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Project Jenny KLIK - 1st Inf Di v Women in Vietnam RELATED-- To AFVN To Saigon To Vietnam Further Afield Index
From: Jim Anderson
Dated: May 8, 2015
Subject: USAID Restaurant
La Cave for French onion soup, Club Nautique for baked crab, and my vote for the best BLT in Vietnam, the snack bar at Qui Nhon Army Air Field. A good spot was also "The Cock 'N Bull" on Phan Dinh Phung, near NAFORV.
Jim A.
From: Jim Anderson
Dated: May 3, 2015
Subject: USAID Restaurant
Gil MacDonald and I dined there on occasion. The filet mignon/lobster plate was quite good. Regards,
Ron Turner
From: Mike Jackson
Dated: May 8, 2015
Subject: USAID Restaurant
You're making me hungry.
Mike J
USAID and other Restaurants
May 2014
From: Mike Jackson
Dated: May 3, 2014
Subject: USAID Restaurant
BTW, when I was back in Saigon in 2010, the Meyerkord was still there, albeit looking pretty dilapidated. It was some sort of technical school and from what I could see from the outside, what had been the snack bar was now the bookstore. The block that the Splendid was on was demolished and rebuilt much earlier on, probably the late nineties.
Ann
From: Jim Anderson
Dated: May 8, 2015
Subject: USAID Restaurant
Sounds similar to the Guillaume Tell, not in the Newport area but old Saigon Port, Trinh Minh The Street, Khanh Hoi.
Jim A.
From: John Lehman
Dated: May 8, 2015
Subject: USAID Restaurant
There was a great French restaurant in the Newport area. The owner had copied her father’s restaurant in Brittany, France. It was a favorite of the correspondents. I celebrated my 30th birthday in 1965 there, along with 45 of the correspondents. Whenever I ate there, the owner would do the ordering herself. I always hoped that she left in time.
Jay Lehman
From: Jim Anderson
Dated: May 3, 2014
Subject: USAID Restaurant
I ate often at the USAID restaurant on Le Van Duyet from '73-'75. Prior to closing my off base preferences were the Splendid BOQ or Meyerkord snack bar.
Jim A.
From: Ann Kelsey
Dated: May 3, 2014
Subject: USAID Restaurant
I ate at the Splendid in 69 right after I got to Saigon. I lived at the Meyerkord, but the food at the Splendid was better than the snack bar, so I usually took the walk down Nguyen Du to eat.
Ann
From: Ron Turner
Dated: May 8, 2015
Subject: USAID Restaurant
The best Restaurants that I ate at: The absolute best was the Tien Nam (Southern Heaven) which was a block or so from the waterfront. The best meal I ever had in my life included veal boccacini at the Tein Nam. Their menu was heavily French and European, but also had some Chinese and Vietnamese cuisine.
The best lunch spot was about a ten minute walk from AFVN: the Chez Albert . I often ate lunch there always having the Onion soup. It was a large meal in itself with cheese strands dangling the full distance from ones mouth to the bowl. It was a relatively small restaurant and lightly staffed.
For lobster: Francoise's in Nha Trang. It had a drawback being off-limits, but whatever. The lobster was cheap and well prepared, I have no idea the source of the butter, but all was good. The owner had been a legionnaire during the Indo-China war and had his old legion unit books (sort of like HS/College yearbooks). He was off-limits for political reasons (an interesting collection of French (including Franciscans) and Vietnamese wandering in and out to the back rooms late at night). Nevertheless, a very enjoyable person.
Second best in Nha Trang for lobster was La Frigette or whatever was its name. It was heavily frequented by the Americans in town, mostly Cords.
Da Nang: The only good to great food I had in Da Nang was at the Navy Chief's Club. Everything was well prepared.
In Qui Nhon the only good meals I had were at the Seamen's Club. Some food was mediocre, but the steaks were superb.
Regards, Ron
From: Jim Anderson
Dated: May 3, 2015
Subject: USAID Restaurant
Mike:
A great menu at a good price. A Chateaubriand or rib eye with a bottle of Chianti or Mateus....NICE! .
Jim A.
From: Mike Jackson
Dated: May 2, 2014
Subject: USAID Restaurant in Saigon
Does anyone recall the USAID restaurant in Saigon?
Mike J
From: Steve Wiltsie
Dated: May 2, 2014
Subject: USAID Restaurant in Saigon
Vaguely, I was part of a small group of officers who went there for a meal in one of the AFVN jeeps. When we came back out it had been stolen. It was parked about 20 or 30 feet from a QC location. He didn’t see a thing. Hmmm. Anyway, I’ll bet there was some paperwork over that! I don’t remember anything about the location or inside of the place.
Steve Wiltsie
From: Jim White
Dated: August 16, 2015 [Not in date order because it was not sent as a message.]
Subject: USAID Restaurant
The first time I went to the USAID #1 Restaurant was on November 10th, 1970 for the Marine Corp's 195th Anniversary Party. Of course, the Marines were in their dress blues but I went in civilian clothes (had to get special permission to do that and it was one of the few times I was not in uniform in Saigon.
For some reason, on January 12, 1971, I worked on a Quick Reaction Force for USAID #1. Then on January 30, 1971, I went to USAID and made reservations for 35 people at $3.00 a head. (Those were the days!) Then on the 31st, we had a party there for LTC Price, OIC, who was going to leaving shortly. I think that perhaps all of the officers and most of the NCOs who were in Saigon might have attended. The Duty Driver was supposed to bring LTC Price to the party, but he got lost and couldn't find the Splendid BOQ so I finally grabbed a jeep and went to get him.
On March 12, 1971, I arranged for another party at USAID #1, this time to celebrate Jerry Nelson't departure.
Over the next months or so, until my departure on June 8, 1971, I must have gone there 8 or 10 times--both alone and with various friends, both in and from outside of AFVN.
Jim W
From: Mike Jackson
Dated: May 3, 2014
Subject: USAID Restaurant
Jim, I think I remember they had one hell of a steak on the menu. And it seemed while inside, you felt like you were in a stateside restaurant.
MikeJ
From: Jim Anderson
Dated: May 3, 2015
Subject: USAID Restaurant
I was eating there in '69 until it closed, maybe '72. Our office was at 67 Nguyen Du, a short walk to the Splendid. Very expensive dining because after lunch I would donate some serious money to the slot machines in the club.
Jim A.
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