No. 79, Broken Rice at Dat Thanh

Dave Lieberman

From now until OC Weekly's Best Of issue comes out, Stick a Fork In It will be counting down one hundred of our favorite dishes in the county--one dish we think you should be eating each day until the magnum opus is published. We love Dat Thanh for its nem nướng cuốn, pork sausage wrapped up in rolls that beat the doyenne of nem nướng cuốn, Brodard... but that's not the only thing on its menu, even if it is an enormous picture on the outside of the menu.

No, Dat Thanh has awesome cơm tấm, too--broken rice garnished with your choice of several toppings. The rice itself has a texture more like couscous, because of the irregular shape of the rice; the toppings range from the county's best tàu hũ ky (fried tofu skin stuffed with shrimp paste), a huge mound of sweet Chinese sausage, chả (a pork and noodle quiche) and bì, shredded pork tossed in toasted rice powder. Eat one of these $8.89 plates at lunch and you won't be hungry for dinner.

The list so far:

80. Bulgogi and Potato Pizza at Chicken & Pizza Love Letter
81. Braised Bacon at Break of Dawn
82. Cake Donut at Cream Pan
83. Bistec de Pollo at Mercado El Rey
84. The Rhino at Rancho a Go Go
85. Cabernet Brownies at Blackmarket Bakery
86. Cookie Monster at Lola Ice Cream and Deli
87. Polenta Board at CUCINA Enoteca
88. Falafel Taco at Taco Asylum
89. Wagon-Wheel Bread at THE RANCH Restaurant
90. Toothpick Tacos at Mexico Supermarket
91. Hoppin' John at Memphis at the Santora
92. Free Beans and Chips at Taqueria Zamora
93. Pig in a Blanket Waffle with Gringo Bandito at Cafe Calacas
94. "Pork Hash" at Huong Giang
95. Sweet Chili Chicken Quesadilla At Kogi
96. Licuados at Mil Jugos
97. Hawaiian Ahi Poke at California Fish Grill
98. Takoyaki at Takoyaki Tanota
99. Fiesta Noodles at Jollibee
100. Chilaquiles Verdes Con Huevos Estrellados at La Tablita California

Click here to view our 100 Favorite Dishes of 2010!
Click here to view our 100 Favorite Dishes of 2011!

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