Eating Ethnic in and around Sioux County

One of my biggest passions in life is food. That should come as no surprise to you, since I am from New Orleans which is inundated with fantastic food at every corner, but even though my memories of home-cooking will always be cajun/creole, my heart and stomach are always craving something a little more exotic (for me- obviously cajun/creole food is pretty exotic to most people). So when I moved to rural Iowa I was not expecting to find any restaurants that catered to my ethnic food needs, especially any that could live up to some of the places I was used to ( Bangkok Cuisine, Taj Mahal, Nine Roses, and the mega Asian Superstore on the westbank - the best bank for Vietnamese cooking- all New Orleans greats). So when our friend, the chef and our roommate, Kirk, took us to Sioux City to eat at some of his favorite ethnic spots, I was little pessimistic to say the least. However, I should have known that Kirk knew what he was talking about since his father spent a lot of his life in Thailand and Asia and Kirk's favorite foods all center around Asian fare. So we headed to Sioux City to check out a few local Vietnamese places first. Cafe Danh located at, 1529 Pierce Street, Sioux City, IA 51105, was our first joint to explore, and we actually got the recommendation from some Vietnamese friends of ours that live around here. The atmosphere was nothing to be excited about, but that is a trend that seems to hold true for all of the haunts that we explored, however we came for one thing, well maybe two. Bahn-mi and Beer. Being Sunday, the only day that my boyfriend, myself, and Chef Kirk have off from work and living in a town that sells practically nothing on Sunday, especially alcohol, we were craving some relaxation and good food. So with a couple of Tsing-tao's and some Bahn-Mi we had heard about, we were ready for a little taste of heaven. Bahn-Mi "is a Vietnamese baguette made with wheat and rice flour, as well as a type of sandwich traditionally made with this type of baguette. The sandwich is made up of thinly sliced pickled carrots and daikon, onions, cilantro, jalapeño peppers and meat or tofu. Popular bánh mì fillings include roasted or grilled pork, Vietnamese Ham, paté, mayonnaise, chicken, and head cheese."



The Bahn-Mi at Cafe Danh

This sandwich contained a few types of pate, some grilled pork, and all of the other fixin's. It was so wonderful and because one sandwich literally cost $2.50, we took three home for later. Christian did try some of their Pho, but unfortunately I have to say it was really not good, however our next spot knew how to get it right. Da Kao, Chinese and Vietnamese Restaurant, located at 800 West 7th Street, Sioux City, IA 51103, is great place to get a large steaming hot bowl of pho, with all of the wonderful and fresh herbs and such that go on top. I would ask for extra cilantro though, because they never seem to give enough. Pho is the main dish that I would go to Da Kao for but their Spring Rolls are pretty good and they also have some good looking Chinese dishes, if that is what you are looking for. Just right up the street from Da Kao though has become the place of my infatuation, Diamond Thai Cuisine. It is no secret that i love everything spicy and any Thai curry dish would be my last meal If I was about to face my creator, so on another food scouting mission I took the belt off and let my waistline go for an all out gorge fest at Diamond Thai. I can't remember everything that we ordered, but the standouts were the beef salad, squid salad, lemongrass and seafood soup, chicken skewers, some type of sweet corn fritters, and the pumpkin curry.



Pumpkin Curry at Diamond Thai

Well I couldn't talk about ethnic food without including my other two staples, Sushi and Indian. Before moving to Iowa, sushi was a staple in my diet. I ate sushi in some form or another at least two times a week. It helped a lot that I worked right behind Whole Foods in New Orleans, and their sushi happened to be a perfect lunch pickup for me. But sushi was not really an option for me when moving to Iowa, where fish are barely found and if they are the quality mostly sucks, unless it is a good frozen import. So I was thrilled when I went to Fuji Bay Japanese Restaurant, located at 513 6th St., Sioux City, IA 51101. I went there on a covert operation, because my boyfriend told me not to even try sushi that came out of Iowa. So one day I bellied up to the sushi bar at Fuji Bay and ordered the sashimi lunch, I am not really a roll fanatic, because I don't want to mask the real flavors of what sushi is about, Fish. The sashimi had tuna, white fish, and salmon and it came with miso soup. Honestly, I am glad that those were the fish chosen, because I know that most people can get good quality frozen types of these fish. And the sashimi plate was great as well as the company of the sushi master himself. All around it was a good experience and I would definitely go back.



Sashimi Plate. Yum!

Well last on the culinary tour actually takes us away from Sioux City and to the more urban and upcoming area of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This is the only place to find Indian Food within 90 miles of here. Taste of India in Sioux Falls is great and even does a buffet for lunch with almost every type of Indian dish for you to try. I don't make it there often, because honestly I really don't like Sioux Falls at all, it has NO SOUL, but I will travel there to eat and shop.

I hope that if you are a foodie, like myself, and are traveling around the Sioux County area and beyond that this will give you some hope for finding some good ethnic spots, which happen to be cheap eats too. However, if you really want to find some good ethnic food and don't mind driving a bit, just head to Omaha, where you can find any type of good food imaginable. If you do travel to Omaha though and are looking for some recommendations, please don't hesitate to write me. Thanks for reading.