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ALL BOTTLED UP: Simply It
The spot: The brick walls, sharp lines and wood ceiling of this newish Lincoln Park Vietnamese spot Simply It are a welcome dash of calm amid Lincoln Avenue's overabundance of sports bars and fast food joints. Dishes range from salads to soups to rice noodles and curry, but seafood dishes really shine-not surprising given the Southeast Asian nation's nearly 1,800 miles of coastline. A get-it-while-it-lasts special features two tempura-style softshell Maryland crabs served with grilled eggplant ($11.50). But don't panic if you miss the window on the crabs-other tasty seafood dishes are permanent features. The grilled shrimp pasta ($8.50) combines perfectly plump shellfish with vermicelli noodles, cilantro and mint, and a crispy red snapper ($17.50) is flavored with a chili, garlic and lime sauce.
The bottle: The usual suspects for Asian cuisine work equally well with Simply It's seafood dishes, says Margaret Hlavaty, French and Italian supervisor at Sam's Wine and Spirits, including Alsatian options like gewurztraminer and riesling. If you've already had your fill of gewurztraminer for the summer, though, Hlavaty says a French or even a California syrah, both lighter than an Aussie shiraz, will go surprisingly well with spicy seafood dishes. She suggests the 2004 Earl Lemenicier Cornas ($33.99) from France. -- By Allison Knab, metromix special contributor
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