Mai's Explained

Mai's
Established:1978
Current-Owner:Anna Pham
Food-Type:Vietnamese
Dress-Code:casual
Street-Address:3403 Milam Street
City:Houston
County:Harris
State:Texas
Postcode:77002
Country:United States
Coordinates:29.7412°N -95.38°W
Pushpin Map:Texas#USA

Mai's is a Vietnamese restaurant in Houston, Texas that first opened in 1978.

It is located in Midtown.[1]

History

Originally opened in 1978 by Phin and Phac Nguyen,[2] Mai's was the first restaurant in Houston to feature Vietnamese cuisine.[3] The couple named the restaurant after their daughter, who took over the business in 1990.[2] Her name means "golden flower", and this meaning, of significance to the family, along with its relatively simple pronunciation, was a reason for its selection.[4] Mai had a signature dish, a beef stew.[5]

A fire on February 15, 2010 caused most of the roof to collapse.[6] The fire did not cause any injuries reported to authorities.[7]

Authorities determined the incident was caused by a wok that caught fire.[3] The restaurant re-opened on April 16, 2011.[3] The business has since been passed down to Mai's daughter Anna.[2] Phin Nguyen died in 2017.[8]

Anthony Bourdain visited Mai's when he went to Houston in 2015. That year he stated the restaurant gave him "The first great meal and most memorable great meal I had in Houston".[9]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. There are separate boundaries for the Midtown Super Neighborhood and the Midtown Management District. See City of Houston maps: Midtown Super Neighborhood and Management district map. Retrieved on June 4, 2019. - Also see: 2006 Midtown Management District Land Use Map and "SERVICE AND IMPROVEMENT PLAN AND ASSESSMENT PLAN FOR FISCAL YEARS 2015-2024." Midtown Houston Management District. Retrieved on April 4, 2009. Map on page 25/25 of the PDF.
  2. Web site: The History of Mai's Restaurant . Mai's . September 15, 2012.
  3. News: Mai's re-opens a year after devastating fire . Abrahams, Tom . . April 18, 2011 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110419223243/http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8077195 . April 19, 2011.
  4. Book: Roth, Hope. Little Saigon (Houston, Texas). Ueda . Reed . 2017-09-21 . Content from America's Changing Neighborhoods: An Exploration of Diversity through Places (3 volumes) . . 770–772 . 9781440828652 . - Previews of book pages CITED: p. 771.
  5. Web site: Morago. Greg. Mai's is better than ever. Houston Chronicle. 2011-05-01. 2022-06-12.
  6. News: Popular Midtown restaurant Mai's catches fire . Glenn, Mike . . February 15, 2010 . September 15, 2012.
  7. Web site: Two-alarm restaurant fire blamed on wok cooking . . 2010-02-15 . 2022-06-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100217051809/http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7278188 . 17 February 2010 . live.
  8. Web site: Alfonso. Fernando III. Phin Nguyen, founder of Mai's Restaurant, has died. Houston Chronicle. 2017-08-07. 2022-06-12.
  9. Web site: Bishop. Amy. Anthony Bourdain On Food, Art, And His Favorite Place To Eat In The Bayou City. Houston Public Media. 2015-11-05. 2022-06-12. - Audio file

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