Xinh Xinh celebrates one year today
About a year ago, Editor supreme Joel Gillespie and I whimsically dined at the newly opened Xinh Xinh Cafe in Urbana. Its location was suspect; parked in the Schnuck's Plaza on Vine and Main in downtown Urbana, next to fast food Chinese, Quizno's, and Papa Murphy's, we didn't see reason to give it much promise.
But then we ate. And ate, and ate. And by the meal's end, we were talking with Shai Mauth, the owner and head chef, about where he came from, and what he intends do to with the place.
The first year has been a solid one. Never are you eating alone when you go in for a big bowl of pho, or a reasonably priced and delicious banh mi. Its reputation grew quickly, and soon enough, the restaurant was being lauded as one of the best and brightest new additions to the recently burgeoning downtown Urbana restaurant scene.
It even earned a number seven slot on the Top New Restaurants of the Decade, here on Smile Politely, beating out the likes of KoFusion and Escobar's, and places like B-Won and even bacaro, whose fans have been crying CHAD, and whining for a recount ever since the list was released.
The reason is simple: the restaurant delivers all the things that the people of Champaign-Urbana desire when dining out: fair prices, good portions, and delicious food.
So, to celebrate, owner Shai Mauth is giving us a little break from his already totally reasonable prices. Today, Tuesday January 26, 2010, there are specials galore, plus giveaways, live music and more. Head on over at any time to check it out:
- For lunch — $5 sampler platter that will include 2 chicken wings, 1 egg roll, 1 deep fried egg, half a sandwich and a thai ice tea
- all day — $5 pho, rice porridge and vermicelli noodles.
- $20 gift card giveaway — chance to enter with every purchase — 5 drawings total
- 8 p.m. will have music and drinks
Cheers to you Xinh Xinh Cafe! You've helped make C-U a better and more delicious place to live.
6 comments
Jim K
Love the pho and pork spring rolls, weekly. Now starving, nice pics!
Anonymous
I am concerned that an article seeking to praise a lovely and delicious restaurant should start with a backhanded compliment about it’s location.
Big, sincere ups to Xinh Xinh and all the regulars and staff!
You shoudn’t be.
Often times things are not as they appear, and that was the point of the paragraph.
Aariq
“Never are you eating alone when you go in for a big bowl of pho”
I totally agree. Something about pho places always makes me feel totally comfortable eating alone. I think its because the bowl IS so big, it’s like you’re having a conversation with your food—you’re totally engaged in it. Plus, when the pho conversation gets boring, Shai is always friendly!
Mike Slagor
What a fantastic party it was tonight! Place was PACKED! Amazing food, always top notch
Keeks
This restaurant is very warm and welcoming. The owner of the place was very friendly. I do like the flavors of the food. I’ve only had the pho and the banh mi. The pho was good—-served with all the traditional sides (e.g., mint, bean sprouts). My only complaint is that the Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwich) does not come standard with pate. Vietnamese restaurants or sandwich shops generally don’t even ask if you want it or not—-it’s just part of the sandwich. Despite this, I still really like flavors of the sandwich. Also, I think that the bread they serve it on is better than any other Vietnamese restaurant or sandwich shop I’ve ever been to. Definitely worth a try. This place is very affordable, too.
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Any tips for incorporating tomatoes or squash?
may cai’ bon. nuoc’ ngoai` biet’ j` ve van hoa’ viet nam
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Looks like you are also all members of the killer sideburns club.
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“more beer is drank” Awesome. Way to go “editors.“
You left out the best part—you have to REMEMBER your number after the beer chugging! Yeah, I’m a member.
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Any tips for incorporating tomatoes or squash?
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You can probably tuck in thinly sliced Romas. But for anything juicier like cherries, brandywines, etc., I would go with Pepin’s method of combining them with bread chunks. Zucchini contains a lot of water, too, so you’re probably best to use it solo or with onions. Saute…