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When I worked for California Culinary Academy recruiting future student chefs, I mastered my way through the authentic eateries in the seedy Tenderloin district. Returning to Bodega Bistro last week, I found the food delicious and service attentive.

Ambiance.
Dim lightning and dark colored walls create a cross between casual and fancy. For a quick lunch meal, you can escape the frequent police honks and rowdy homeless crowd.

Food.
Start with the crispy spring rolls ($7.20) served alongside mint, crunchy cucumbers, and leafy lettuce. Result, crispy and light.
The garlic noodles ($5.40), pungent assembled with light egg noodles. Stealing the show is their crab noodle soup. Served in a tomatoes soup base, clusters of crab meat, tofu, and sweet ground pork swim in a sweet savory broth. Thin rice noodles cooked al dente must be slurped. It’s appropriate to bob your head during slurping process. Drizzle the lettuce and mint as cooling agents. Steam rolling to noodle heaven, the beef noodle pho is the best I have had around town. With a robust beef flavor, steak slices add character to the dish. Fragrant basil leaves and bright sprouts accompany the noodle dish. Also, try their pad thai. Marrying sweet and sour flavors, chewy noodles and plump shrimp complete a great dish. Advertising themselves as IndoChine cuisine, the menu offers Vietnamese, Thai, and a few Chinese dishes. Praises to our server Ben. Recognizing that we were still working on our appetizer, he served the noodle soup only after we finished our starter courses.

Hint: The best thing about Bodega Bistro is that you can ask the server to separate an order of noodle dish into two equal portions to share. Also, request that your sprouts be blanched so that other wise cold sprouts will decrease temperature of the hot broth.

Consultant Hat.
Bodega Bistro serves delicious food with great presentation. They have differentiated well against other Vietnamese restaurants with attention to detail including a modern design and great food plating. There restaurant would be more admired in a more family focused neighborhood such as 9th and Irving or on the eatery row on Clement st. Location plays a major role. When looking for location, imagine the logistics of your customers including parking, paying meter, safety, and convenience. For instance, Bodega Bistro located in a plaza would be a great fit. Customers can buy groceries, develop film, shop for the newest shoes, rent a DVD, all after a good meal. Never select a location based on price or square footage. Instead, think out of the box and consider the foot traffic that can generate a good return on investment.

Bodega Bistro
Bodega Bistro, 607 Larkin St. (at Eddy), San Francisco; (415) 921-1218.
Lunch 10 a.m.-3 p.m., dinner 5-10 p.m. daily.

Now thru April 24th, 60% off Dinner of the Month Club purchase at Restaurant.com. Use code FLAVOR!