Cà Phê Sữa Đá, Four Seasons Kitchen

Midtown · Vietnamese · $ · 555 S. Virginia St #102 · fourseasonskitchenreno.com · Tue–Sun 11am–9pm, Mon closed

Ken Vong already had fourteen years successfully running Crawfish Asian Cuisine before he spent two years fighting permits to open Four Seasons. The quieter of his two restaurants, it is built around the Vietnamese food he grew up on but never put on the Crawfish menu — on purpose, dish by dish, no crossover, just the authentic Vietnamese dishes he grew up with.

However, its the Vietnamese coffee ($5.50), that is reason enough to visit. Ken builds it the traditional way: a metal phin filter set right on the glass, dark robusta dripping slow into a pool of condensed milk waiting underneath, made fresh per cup rather than batched ahead — which is why it takes a few extra minutes. He eases the intensity back slightly with a bit more creamer, on the theory that most people can't handle it at full Vietnamese strength, but stir it together and it turns into one long swirl of gold. Poured over ice, it somehow still feels warm going down.

This is the best Vietnamese coffee in town. Second to none — I can't even see second place.

Insider tip: Keep an eye out for Ken's brunch menu — he's building one out for Fridays and Sundays.