The Red Boat, which bills itself as Vietnamese fusion, takes the fusion part of its mission quite seriously. And not just food-wise. Is it a restaurant? A bar? A fast-casual spot? A take-out joint?

The answer is yes. It’s all of those things.

We visited the Mt. Vernon location of this burgeoning chain (there’s one downtown and, according to its website, more to come) three times and left impressed by much of the food, even if it did take us a few trips to master the concept.

While those at the bar receive full service, everyone else orders at the counter. If you’re eating in, grab a seat and your food will be served on a red cafeteria-style tray. Whether you’re staying or taking your food to-go, your number will be displayed on an electronic board—like at a deli—when your order is ready. There’s a pool table in the back room and ’80s music (when we were there) on the stereo, so the vibe is equal parts hangout and carryout.

At both lunch and dinner, our food emerged from the kitchen scalding hot. The best of what we tried tended toward comfort dishes. A large order of kimchi fries was loaded with the pickled cabbage, yet the potatoes retained their firmness. They were an excellent accompaniment to the K-Town dog, a quarter-pound beef frank with diced kimchi, chopped Korean bulgogi beef, and toasted seaweed. Both were delicious messes. (To spare your shirt, the fries should be attacked with a plastic fork, which are found in Café du Monde coffee cans, and the dog should be consumed while employing an exaggerated forward lean.)

Among the more-traditional staples, the steamed pork buns stood out. Filled with seasoned ground pork, Chinese sausage, half an egg, and mushrooms, the appetizer or side offered a pleasing blend of flavors. We preferred the somewhat greasy crispy duck wontons and fried pork and shrimp spring rolls to the admittedly healthier bulgogi beef rolls, wrapped with vegetables in a light noodle casing.

The menu features build-your-own rice, salad, or noodle bowls, along with tacos and banh mi sandwiches. The lemongrass chicken one, a tad-too-large hoagie roll packed with pickled carrots and daikon, cucumbers, cilantro, and jalapeños, but not a ton of meat, wasn’t bad but was hardly memorable. The same can be said for the pho, which was perfectly fine but featured broth a bit on the bland side for our taste.

Each time we visited, The Red Boat’s staff was friendly and accommodating. We weren’t the only ones they educated about how the place functions, but now that we’ve mastered it, we’ll certainly be back.

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›› The Red Boat 334 N. Charles St., 443-835-1507. Hours: Tue.-Thurs. 12-10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 12 p.m.–1 a.m., Sun. 12-8 p.m. Rolls: $5; hot dogs: $7; Banh mi and tacos: $8; pho: $10; rice/salad/noodle bowls: $11.

AFTER SHAMEFULLY LAGGING BEHIND Baltimore and Howard counties in the Vietnamese food department, Baltimore City is finally reaching some measure of pho respectability with the arrival of Mt. Vernon’s Indochine (joining stalwart Mekong Delta and Canton’s new Saigon Today). 

Although its moniker is vague, Indochine is actually a straightforward pho joint. And this is a good thing. The owners are veterans of the craft, having two other outposts in the highly competitive noodle-soup market in the Washington, D.C., suburbs of Montgomery County, and, as such, the pho ($7.95-12.95) is solid—noodles cooked just shy of done (the broth should finish the job), good fresh toppings, and industry-standard large portions. The all-important broth is of the more home-style variety—slightly darker, less clear, and a touch sweeter than at some other spots, but very beefy, full of flavor, and deftly spiced. (There is also a vegetable-based broth option available.) The garden rolls ($4.95), stuffed with shrimp, pork, or just vegetables, are remarkable for their abundance of mint leaves in summer and Thai basil in the colder months.

Although pho is the only noodle soup on the menu, Indochine also offers excellent bun ($8.95-13.95), which is usually comprised of grilled meat or seafood atop soft noodles about the thickness of spaghetti and garnished with greens and peanuts (upon request), as well as Vietnamese fried rice ($8.95-12.95), and Chinese-style main courses such as orange chicken ($11.95). An assortment of stir-fries, including sesame chicken ($11.95) and beef with basil sauce ($10.95), are on hand, as well.

For the uninitiated, take our advice and finish off your meal with café sua da ($4.50)—hair-on-your-chest strong coffee and sweet condensed milk served iced. Aficionados may notice that prices are a bit steeper than the norm. Consider the extra few bucks a surcharge for not having to drive out to the county to quell your craving for Vietnamese food. Finally!

Indochine, 1015 N. Charles St., 410-539-4636, Hours: Mon.-Sun. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; appetizers: $4.95-7.95; entrees: $6.95-16.95.