Refined Vietnamese gets Granny's stamp of approval

It can be tough to get Grandma to approve of your career, especially when she keeps insisting that in her day, "the net" was just something they used to round up Irish people at the docks. For restaurateurs whose grandma understands what they do -- as delicious! -- Ba Bay.

Named for the owners' Vietnamese granny who also served as their definitive taste-tester, Ba Bay has wrangled talent from Vidalia and Sonoma to craft modern takes on traditional Viet-nourishment in a 49-seat Capitol Hill nook with a back granite bar, canvas benches, and low lighting from fixtures in basket casings, all designed by the guys behind The Gibson, meaning they at least had previous experience with basket cases. Haha, he really doesn't like his girlfriend! The menu's got 20+ dishes listed by price but left intriguingly un-categorized, with eye-catchers like "tuong ot" marinated pork chop with pickled carrots and bean sprouts, a pork belly/ clams/ Thai basil/ chili broth mash-up, and the marinated onions/watercress puree "shaky beef", which's probably just nervous that it'll put its hoof in its mouth again. Because spending time with the grandparents necessitates a drink, they've got drafts like Abita Amber and cans like 21st Amendment Back in Black, as well as specialty 'tails (designed under consult from one of the cocktail-crafters at The W) like the cava/ cinnamon-raspberry sugar cube "Lloyd's Libation", and the rum/ brandy/ basil bubbles/ green tea "Bubble Tea Punch", also one of Chun Li's devastating but adorable special moves in Street Fighter IV.

Actual finishing moves include desserts like coffee pudding with a Vietnamese churro, and an avocado milkshake with coconut caramel and bay cookies -- also what your Grandma used to call those floozies trying to meet Irish guys.