Vietnam old and new

Ba Bay

"Modernism is easy to spot on the page, especially for collegiate English majors, but how the concept succeeds at the dining table is much less clear. Does modern food offer high-tech flourishes or quirky ingredients? Should it boggle the mind with plate design or go back to basics?

Those are the questions admirably tackled at Ba Bay, a sleek new boîte in the shadow of Eastern Market that promises modern Vietnamese that still pays homage to the classics. The restaurant’s appellation, after all, mirrors the nickname of the owner’s grandmother (Ba Bay means “Madame Seven”). In walking the line between modernism and traditionalism, however, the kitchen ends up riffing on the second form more often than the first — and for satisfied diners, that’s a good thing."