Several years ago my wife took me to a little bakery in Hays, Kansas for a German bakery item with meat in it, a bierock. I enjoyed it because it was sweet on the outside and had meat and onions on the inside. It reminded me of the hom-bow, an Asian treat I enjoyed every time I went to Seattle, Washington, at the Pike Place Market.
A few months ago we had heard of a new Vietnamese place in Hays, but after driving up and down 27th Street, we could not find it, and gave up looking. Thankfully, one of our neighbors told us where this place was, and to our surprise, it was located in Schilleci’s, the home of the hom-bow-like bakery item.
Schilleci’s still serves bakery items, deli sandwiches, soft drinks, and snacks, but has now added Vietnamese food to the menu, offering the customer a few more choices, and with a twist of fusion, it adds the east meets west element to a business with a European sounding name. The new owner, Hiep Vuong, is probably the one responsible for this, and for that my wife and I are grateful. We love Asian soups and foods, and have driven long distances to quench our cravings in the past. We now have another favorite place to eat while visiting Hays for our weekly Wal-Mart run.
The spring rolls here are fantastic and are currently a bargain at only seventy-five cents. They were served to us with Hoisen sauce, and as I requested, some fish sauce. Their egg rolls are also the same price, which is amazing considering they are hand rolled and are not made in a factory somewhere. As for the other items on the menu, nothing was too pricey, and most items looked like something we would try on another day. On this day we both tried the seafood noodle soup. It was good, but lacked the fresh basil, bean sprouts, and hot peppers usually accompanying these soups on a separate plate. My wife says it’s because fresh basil is hard to find in this region. We still did enjoy it, especially after dousing the soup with fish sauce and garlic chili paste, and squirting a large amount of the Vietnamese sauce with the rooster on it, to kick it up a notch.
Schilleci’s is a good place to quench an appetite. Whether you’re looking for something Asian or something less adventurous, like a deli sandwich, you’ll probably not be disappointed. The prices are fair and reasonable, and the service is great. Unfortunately, they close at 4pm, so this is mainly a breakfast and lunch place.
From journal Once Wild West