Mama’s Finds a Home for Vietnamese Cooking in Las Vegas

Daniel Krohmer’s Durango Social Club has been an experimental incubator for the chef to not only expand beyond the menus at his original Other Mama restaurant, but to host a variety of culinary pop-ups. But now, the location — near Durango and Spring Mountain — is entering a new phase with a permanent residency.

Moving forward, Durango Social Club is exclusively home to Mama’s, featuring the Vietnamese food of Crystina Nguyen. The chef, who previously helmed her own pop-ups throughout Las Vegas under the name This Mama’s House, remains faithful to traditional recipes that reflect the comfort of homestyle cooking with clean, refined ingredients.

You absolutely get your money’s worth. On a recent visit, there was only one dish that (barely) exceeded $30 — and none skimped on portion size. It’s exciting to see Nguyen experiment with less-familiar herbs and vegetables like the Vietnamese coriander that enhances the meat and seafood or the spongy, stalk-like elephant ear that brings texture to canh chua tôm — a spicy, but light-bodied soup with shrimp, tamarind, okra, tomatoes, bean sprouts, and pineapple. Nguyen says there’s “nothing missing” in her recipe that you'd find in any version of the soup done right in Vietnam.

Mama’s is also an education on the global influences that help define Vietnamese cuisine. The sea snails (or whelks) reflect the country’s era of French colonialism — although presented in a completely different way, simmered in a fragrant tom yum, lemongrass, and Thai basil broth. Nguyen’s Vietnamese cuisine also channels regional favorites with a yellow coconut-based curry, which the chef simmers with vegetables, noodles, and a hearty duck leg.

The chef follows her own preferences with her signature cà ri vịt — rice-wrapped spring rolls made with turkey (a meat not often seen in Asian dining) and folded in an additional layer of lettuce at the table.

The restaurant will continue to evolve with regular specials and an upcoming brunch menu. Mama’s is one of those places that encourages repeat visits while trying something new each time — whether ordering a cocktail on the side or a small bottle of Vietnamese sake.

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