photograph by bruce vanwyngarden
Tony Nguyen pours a “Day & Night on Train Street — Hanoi.”
Tony Nguyen always wanted to fly.
“When I was growing up,” he says, “I liked to build model airplanes, and one of my best friends was also into flying. I always had a love for aviation.”
It was Nguyen’s love of flying — and of jumping out of airplanes — that took him away from Memphis for a few years, and ultimately, it was what led him back home, where he now manages the bar for Bao Toan, the brand-new Vietnamese restaurant in Crosstown Concourse.
“I decided I wanted to fly, so my wife, Amanda, and I moved to Nashville, in 2013, to be near an airfield in Tullahoma,” he says. “We worked in Nashville and I went to Middle Tennessee State — and began sky-diving. In 2017, I had an accident — I broke a femur and my pelvis — and was laid up for 10 months. That brought me back to Memphis, where my parents are, and where we have a huge support system. Amanda and I now have a three-year-old son, so it’s been nice to be close to family again.”
photograph by bruce vanwyngarden
One look around Bao Toan’s colorful and stylish interior makes it clear that something new and different is happening here.
Nguyen’s family always had a love for food, which he says helped shape his restaurant career: “I attribute my passion for food to my mom and grandfather — and to my cousin, Mimi, who always hosted our big Thanksgiving dinners.”
After graduating from Christian Brothers High School in 2004, Nguyen began working at Texas de Brazil in downtown Memphis. “I eventually got behind the bar there, and liked it,” he says. After his accident, back in Memphis, he began bartending at Catherine & Mary’s.
The drink arrives minutes later. It’s simple and elegant: an amber pool of liquid surrounding an oversized ice cube adorned with a mushroom beret. The aroma is earthy, rich, exotic. Maybe like a night in Hanoi, I think.
“After four years at Catherine & Mary’s, I got approached to work at the Hen House, and I ended up working there for four years,” he says, referring to the wine bar in East Memphis. “Then I crossed paths with Karina [Pham] and Margaret [Tong] and they told me they were opening a Vietnamese establishment, and they’d heard about my work. They wanted to interview me and see what I thought about the concept.”
Nguyen obviously liked what he heard. “Bao Toan is Vietnamese cuisine with a modern interpretation and execution,” he says. “And that’s also what we’re doing with our drink menu — creating cocktails made with Asian ingredients but with modern techniques. Working here also allows me to dive deeper into my own heritage and history and to showcase that to the general public.”
“What would be an example of the kind of cocktail you’re talking about?” I ask.
“One drink I’m working on,” Nguyen says, “is my interpretation of pho — using Old Forester whiskey and adding cinnamon notes, and star anise, among other things. I’m also doing a drink that’s called ‘Day & Night on Train Street — Hanoi.’ It’s Wild Turkey 101 rye fat-washed with shiitake mushrooms. It has a lot of umami, a nuttiness on the nose.”
“Tell me a little about fat-washing. How does that work?
“Fat-washing is a process where you’re essentially combining alcohol and a fat to blend some flavors,” he says. “In this case, I sauté shiitake mushrooms, then use that butter and blend it with whiskey. You let it sit and solidify, then strain it off. Would you like to try one?”
“Absolutely.”
The drink arrives minutes later. It’s simple and elegant: an amber pool of liquid surrounding an oversized ice cube adorned with a mushroom beret. The aroma is earthy, rich, exotic. Maybe like a night in Hanoi, I think. I take a sip and taste a whiskey that’s been softened and given a slightly savory edge. This Wild Turkey has been civilized.
“This is very satisfying,” I say. “And unusual, at least it is for me.”
“We’re going to do some cocktails specific to our menu,” Nguyen says, “but we’ll also be able to make classic and contemporary-classic cocktails, and modern riffs on them. Our bar staff will have some flexibility to collaborate and create.”
One look around Bao Toan’s stylish and colorful interior makes it clear that something new and different is happening here. It’s only been open since late January, but with people like Tony Nguyen on board, there’s little doubt that the place will quickly take wing.
Bao Toan is located inside Crosstown Concourse, 1350 Concourse Avenue, Suite 165.
