Pho Xe Lua

Saturday lunch at Pho Xe Lua in Chinatown puts you in the company of dozens of teenage and young-adult Asians eating enormous platters at the speed of light — raw fresh flank steak with lime juice, sauteed chicken with lemongrass on rice, snails with coconut and basil, grilled pork balls on vermicelli. Follow their lead, and order a fresh mango milkshake if you're timid, or a red bean, mung bean and Jell-O combination if you're brave.