{"id":2446784,"date":"2019-07-25T15:24:38","date_gmt":"2019-07-25T21:24:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=310095"},"modified":"2019-07-25T15:24:38","modified_gmt":"2019-07-25T21:24:38","slug":"bamboo-bear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/bamboo-bear\/","title":{"rendered":"Bamboo Bear"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.5054347826087\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-310095-275\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/BambooBear-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/BambooBear-3-1024x683.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | Pork Banh Mi at Bamboo Bear in Aspen\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-2\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"7\">\n<p><strong>Pork Banh Mi at Bamboo Bear in Aspen<\/strong><br \/>Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/BambooBear-3-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Pork Banh Mi at Bamboo Bear in Aspen\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/BambooBear-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/BambooBear-1-1024x683.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | Fresh Rice Noodle Salad (Bun Thit Nuong) with shrimp at Bamboo Bear\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-2\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"7\">\n<p><strong>Fresh Rice Noodle Salad (Bun Thit Nuong) with shrimp at Bamboo Bear<\/strong><br \/>Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/BambooBear-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Fresh Rice Noodle Salad (Bun Thit Nuong) with shrimp at Bamboo Bear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/BambooBear-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/BambooBear-2-1024x683.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | Appetizers at Bamboo Bear: chicken skewers, dumplings, fried homemade hand rolled spring rolls and chicken wings tossed in bear breath sauce\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Appetizers at Bamboo Bear: chicken skewers, dumplings, fried homemade hand rolled spring rolls and chicken wings tossed in bear breath sauce<\/strong><br \/>Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/BambooBear-2-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Appetizers at Bamboo Bear: chicken skewers, dumplings, fried homemade hand rolled spring rolls and chicken wings tossed in bear breath sauce\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/magazines\/eat\/bamboo-bear-3\/?#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/magazines\/eat\/bamboo-bear-3\/?#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Dining out in Asia is an orchestral experience of tantalizing smells, exotic ingredients, intense flavors and controlled chaos, often conducted by the mom and pop who own and run the business. Luckily for those of us in Aspen, we can have a similar experience in our mountain hamlet. Tucked away on the east side of town, Bamboo Bear has become a culinary destination for those seeking the flavors of true Asian and Vietnamese food with its rich, fresh and crave-worthy flavors.<\/p>\n<p>Now in their fourth summer, and with an expanded dining room, restaurateurs Vincent Bagford and his wife Xuan Ha, who met in Vietnam, have clearly filled a niche missing from Aspen\u2019s food scene.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had a strong inclination this was something the Valley was yearning for,\u201d said Bagford, who began to build a local following when he worked at Cliffhouse restaurant on Buttermilk.<\/p>\n<p>Initially trained in Italian cooking, Bagford was attracted to Asian cuisine not just because of the way the dishes are prepared but also because much of the creativity lies in the sauces.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis technique is what drew me to Asian food,\u201d he said. \u201cVietnamese food is very sauce and condiment centric. It\u2019s very feminine cuisine, complex but light and not to be underestimated, like a female.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ha grew up in Vietnam, and her family\u2019s recipes feature prominently on Bamboo Bear\u2019s menu.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery recipe has a story behind it, they are all influenced by family traditions and history,\u201d says Ha. \u201cFood brings people together, and it\u2019s important to me that our flavors are authentic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Good pho is one of those magical dishes that nourishes you when you\u2019re hungry, eases a hangover and warms you from the inside out on a cool evening. The soul-satisfying version served at Bamboo Bear is Grandpa Ha\u2019s recipe, and, according to Ha, people would line up down the street when he opened his pho stand. Made with homemade bone broth and served in a bowl filled to the brim with rice noodles, fresh herbs and vegetables, you can order it with thinly sliced rare beef, tender brisket, a meatball or all three. They also offer chicken pho with ginger and fried garlic, and, for those who prefer vegetarian fare, there\u2019s an option made with 100 percent vegetable broth.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Passionate about quality, Bagford makes a weekly trek to Denver\u2019s Asian market to source traditional ingredients for dishes like Com Tam (which requires a special \u201cbroke rice\u201d) and their signature Crispy Chicken, get inspired and pick up the fresh, French-style baguettes used in their Banh Mi sandwiches, which are a lunch time favorite. The sandwich, every bite packed with melt-in-your-mouth grilled pork, crunchy house-pickled veggies and a savory dressing, is ideal grab-and-go fare for summer adventures. Don\u2019t forget to get a drink to go with your meal\u2014our favorite is their traditional iced coffee made with Vietnamese highland coffee, crushed ice and sweetened milk for a taste treat that will make your mouth sing.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/magazines\/eat\/bamboo-bear-3\/?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pork Banh Mi at Bamboo Bear in AspenAnna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times Fresh Rice Noodle Salad (Bun Thit Nuong) with shrimp at Bamboo BearAnna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times Appetizers at Bamboo Bear: chicken skewers, dumplings, fried homemade hand rolled spring rolls and chicken wings tossed in bear breath sauceAnna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times Show CaptionsHide Captions Dining out [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2446784","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-22 01:04:24","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2446784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2446784"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2446784\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2446784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2446784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2446784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}