Mai's America
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Mai's is a
Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overseas Vietnamese, Vietnamese people living outside Vietna ...
restaurant A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...
in Houston, Texas that first opened in 1978. It is located in Midtown.


History

Originally opened in 1978 by Phin and Phac Nguyen, Mai's was the first restaurant in Houston to feature
Vietnamese cuisine Vietnamese cuisine encompasses the foods and beverages originated from Vietnam. Meals feature a combination of five fundamental tastes (): sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and Piquant, spicy. The distinctive nature of each dish reflects one or more ...
. The couple named the restaurant after their daughter, who took over the business in 1990. Her name means "golden flower", and this meaning, of significance to the family, along with its relatively simple pronunciation, was a reason for its selection. Mai had a signature dish, a beef stew. A fire on February 15, 2010 caused most of the roof to collapse. The fire did not cause any injuries reported to authorities. Authorities determined the incident was caused by a wok that caught fire. The restaurant re-opened on April 16, 2011. The business has since been passed down to Mai's daughter Anna. Phin Nguyen died in 2017.
Anthony Bourdain Anthony Michael Bourdain ( ; June 25, 1956 – June 8, 2018) was an American celebrity chef, author and Travel documentary, travel documentarian. He starred in programs focusing on the exploration of international culture, cuisine, and the huma ...
visited Mai's when he went to Houston in 2015. That year he stated the restaurant gave him "The first great meal and most memorable great meal I had in Houston".
Audio file
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See also

* History of the Vietnamese-Americans in Houston *
List of Vietnamese restaurants Following is a list of Vietnamese restaurants: * An Xuyên Bakery, Portland, Oregon, U.S. * Anh and Chi, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada * Annam VL, Portland, Oregon * Ba Bar, Seattle, Washington, U.S. * Bambū * Berlu, Portland, Oregon * ...


References


External links


Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mais 1978 establishments in Texas Asian-American culture in Houston Midtown, Houston Restaurants established in 1978 Asian restaurants in Houston Vietnamese restaurants in the United States Vietnamese-American culture in Texas