Ha’s Dac Biet and NYC’s Most Exciting Pop-Ups

"Run as a touring pop-up by Sadie Mae Burns and Anthony Ha, this project began as a weekend takeout operation in early 2021 and evolved into an internationally lauded, hard-to-pin-down restaurant-on-the-road. Their cooking blends Vietnamese and Cambodian sensibilities with French‑bistro technique: think caramelized nước chấm–glazed roasted chicken, a flaky pâté chaud served in a rich jus with charred cabbage, fluke tartare punched up with fermented chile and toasted rice powder, Sarawak peppercorn in a steak au poivre, and scallops finished with tamarind butter and bird’s‑eye chiles. The team uses spice to lift fruitier notes and freely incorporates fish sauce and rau ram, resulting in French food enlivened by Southeast Asian heat. After a difficult residency that exposed industry labor problems, they adopted more sustainable business practices—hiring legal counsel to set fair contracts—and now choose collaborations and residencies selectively while planning for a permanent space." - E. Alex Jung