EPISODE 10 Mark Bittman vs. Charles Phan, The Slanted Door

In San Francisco, Charles Phan's upscale Vietnamese restaurant Slanted Door is a runaway success - and probably the most successful Asian restaurant in the country. Bittman has been there many times, but it's clear he's on uncertain footing when he squares off against Phan's traditional summer rolls. Our Hero thinks he's invented something new when he deconstructs the familiar roll and creates a salad of its ingredients but Phan, with a hint of admiration, tells him it's a classic Vietnamese salad called bun.

Next Phan gives Bittman a lesson in the real wok, with its roaring flame, and Bittman retreats to a normal stove. Finally, turning up the heat even more, Charles grills lamb over red-hot mesquite and serves it with finger-licking-good tamarind sauce. Bittman, however, prepares the simplest of grilled dishes: Vietnamese-flavored squid over mesquite, a dish that takes him ten minutes start to finish.


MEET THE CHEF Charles Phan

Charles Phan

Slanted door notes

Charles Phan
415 215 2819
charles@slanteddoor.com

booked six weeks in advance
18 family members work there

family, ethnic Chinese in Vietnam, moved from there to Guam in 75; from Guam to SF in 77. Charles, then 13 (actually 15, but 13 legally), went to HS in SF but also got into pottery, which apparently he was good at. Got into and went to Berkeley. (His English is accented but very easy to understand and better than fluent.) Studied architecture.
When he decided to open SD, about eight years ago, thought, 'why not do for my food what Chez Panisse and Zuni did for Euro food?' So he has focussed on organic ingredients, uses a wood oven, grills over mesquite. Now he refuses to use food processors and meat grinders, saying hand-chopped stuff is much better. Bartender squeezes juices to order for mixed drinks. he has good things to say about how to cook in a wok - "it's not a salad bowl with a flame underneath."
Likes to go camping. Otherwise, too busy building three new restaurants and raising three kids to do much else. Wife is Thai. Travels to SE Asia a lot. Very principled, good guy, very likeable.