Shhhh… Diep
Tran’s secret is
out. Her
underground
supper club,
Good Girl’s
Suppers has a
new locale,
hours, and a new
name,
Good Girl
Dinette.
When Tran sold
Eagle Rock’s
Blue Hen
Vietnamese
Restaurant, she
started the Good
Girl underground
supper club in
her own home to
satisfy her
drive to cook.
After much
success,
including
segments on the
Food Network and
KCRW’s Good
Food, she
recently opened
Good
Girl Dinette
in Highland
Park. The menu
is Tran’s strong
suit—modern
takes on
Vietnamese
comfort foods
using local,
organic,
sustainable, and
seasonal
ingredients.
Tran is
describing the
food as
"American diner
meets Vietnamese
comfort food."
On the menu
you'll find
stews,
sandwiches,
traditional rice
dishes and
homemade pies.
Some diner
twists include
the Coconut
Bread Pudding -
which is not
heavy or overly
sweet like other
bread puddings,
and a hearty
Chicken Curry
Pot Pie. Other
tasty items
include, Garlic
Tumeric Chips,
Carmelized Leek
and Daikon
Frittata, and
Spiced
Lemongrass
Noodle Soup.
Tran has even
created a Kid’s
Menu with Pint
Size Pho, Curry
Pies, and Milk
and Baguettes,
how cute! This
is what it means
to live in Los
Angeles, the
neighborhood
hang out just
happens to serve
Pho Ga and
Ginger Chicken
instead of patty
melts and
pancakes.
The space is a
stylishly
minimalistic
café with local
art on the walls
and good music
on the stereo;
it looks like a
bright orange
sunburst with
exposed brick
walls and a
series of long
benches. Owner
and Executive
Chef, Diep Tran,
has over 15
years of
restaurant
experience under
her belt; her
family opened
Pho 79, one of
Orange County's
first Vietnamese
restaurants. In
her Good Girl
blog (www.goodgirldinette.blogspot.com),
she documents
the process of
opening the
restaurant from
start to finish;
much of the
funding, labor,
and support came
straight from
supper club fans
and regulars.
Tran has
definitely come
a long way from
serving guests
in her backyard…
~ Shadi Bailey
Where:
Good Girl Dinette, 110
North Avenue 56, Highland Park
When:
Tuesday through Thursday from 6 pm to 10 pm,
Friday from 6 pm to 11 pm, Saturday and
Sunday from 11 am to 11 pm
