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Mai's

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mai's
Map
Mai's is located in Texas
Mai's
Location within Texas
Mai's is located in the United States
Mai's
Mai's (the United States)
Restaurant information
Established1978
Owner(s)Anna Pham[1]
Food typeVietnamese
Dress codecasual
Street address3403 Milam Street
CityHouston
CountyHarris
StateTexas
Postal/ZIP Code77002
CountryUnited States
Coordinates29°44′28″N 95°22′48″W / 29.741192°N 95.379959°W / 29.741192; -95.379959
Websitemaishouston.com

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

It is located in Midtown.[2]

History

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Originally opened in 1978 by Phin and Phac Nguyen,[1] 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.[1] 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.[1] 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

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "The History of Mai's Restaurant". Mai's. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ a b c Abrahams, Tom (April 18, 2011). "Mai's re-opens a year after devastating fire". KTRK-TV. Archived from the original on April 19, 2011.
  4. ^ Roth, Hope (2017-09-21). "Little Saigon (Houston, Texas)". In Ueda, Reed (ed.). Content from America's Changing Neighborhoods: An Exploration of Diversity through Places (3 volumes). ABC-CLIO. pp. 770–772. ISBN 9781440828652. - Previews of book pages CITED: p. 771.
  5. ^ Morago, Greg (2011-05-01). "Mai's is better than ever". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
  6. ^ Glenn, Mike (February 15, 2010). "Popular Midtown restaurant Mai's catches fire". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
  7. ^ "Two-alarm restaurant fire blamed on wok cooking". KTRK-TV. 2010-02-15. Archived from the original on 17 February 2010. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
  8. ^ Alfonso, Fernando III (2017-08-07). "Phin Nguyen, founder of Mai's Restaurant, has died". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
  9. ^ Bishop, Amy (2015-11-05). "Anthony Bourdain On Food, Art, And His Favorite Place To Eat In The Bayou City". Houston Public Media. Retrieved 2022-06-12. - Audio file
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