New Restaurant: Sovereign

A year contract. That’s what restaurateur Alex Thao says he has with chef Michael Bao Huynh. That means for at least the next year, the Gaslamp will play host to a Michelin-awarded Iron Chef of Vietnam who was once named one of NYC’s nine best chefs by New York magazine. Together they have opened Sovereign and casual to-go spot Food Shop on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Island Street. Food Shop serves Bao’s bánh mì sandwiches—a delicacy that drove New Yorkers to stand in huge lines—while Sovereign is the more formal dining room. Expect rolls (crispy fried crab, grilled pork meatballs), salads (spicy grilled hanger steak), and meats (crispy pork belly, coconut-curry chicken), plus noodles and rice dishes. Finally, the heart of the city pumps some Vietnamese blood.

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467 Fifth Avenue, Downtown.

New Restaurant: Sovereign

Photo By Paul Body