Hoanh Long at 6114 N. Lincoln Ave is easily one of my favorite Vietnamese spots in the city, but I do have a few others.... This place has been around for a while, it is family owned and operated, you will always see the same people working there no matter when you go there to eat. And if it's after school hrs, you will see all of the employees children sitting in the corner doing homework or watching some random movie on the semi-big screen tv on the back wall. Like the last time I was there we watched "Ghost" with Patrick Swayze. Kids love that movie!!

Let's get to the food already, right?! This place is known for it's Seafood Hot-Pots, but there is one appetizer that I always get and eat alone as my dinner, that is the Papaya Salad with grilled steak! There is another variation of this meal where the steak is prepared differently and I do not like it one bit! It's not grilled, it's weird, it almost seems boiled. But I get the right one now (pictured below). What is it? A wonderfully crisp cool papaya salad that is sweet and crunchy! Loaded with shreds of carrot, red onion, mint, basil, and of course papaya! It's lightly dressed in a sweet sauce, and topped with char grilled steak and crunchy garlic n onions!! So freakin Monte-licious! The veggie part of the salad is really fresh, crunchy and cool! While the steak is charred and hot! A great combo! Those white things on the side are shrimp cakes, I don't eat those.