Ironic that I didn’t want to spend the day with people Manny hadn’t seen for 40 years and now I can’t get enough of Steve and Joyce! I think there’s a lesson in there somewhere. Perhaps a reminder to be open and to live in the moment! If I could only remember that some of the best times in my life were the unplanned ones.
Manny and I decided to pitch our driving schedule and to take the opportunity to enjoy the Millers. The cosmic connection with Steve and Joyce was too big not to spend more time getting to know them.
Serena, Manny & Roz at the Miller's
We arrived on Monday at their home in Wheaton, an upscale suburb about 40 minutes from Chicago, just in time for a bowl of Steve’s hearty homemade vegetable soup. Recently retired from the food industry, Steve has more time to spend on cooking, one of his many passions.
Vietnamese-Cuban Fusion
Since Joyce was working and Steve had appointments, we decided to meet up later in the day for an early dinner. They took us to one of their favorite restaurants, Mykha’s, an intimate little place where I had one of the best dining experiences of my entire life. A Vietnamese-Cuban fusion that transports your taste buds to places they have never been.
We started with delicate tofu spring rolls crowned with shredded vegetables begging to be dipped into the tasty, spicy peanut sauce, plump little creamy crab Rangoon dumplings still sizzling as the waiter served them, and an unusual bison broth accompanied by thinly sliced veggies to be added as you savored its complexity.
And then the main dish. An intriguing variety, yet the menu was in plain, unadorned language. Manny chose the Beef with Crispy Grandma noodles, beef seasoned in garlic with wide, homemade, flat rice-noodles. Joyce, the Sea Scallops sautéed with garlic and lemongrass. Steve decided on the Lamb special. Although not a vegetarian, I was seduced by the Mushroom Jubilee, “a must for mushroom lovers”, the menu promised.
Anyone who enjoys good food knows the importance of presentation. Mykha, born in Vietnam, studied culinary arts in Paris. She gets an A+ in that department. Each dish was a rhapsody of color and artful design. We gazed at the table with admiration, almost sorry to disturb the beautiful canvas before us. On my plate, oyster mushrooms cascaded down a slice of bright orange squash, beckoning me to dip into the medley of exotic mushrooms sautéed to perfection in a rich dark Vietnamese sauce. Each bite was a trip to culinary heaven. Every so often I would be surprised and delighted by a quick burst of the tangy flavor of a caper, a playful and well-chosen companion for the meaty mushroom texture.
More than once, we’ve been dazzled by the alluring description of a dish in a restaurant’s menu, only to be disappointed when we actually ate it. When asked by a waiter how the meal was, Manny has been known to say: “Well, let me put it this way, the menu copywriter was much better tan the Chef”. At Mykha’s, the chef is far superior to the copywriter.
Mykha, Roz and Manny
And what a chef! Tiny in stature, Mykha is a towering culinary presence, commandeering the kitchen herself to ensure that every dish is prepared perfectly, infused with elegance and —most importantly— love. As we showered Mykha with well-deserved praise at the end of the meal, she humbly bowed and with tears in her eyes, her hands on her chest, told us, “I cook from the heart”. And that is so obviously true!
If I were rich and could fly my private jet to wherever I wished when in the mood for certain fare, I am sure Mykha’s in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, would often be on my flight plan.