Buford Highway is an area of ethnic-tinged mini-malls about 10 miles north of Atlanta. Taquerias are jammed next to Korean restaurants, which abut Chinese dim sum parlors and Vietnamese cafes. One of the more ambitious restaurants along the eating corridor, which stretches all the way to Doraville, is Com Vietnamese Grill.

In business for only seven months, Com, decorated with vibrant paintings of Vietnamese home life, has attracted large crowds and garnered national attention. After reading the write-ups, I was intrigued. After eating the food, I was a believer.

I ate my way across Vietnam last year, and ever since then, I’ve been skeptical of any State-side renditions of Vietnamese dishes. Happily, after one bite of duck-filled la lot leaves at Com, I instantly dropped my guard. Com serves interesting dishes I never encountered across the Pacific.

Instead of the ubiquitous beef-filled la lot leaves, Com offered lamb-, duck- and salmon-stuffed versions ($5.50 apiece), all delicious. They each came six pieces to an order, topped with crumbled peanuts and fried onion strands.

The ground lamb (left) was spicy, the duck (right) was succulent, and the salmon (center) was light but juicy.

We ordered three entrees, none better than the flaky fillet of grilled flounder ($14.95) served on rice vermicelli buns, topped with more crushed peanuts and fried onion strands.

A bowl of rice vermicelli with grilled shrimp ($7.95) featured plump, spice-grilled crustaceans and fresh veggies.

The least successful dish was sizzling beef ($9.95), which came on a sizzling platter with peppers and onions; the beef was overcooked and fatty.

For dessert, our waitress gave us a plate of three battered and deep-fried bananas, rolled in granulated sugar. Two bites was all I could handle; it was so rich. I’m glad it was free.

To drink, I ordered a mix of milk and fresh, pulpy orange juice, served on the rocks. I know it must sound disgusting, but the drink tasted incredible.

I was very happy with my Com experience. Unfortunately, I wasn’t paying close enough attention while I was at the restaurant. In a post-meal scroll across Com’s website and Meredith Ford’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution review, I realized I could have ordered charcoal grilled sheep’s head and an off-the-menu item, alligator hot pot. Next time. There will be a next time.

FYI: Things are going so well, the Com owners plan to open a second branch in January 2006, up Buford Highway in the town of Chamblee.

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This entry is filed under The South, Vietnamese.