"We have a lot of guts and we want to wipe a clean slate. We want to do everything from scratch," said Ellie Huynh, co-owner of Q Restaurant.
That means for every traditional American or French-influenced dish, there is something from their native Vietnam - since the French influence there is so prevalent. One example lies in the crispy crepe known as banh xeo.
"Banh xeo is the Vietnamese crispy cake; a traditional Vietnamese pancake that we use coconut milk base and they come with chicken and shrimp," said Huynh.
The cooked crepe - embedded with shrimp, chicken and bean sprouts, arrives with lettuce and fresh herbs, which you assemble and make your own little package, eventually dipping into slightly sweetened fish sauce.
"Our soup and salad is very unique. We use traditional Vietnamese fish sauce that we marinate and play a little bit with the Asian spices," she said.
And for every turf - as in grilled pork belly set over cellophane noodles, there is surf - like a whole lobster tail and diver scallops, fortified with French butter, and a few Asian accents via rice and bok choy.
"And then we play with the Asian spice with the fusion and then we come up with something new," Huynh said.
So the nice thing about Q is its versatility. If you wanted to, you could go old school, very simple with just a steak and some French butter. Or, a little bit more ethnic from the Vietnamese side of the menu, and in some cases, the food is just as good if not better than the ethnic food you're gonna find on Argyle Street in the city.
The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, and there is also a full bar - which happens to specialize in martinis.
Q Restaurant
11379 W. 159th St., Orland Park
(708) 966-2179
http://theqrestaurant.com/
