The Slanted Door -- San Ramon, CA (Modern Vietnamese)

My first visit to The Slanted Door was in 2008, after a number of years of their establishment. This first visit was to the Ferry Building location in San Francisco, which I still enjoy. I was amazed at how upscale this familiar food was and how elegant, something I took for granted, could be. I have been a fan ever since.

Now with four locations, including one in France, once can have sophisticated faire whenever possible. My most recent visit was to the San Ramon location. Located at 6000 Bollinger Canyon Road, Suite 1300, this space was vast, with nature as the inspiration for the decor. The live-edge counters and gray stone felt cool and relaxing on a hot summer day.


https://slanteddoor.com/sanramon

Here are some of the things I've enjoyed.

White Chrysanthemum Flower Herbal Tea. This may not pass the buck for the non-tea lover, but as a tea lover, I enjoyed this delicate drink. It was as fragrant as a lying in a field of wildflowers, but without the bugs. I was comforted by the light notes of sweet citrus and grass. 

Crispy Imperial Rolls. Anything fried and crispy is always a winner in my book. These were filled with wild gulf shrimp, pork, and tree ear mushrooms. The vermicelli noodle, roasted peanuts, sweet fish sauce and fresh lettuce and mint on the side made each bite crispy, savory, refreshing and tasty.

Bánh Bèo. These were reminiscent of the half golf ball-sized dumplings I enjoyed during a long-ago trip to Vietnam. These flat, rice flour dumplings had the perfect texture, not too chewy and not too soft. They were topped with mung beans, pork cracklings, dried shrimp and scallions. The ubiquitous sweet fish sauce opened up all the flavors in this one-bite delight. 

 

Charcuterie Plate. As a liver lover, I could have had three orders of this as my whole meal. The pâté maison was similar to head cheese, with small chunks held together with pork gelatin. The pork cha, also known as Vietnamese ham, was silky and smooth. The chicken liver mousse made for a great, savory base spread on the house made baguette before topping with the sweet and crunchy pickled daikon, cucumber, chilies and fennel.

Bok Choy. A well-prepared stir fry of bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, garlic and fish sauce. This was simple, but crunchy and delicious and reminded me of the quick dinners my mom used to make. 

Sausage and Eggs. The lemongrass sausage had a snappy casing and toothsome, well-seasoned meat. The scrambled eggs were done properly, and the sautéed tomatoes were bursting with their juices. The "umami butter" fried rice was very savory and cooked to the perfect chew. I would be very happy to have this for breakfast every weekend. 

Shaking Beef. I would be very happy to have this for dinner every weekend as well. This was 9 ounces of large cubes of grass-fed filet mignon, cooked to medium rare. The gently wilted watercress, seared red onion and lime sauce made this dish a powerhouse of textures and flavors.

I hope to continue visiting these locations for many years to come. I'm very happy this restaurant has been around for as long as it has, and I look forward to dining at their other locations. Fingers cross that I'll even get to the one in France.