Chiang Mai Thai

When you have a Vietnamese restaurant on the famed Eat Street in Minneapolis, you have your work cut out for you.  That stretch of Nicollet Avenue is absolutely dripping with authentic and fantastic (if occasionally dive-y) restaurants, including countless excellent Vietnamese joints.  I scoped it out to see if it could stand up to its neighbors.

The hubs and I went to Jasmine 26 at 3:30 on a Saturday afternoon.  The odd timing explains the fact that there were only two other guests there when we arrived, and it almost explains why we were standing at the host stand for an awkwardly long time before anyone appeared to acknowledge us.  Once we were seated, the service improved substantially (the bartender holding the screaming baby was slightly distracting, but if I had a restaurant that served food until 2:30 a.m on weekends (!!), I'd probably take my kids to work too).

The ambiance was sleek and classy (screaming baby excluded), and we were pleasantly surprised to be offered an extensive happy hour menu with great deals ($4.50 starters, $7 entrees and half off beer and wine).  The hubs' fried rice was tasty, my yellow curry soup was impressive, and my spring rolls with peanut sauce were a highlight.  Then again, I'd eat a tire iron if it was slathered in peanut sauce.

I want to come back during dinner hours some time so I can put Jasmine to my ultimate test: green curry.  Worth another trip (gotta love any place that serves a ginormous hunk of bread with their soup - see below).