Food Review: Linh’s Vietnamese Cuisine

$13, Yum Yum Chicken
Claudia Hall/Opinions Editor

CLAUDIA HALL/THE ARKA TECH

I ordered the Yum Yum Chicken, which is C12 on the menu. It consisted of breaded chicken covered in yum yum sauce, rice and vegetables.

My family works with international students in Fayetteville, many of which are Vietnamese. This food took me back home for an hour, and it was wonderful. I regret not ordering any pho, so I hope to return soon to try it.

I hadn’t originally planned on ordering the boba tea, but I’ve always seen photos of people drinking it and wanted to try it myself. Mango is usually my favorite flavor, but it wasn’t the case this time. Overall, I loved the atmosphere and quality of Linh’s. I have been recommending this restaurant to others.

$10, Beef Pho
Jenn Terrell/ Graduate Assistant

Linh’s Vietnamese Restaurant is admittedly one of my favorites in Russellville. Everything from their traditional Vietnamese soup (pho) to their egg roll salad will satisfy your taste buds. The pho has always been a favorite of mine. I typically get the P7. It has lean beef, rice noodles, and an unbelievably tasty broth. It comes with bean sprouts, lime, and a couple slices of fresh jalapeno on the side. I usually ask for cilantro to throw in and top mine off with sriracha to make it spicy.

There are several other amazing finds on the menu as well. They are possibly the only place in Russellville to serve boba tea and Vietnamese coffee plus they’ve just added a small Asian market inside. If you haven’t heard of them, you must go in and see for yourself.

FOOD REVIEW: La Salvadorena

The Arka Tech checked out one of Russellville’s funkiest food vendors — La Salvadorena.

$3 pupusa, gordita and water
– Claudia Hall/Opinions Editor

La Salvadorena has a very unique atmosphere. It sticks out against the suburban street of Knoxville Avenue with its bright orange exterior. I believe that it used to be a house.

I ordered a bean and cheese pupusa, a beef gordita and a water. The pupusa and gordita cost $1.45 each, resulting in just over $3 with tax.

Salvadorian food is mild, but if you’re a fan of spice, there are several toppings to fit your liking.

The pupusa was especially mild, made of a homemade corn tortilla and filled with beans and cheese. The gordita had cilantro in the midst of beef and lettuce which gave it a delicious kick. Like a chain such as La Huerta, La Salvadorena has complimentary chips and salsa. With the combination of all of this food, I was full by the end of the meal!

Both the atmosphere and the food reminded me of the summer before my college freshman year when I traveled to Honduras for five weeks.

La Salvadorena has grown over the past year and I fully expect their staff to grow. There is only one server currently so the service isn’t punctual, but it’s definitely worth a visit.

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$4.69 pupusa, gordita and tacos
– Jenn Terrell/Graduate Assistant

JENN TERRELL/THE ARKA TECH

I admittedly go to La Salvadorena on South Knoxville about once a month or so. You really can’t beat these prices with such delicious food and a hometown atmosphere.

The restaurant looks like it must have a been a house at some point in time, and the paintings of El Salvador that line the walls really bring it to life.

My all-time favorite is the pupusa. This popular item is basically a thick handmade corn tortilla filled with your choice of meats, beans and cheese. My preference of filling is zucchini and cheese. Pupusas are accompanied by curtido (Salvadorian cabbage salad) and a few different types of salsa.

Next, I have recently discovered the gorditas slightly hidden on the back of the menu. Don’t write them off yet, these are a bit different from the Taco Bell version of a gordita. Gorditas are pretty similar to pupusas. Vegetables and meat fall out of the side of the overstuffed gordita.

Third, I often choose to just get a taco or two. These are very similar to street tacos. You choose from a variety of meats and it comes on corn tortillas with cilantro, onions and fresh lime to squeeze over it.

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Al’s Cheesecake Reviewed

The Arka Tech checked out one of Russellville’s newest food vendors — Al’s Cheesecake.

$5 chili cheese sausage combo

Sam Hoisington, Web Editor

Full disclosure: I’ve been to Al’s before, and I liked it. But our objective was to find a cheap meal, and I did it. A meal combo containing a chili cheese sausage on bun, can of Dr Pepper and a bag of Fritos came to a low sum of $5. The sausage was hefty and left me feeling full. The owners hail from Minnesota, and their sausages reminded me of my time spent in neighboring Wisconsin, famous for its brat culture. I had to eat it with a fork and knife because it was so messy, which is a mark of a good meal if you ask me.

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$5 New York cheesecake with water

Sierra Murphy, News Editor

This foodie was tripped up a bit by the homemade cheesecake that can be found at Al’s Cheesecake off Parkway and Weir Road. I sampled the traditional, New York cheesecake with homemade strawberry and blueberry sauce and was quite surprised. The cheesecake was fluffy, the crust was buttery and between the two there was a perfect balance between the tart of the cheesecake and the sugar of the crust.
Upon further questioning, I f​ound out Al and Barbara, owners of Al’s Cheesecake, offer pumpkin cheesecake in the fall and fruit flavored cheesecakes in the spring. I’m thinking about taking advantage of pre-ordering service.

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$3.50 hot dog and water

Claudia Hall, Opinions Editor

This was my first visit to Al’s Cheesecake. I’ve passed by on my way to Wal-Mart multiple times but have never stopped to check it out. I wasn’t aware that Al’s had more than just cheesecake, so I was pleasantly surprised. I ordered a hot dog and a water, which totaled to a simple $3.50. I was expecting a typical stadium dog but was again surprised.
The hot dog was 100 percent beef, and the bun was not flimsy. Because the hot dog was a quarter pounder, I needed nothing more than the dog and a bottle of water. I will most definitely be returning in the near future.

Photos by Claudia Hall/The Arka Tech