Drunk on beer and buzzed on cigars, swaying and screaming our lungs out at Florida Georgia Line as they light up the stage...okay, fine, that last one was just me...we stumble, starving, to Pok Pok Wing.
Last year the decadent Cosmo spawned a delightfully affordable selection of street food, this Andy Ricker legend leading the way.
There’s a Khao Man Som Tam to start: coconut rice topped with shredded pork reminiscent of Chinese pork sung, delightfully dehydrated and singing a song of savory and sweet. The side of papaya salad is a bright splash of spice and juice, a fruit that acts like a vegatable in the only salad I’ll ever enjoy.
Ike's Famous Vietnamese Wings, half a dozen winged wonders that gave Pok Pok its place on the culinary list of legends. The meat is tender, and the sugar complements the flashy fish sauce and finishes like a smooth, sticky, fishy caramel. I’ve never had wings like this, and I will never forget having wings like this.
The Ju Pa Bao could be a dessert. This little sandwich is like meat candy, A fluffy sweetbread Macanese-style bun sandwiching a bone-in pork loin fried in its own fat. They sneak a little sweetness into this one as well, and it amps up the savor.
I think Andy Ricker was one of the earlier pioneers of street food. Pok Pok was so novel and captivating that it held the attention of the world’s most resistant and indifferent population for years: New Yorkers. It is only fitting for Pok Pok to make a splash in Vegas next, where ethnic food is as rare as affordable food that is edible. All I know is, I’ll be going for the wings every time I’m in Vegas, no matter how far I have to walk to get there.
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