TheBurg

32 | theburgnews.com | 01.20 T he roof leaked all the way to the basement when Nam Doan purchased the property on Reily Street in Harrisburg. "It was a wreck," Doan, 38, said. But he knew what he was getting into. He'd been investing in Harrisburg real estate for the past eight years—especially rental properties—and renovating them. For awhile, he'd been searching for a restaurant location that would showcase his wife's culinary skills. "I saw this building as an opportunity within a coming-up neighborhood, near HACC [Midtown], new apartment buildings and the new [federal] courthouse," he said. It also felt like perfect timing for his growing family— his 4-year-old daughter soon will start school. e property housed a soul food restaurant about five years ago, but the kitchen's range was the only thing that Doan found salvageable. Everything else had to be completely renovated and rebuilt. After six months of intense work, he transformed the century-old property into Midtown's newest restaurant, the Red Boat. It's the seventh restaurant in a Vietnamese/Asian fusion franchise launched by a friend of Doan's primarily in the Baltimore/D.C. area. Doan himself is Vietnamese—and his real name is actually Nam. He describes the menu as "fast and casual" with updated Vietnamese classics such as pho and banh mi (traditional Vietnamese soup and sandwich, respectively). all aBoaRD the ReD Boat Harrisburg's newest restaurant features Asian fusion, family crew. bY KAren henDrIcKs e restaurant's signature dish, "e Boat," allows diners to choose a base (rice, salad or noodles), and add a protein (beef, pork, chicken, fried tofu, shrimp or Korean bulgogi beef ), topped with a sauce (fish, sesame soy, Teriyaki or house sauce). "We're tweaking the main concept of the menu a little bit for Harrisburg, adding a few unique twists like hot dogs with an Asian twist," Doan said. e "Saigon Dog," for example, is a beef frank dressed with pickled daikon and carrot, marinated beef (or another option such as fried egg), cilantro and stir-fried onion. Kimchi and bulgogi beef are added to the "K-Town Dog" and topped with toasted seaweed. e fusion of the classic all-American hot dog with Asian flavors is symbolic of the restaurant's name. "e Red Boat" pays homage to the phrase "boat people," describing the exodus of Vietnamese refugees in the 1970s. "Next time, I want to try the tacos—I've never had that before," said Jeremie Vu, 39, a Harrisburg resident who lives a few blocks away. Soft tacos are another unique Asian fusion option. Vu, who is half-Vietnamese, said that he gravitates towards restaurants that celebrate his culture. He tried the pho and "Café du Monde" (Vietnamese iced coffee). So how does the Red Boat compare to others? "It's very good, right up there with all the best," said Vu. "It has the traditional standbys but with some fun new elements, too." Dung Lee & Nam Doan gooD eAts

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