3915 Arnold Ave Suite A, Naples, FL 34104
This is a combination of two posts about Saigon To Paris. The first was a simple visit, but the second I think is a very good reminder of the struggles of the restaurant business, especially in 2022.
Reposted from August 24, 2021
Stopped by for lunch.
The Good: It smelled like Pho, which if you've never had, just smells like a wonderful home cooking smell; warm and welcoming. I ordered the Char Sui Banh Mi and the flavor was spot on. I wish the bread were SLIGHTLY crustier like a true baguette, but the it had just the right saltiness to blend with the sweetness of the pork. Definitely will go back and check out the Pho and hopefully the Bun if they have that on the menu. The Cha Gio egg rolls were a little overdone, but again, taste was right there. I was also impressed with the bakery case offerings and hopefully I get lots of hugs from my little girl for the macarons I brought home.
The Bad: This is a very small restaurant (like the size of my bathroom small) and everyone in the restaurant was exercising their freedoms, including the staff, so if you are Covid-conscious this may not be the place for you.
Reposted from January 9, 2022
I stopped by one of my, and a lot of people on this lists, favorite spots, Saigon To Paris and ended up having an enjoyable and enlightening conversation with the owner Danny.
For those of you who don't know, STP is a must-try destination in the industrial district off of Airport for authentic Vietnamese AND French comfort food. All the pastries and breads are baked on site. Danny moved to Paris from Vietnam when he was seven, hence the name.
I was very curious about what it was like to own a restaurant in Naples and the challenges currently faced. He was very honest and forthcoming and couldn't have been kinder and more respectful. Here are the takeaways that I think are worth sharing:
He (and many other proprietors) absolutely read this group. He owes a lot of his success to it as almost all of the feedback has been very positive. He did express to me how much the politicization of everything detracts from the information. He also said that responses to questions like "Where do you find the best pizza? New Jersey" do nothing to help the local food community, which he is trying to help grow and diversify, so keep that in mind when sharing your views or snark.
Despite his food costs going up 20-50%, he refuses to raise his prices. He's says he's not in it exclusively for the money, but for the joy of serving people delicious food and to raise his prices could alienate a lot of his consumers, especially the lunchtime rush that comes in from around the industrial district the restaurant is in.
I asked him about certain Vietnamese classics (like the Vietnamese egg crepe Banh Xeo) that aren't on the menu and he told me he took some off because of the lack of support and trouble finding help and didn't want to serve it if he couldn't do it the right way.
To that point, he talked about the growing popularity and said he would rather shut down the restaurant for a few days if he has staffing issues because of covid, etc, than be open and offer bad service and a bad experience. He said that when they got reviewed in the Naples Daily News, the response was so huge that they had to shut down for two days to make sure they had all the right foodstuffs, rather than be sold out of stock items and offer a limited menu. Basically, he gets that if someone comes and has a bad experience, they will not come back. Smart man.
All in all he was a terrific and and passionate man who does nothing but work at his craft and take tremendous joy in serving the food of his two homelands. These are the types of places I highly endorse supporting. Go there asap, you won't be sorry.
I wanna go!!!