Doug M.

Man, I loves me some Vinh Chop Suey. I know this will sound completely unappealing to some, but you just can't get that greasy flavorful fried rice except up in north St. Louis. My default order is a whole order of special fried rice. Special means pork, beef, ham, and shrimp. Now you definitely don't go to these places for the atmosphere, or even to dine in. Vinh is on north Broadway in the Baden neighborhood. It's next to a fire station, in an area that seems relatively safe. (I won't even go to the places on north Grand near Fairgrounds Park.) But still it has a metal-screened door and windows, and at the inside waiting area you pay through an opening in the plastic divider. And yet, the inside is clean and you can actually see the workers preparing the food. Order ahead, rather than waiting to order when you arrive. They can do a pretty brisk lunch business (the only time I go), and you can wind up waiting quite a while if you haven't pre-ordered - especially if there are large, multi-person workplace orders ahead of you. The woman answering the phone and handling orders & money at the pickup window is an older Chinese/Asian woman who only seems to speak enough English to do just that. But she's quick and good at what she does; and that's half the fun of the whole, slightly seedy adventure. Okay, so I'm not there for the atmosphere - so why am I there. Well, as I said at the top, I can't find fried rice like this anywhere else in the St. Louis area except for north city. Oh, other Chinese restaurants have good food. I don't dispute that. It's just that there is a certain "je ne sais quoi" (or " / " in this case) to the flavor. It's gotta be that greasy savory-ness, perhaps combined with their special way of preparing the meats/shrimp. Whatever it is, it's oh so satisfying. Live a little and give it a try! Side note....One person I work with only orders ham fried rice. He says that way he knows the meat is really pork/ham. Of course, shrimp also is readily identifiable. As for the rest - well beef, pork, and chicken are all pretty generic meats. For all I know it could be dog, cat, and rat...but whatever it is, it's got a flavor that complements the fried rice to a tee.