A coworker of mine recently recommended I try Palace’s Pizza near Lake Phalen in St. Paul as a place that I’d probably really enjoy. While at first glance this nondescript location in a tired and outdated strip mall in East St. Paul seems no different than any other Minnesota pizza place, the subtitle of “Assorted Cuisine” under the restaurant’s name provides the tiniest glimpse into the treat Palace’s Pizza has in store for those who stumble upon it.
We arrived at about quarter to 12 on a Tuesday afternoon. The interior definitely looks like a takeout pizza shop. Aside from the tables there is a very long counter separating the prep area and kitchen with the rest of the space. There were two or three other tables occupied when we arrived and only one or two others throughout our entire 1+ hour meal. There is seating for quite a few people but from what the owner told us it can get very busy on evenings and weekends forcing people to do takeout. Aside from the spice tray, hoisin, and Sriracha on the table nothing seems amiss here.
Even with the subtle clues available to you, as soon as they deliver the menu to your table you are made fully aware that this is a pizza place only in name. Yes, there is pizza on the menu but their offerings are limited to a one page on the back of the menu. Pretty inexpensive pricing but certainly nothing special. However, the rest of the menu is an eclectic mix of Thai and other pan-Asian dishes such as lab and pho. My coworker recommended both the papaya salad and one of the various pho options but with a chalk sign on the counter proclaiming Palace’s Pizza as having “the best lab in the U.S.A.”
We placed orders for two different bowls of pho, an order of papaya salad (very spicy), and an order of beef lab (cooked medium and with medium spice) and sat there chatting while we waited. Soon after the orders were in our server came to the table with a plate of beautiful accoutrements for the pho which included piles of fresh Thai basil and fresh jalapeno slices on a bed of crunchy bean sprouts and a lime cut into wedges. Considering how little the two bowls of pho cost, this pile of add-ons would have probably pushed the totals over $20 for one bowl at any normal restaurant around town but here with regular sized bowls (8″) setting you back $7 or less, I mentioned to MSPD that I felt as if I was stealing this very fresh and wonderful food from them.
Eventually our orders were up. MSPD’s Regular Pho (pork and beef meatballs, fried pork, and thinly sliced beef for $6.00) came out in what we estimated to be an 8″ bowl and was full of fresh herbs, vegetables, a light broth, tons of noodles, tender beef slices cooked medium rare and a good bit of pork and meatballs to boot. While I’m certain MSPD will give his own in-depth review below, he seemed to thoroughly enjoy the broth and the pho. However it was Palace’s beef lab that really seemed to blow MSPD’s mind.
Described on the menu as, “grounded (sic) beef tossed with oriental spices and herbs. (Let server know how you would like your lab cooked, med cooked, or raw. How spicy and bitter.)” this dish lived up to the chalkboard sign’s promise of greatness. At only $6.80, the large mound of meat which came out appeared to be well worth the price. While I’ve only had lab variations twice before and am certainly no expert, I was thoroughly impressed. With a steady stream of mint hitting your mouth on your first few bites, the spice and bitters don’t really come through until you’re about two mouthfuls in. By then a roaring inferno has built up and unleashed itself on your face and when you’re expecting “medium” and find yourself fighting a dragon, you have to be thankful for the glass of ice water in front of you which helps you to pretend you’re not fighting a losing battle. While MSPD’s was ordered medium, a later chat with the owner said that many really prefer to eat it raw and he suggested we do so on our next visit. I’m definitely in for that, anyone else?
I ordered an extra large bowl of Palace’s Special Pho (shrimp, fried pork, pork and beef meatballs, and thinly sliced beef). What came out was an estimated 12″ monster tub of soup so large that I had problems seeing it all at once without moving my head. Beef similarly tender to MSPD’s, this wasn’t the typical pho I find so many other places which comes out with dried out meats only edible because they’ve been soaking in a hot bath for 10 minutes before arriving at your table. After throwing in peppers, sprouts and some lime, I tore off some basil leaves and added them on top. Soon after a smile appeared on MSPD’s face and he commented that the fresh herbs really let off a great aroma which seemed to excite him even more for his own meal. The pho was excellent. Light broth which was like a blank canvas waiting to be drawn upon, this soup was absolutely amazing and allowed you to really taste all the individual flavors present as if they were compartmentalized in your mouth.
The papaya salad was also quite good. According to the menu it includes, “shredded papaya, tomato, lime, long beans, mango, ma kok, tamarind juice, fish sauce, crab sauce, and peanut,” for $5.00. Carrying lots of heat but retaining an excellent papaya flavor, Palace’s version included a lot of other ingredients I hadn’t seen before in other versions. With a nice crunch from the peanuts (which appeared roasted) and the ma kok (similar to a crab apple) this was definitely a hearty meal for only $5.00 and certainly a nice side to my pho. I particularly enjoyed the lack of a super strong fish sauce which may have simply been mitigated by the tamarind. While I could have tolerated a spicier dish, it sufficed but I’ll be sure to ask them to kick it up a couple of notches next time.
After our meal MSPD spent a lot of time asking about the food, our dishes, and the owners. We learned a lot about what to eat and how to eat it for our future visits and we left filled, extremely satisfied, and I certainly ended the food reviewing year on a much more positive note than I thought it would based on my experiences the day before.
Overall I highly recommend Palace’s Pizza in St. Paul for their pho, lab, and papaya salad. They have a wide variety of other Asian items on the menu which I can only assume are just as good and I cannot wait to go back and try some more. Thankfully with pizza on the menu, I can coerce The Wife into eating there while enjoying some of the best food I’ve had this year.
Have you ever eaten at Palace’s Pizza in St. Paul? If so what did you have and what did you think? Where is your favorite place to get pho or lab? Have you ever eaten lab raw and if so do you think it’s worthy of the hype? Would you ever be willing to eat it raw yourself? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Address:
Palace’s Pizza
1373 Maryland Avenue East
St Paul, MN 55106
Phone:
651-771-3535
See all the pictures from Palace’s Pizza on Flickr here.
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December 30th, 2011 at 7:57 am
Sounds enticing. What was life like the next day? …or later that evening?
December 30th, 2011 at 8:01 am
I was fine but we’ll let MSPD tell his ‘sob story’ ;-)
December 30th, 2011 at 8:39 am
Nice review. I love it when a place chooses to charge you a fair price for great food in exchange for what might be a less than stellar ambiance. I can’t wait to give it a try.
December 30th, 2011 at 10:02 am
Everything, besides the eating lab raw, sounds yummy! I just don’t think I could do it.
December 30th, 2011 at 10:56 am
Yeah, so starting off with C&V’s question. Let’s just say Bill received a text message at 9:30 a.m. the next day with some…uhhh….”colorful” language.
The first bites of the lab required more patience than I had. I took a bite and it was like lighting the fuse of a stick of dynamite but watching in slow motion. “Ooo…look at the pretty sparkler!”. Another bite as the spark traveled up into the tube. For a split second, there was silence and I thought maybe nothing was going to happen. Then, the gastronomic equivalent of my upper body and everything within a 20-yard radius being blown to smithereens. Shrapnel, assorted tissue, fire, heat…utter devastation.
OK, so it wasn’t quite that bad. I’m not one of those people that finds novelty in ultra-spicy foods. I think heat can enhance the experience of food, but I don’t necessarily want an endorphin rush from my lunch. This was just the right amount of heat to my palate. It balanced out the bitterness, the textures and the abundant herbs in the dish. It didn’t destroy my mouth to the extent that I couldn’t taste the meal.
Bill stole the thunder of the main themes of my impression of Palace’s and the kind of food they offer. Much of our conversation focused around the joy of eating dishes that have complex flavors, something lacking in the restaurants so prevalent in our culture. Olive Garden was brought up and how, even with 50+ dishes on the menu, they all taste essentially the same, and that the kitchen is seemingly restricted to around 10 ingredients – dried pasta, water, salt, garlic, butter, olive oil, bread sticks, tomatoes, lettuce, and frozen generic proteins.
Bill hit it on the head. When he tore the basil and put it on his soup, the aroma wafted across the table. Every bite wasn’t just stuffing my face, it was a little trip through a Thai garden.
The next time you have a meal, slow down and think about the different flavors in the dish. Find the different textures. Is it like a symphony, or a brass trio with a tuba (aka salt) blasting out the other two instruments?
Interestingly, the owner (who divulged that his wife was doing the cooking that day since she was on Winter break from her job as a teacher in the St. Paul Schools) was chatting with us about how important food is to him, and was when he was growing up in Thailand. Even with humble surroundings, care is taken and the food is nourishing. He alluded to how you can feel healthier after a single meal like the foods of his heritage. I mentioned I feel the same way about Japanese cuisine….I’ve said the same thing a million times, that when I’m done eating I feel like I just extended my life a few days.
If you want to know what the difference is in my mind between a “great” restaurant and one that sucks, eat meals that look like the photos Bill posted above. Whether it’s 5-star or a dive or somewhere in between like Palace’s, clearly, it’s more about sharing nourishment with patrons and the community than it is about turning tables, ensuring profit margins, and “running a business”. There’s someone actually cooking in the kitchen instead of opening packages and heating them up in one of 3-4 ways.
December 30th, 2011 at 10:57 am
I’m glad you liked it Bill! Yes, spicy, spicy – which is how I like it. Yes, the broth is much lighter than other places, but you compare it well – a blank canvas. I’ll suggest the Hmong sausage pizza!
December 30th, 2011 at 12:23 pm
My two favorite foods on earth are Lab (larb/laab/laap) and Papaya Salad. I could eat one or the other every day for the rest of my life. I will have to check this place out.
December 30th, 2011 at 12:41 pm
I might just go here for lunch today. It is down to this or a return trip to Fasika… Damn. Decisions, decisions.
December 30th, 2011 at 4:30 pm
I take for granted the Pho my family cooks for me after seeing how elated Bill and MSPD are over fresh basil. Pho should always be served with fresh bean sprouts, green onions, white onions, cilantro, two types of basil, fresh jalapenos and lime with Hoisin and Sriracha on deck.
Here’s a bowl my dad made for me, it looks like there isn’t enough broth but it’s because I overloaded the bowl with all the garnishes: http://desmond.yfrog.com/Himg644/scaled.php?tn=0&server=644&filename=va3ju.jpg&xsize=640&ysize=640
I do wonder how restaurants that serve garnishes that generously make any money on their Pho. I often add more than I usually do just because I feel leaving a plate with tons of garnishes still remaining is wasteful.
December 30th, 2011 at 4:33 pm
Dan,
It’s not that I haven’t seen it before elsewhere with pho, it’s just that when you go to any other regular restaurant and order a bowl of soup for $7 you’re lucky if you get some mass produced crackers wrapped in plastic wrap.
While a good number of people on this site are familiar with pho, it’s likely there are thousands of others who are not. I need to cover all the bases for everyone :)
December 30th, 2011 at 5:02 pm
Dan, that looks great!
To be clear, it wasn’t the basil itself that was significant, it was just one of many things that, like I said, made the meal more like an “experience” (analogy of a garden) vs. just a bowl of one-dimensional soup. All of that AND it tasted great.
In fact, I thought the garnishes were a little less impressive than the pho I had at the Hmong Marketplace (the one off Como) last week. Photo below. That one had an enormous plate of Thai basil, lemongrass, cilantro, bean sprouts, lime and jalapenos (hidden a bit in the photo by the bowl). There was also a tray of condiments with more than 15 different things on it (including the sriracha and hoisin). I dumped a ton of vegetables in there and only managed to use about half.
But the broth and beef were better at Palace’s.
January 3rd, 2012 at 4:46 pm
Dan and MSPD… on a related topic, can you suggest a good place to buy banh mi sandwiches SOTR, or even in Bloomington or Richfield? I am looking for a quicker alternative to St Paul or Eat Street in Mpls. I am skeptical of how fresh the offerings are at some of the local Asian supermarkets around here… any ideas?
January 3rd, 2012 at 4:56 pm
mulch, I might bounce that question over to Bill. Banh mi isn’t a food I seek out too often, although I used to go over and get them from Classic Sai Gon at the corner of Rahn Road and Beau D’Rue in Eagan from time to time. They made their bread there and the sandwiches were very good.
I feel like I saw some out at Rearn Thai Market a few weeks ago when I was helping a guy I know find a mortar and pestle. You might want to pop in there and give it a try. Rearn is generally a good little market.
Sorry I can’t help more.
January 3rd, 2012 at 5:06 pm
I recommended he talk to you, MSPD, and Dan N. I haven’t found any decent ones except in StP although I have made an excellent one in my own home using this recipe: http://www.closetcooking.com/2010/12/vietnamese-bbq-pulled-pork-banh-mi.html
January 3rd, 2012 at 5:39 pm
It’s pretty tough to find banh mi SOTR. The ones you find in the Asian supermarkets (Rearn Thai Market in Burnsville, Asia Direct in Savage/Burnsville on Hwy 13) are typically bought from another bakery and resold in their stores. Thus the sandwiches could be a day or even a few days old. You could try going to these stores and asking the owners what days they receive their sandwiches. Just don’t bring a curious child that likes touching things to Asia Direct ;)
There is also an Asia Direct in Richfield but again, YMMV on the freshness of those sandwiches since they might be reselling another bakery’s sandwich. However, they do have excellent sesame balls there (banh cam) but I always call ahead and make sure they’re fresh, I haven’t asked if they make them or if they outsource them.
The problem with banh mi is if a restaurant or bakery is going to sell it, they’ll bake the bread themselves so that the entire product is fresh, makes no sense to order the bread from a bakery and have it delivered and then prepare the sandwiches. So unless they sell a ton of banh mi, there’s no incentive for them to invest the resources to make their own baguettes for the sandwiches.
That’s why places like Quang’s and Saigon Restaurant often run out of banh mi by dinner time, they can’t afford to bake too much bread and throw the excess away at the end of the night. The bread loses its freshness after a day or two.
I just remembered a couple of places and upon checking their sites (not sure on how accurate they are) they do serve banh mi:
Saigon Palace in Burnsville of Burnsville Pkwy: http://saigonpalacemn.com/friedrice.html
Pho 83 in Prior Lake: http://www.pho83.com/Pho_83_Inc/Menu.html#0
I’ve eaten at Saigon Palace, never had their banh mi though. Not sure if they sell it anymore or if they’re even open anymore (pretty sure they are).
My dad says the pho at Pho 83 is decent but I’ve never eaten there.
If you try those places out, please report back.
January 4th, 2012 at 7:44 am
Dan N and MSPD…tks for the info, your comments on the market sandwiches is what i expected. I have been to Saigon Palace once or twice. I will check Pho 83 as well.
January 9th, 2012 at 7:02 am
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January 25th, 2012 at 7:02 am
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January 25th, 2013 at 7:02 am
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