Before we go any further, remember these numbers: 3, 16, 24, and 69. Those are the lucky numbers at Huong Viet in Nutley.

On to the story: a couple of weeks ago, it was Lou Palma's birthday. I wanted to take the maestro-of-all-things-pork out for a celebratory lunch. Criteria like ambiance, service, and good lighting, didn't really matter to the gastro-mechanic or myself. The only criteria worthy of consideration was the food - particularly, the deliciousness of it. I thought about the usual lunch suspects, namely,