Was trying to decide where to go to lunch with a friend and I recited a list of close places (courtesy of the Yelp app of course). I named Rice Paper and he immediately said let's go. He had tried on two different occasions and couldn't find parking. So he left without going in. This was possibly his chance and I always up for a new Vietnamese joint.
When we got there just after 11 am, there were a few spots available. It is a small place and the main dining area was fairly packed. So we chose the front room that had no one else in it.
Service was average. The hostess (?) was pleasant. Our server was not pleasant, not unpleasant. He was simply there. For some reason he continually walked into the front room, looked straight at the for door for a few seconds and would walk back. So there and a bit strange.
The menu is not truly Vietnamese. It's the way I envision P.F. Chang's would develop an urban hipster Vietnamese place. I went with a chicken sandwich. Frankly I was hit with sticker shock when I saw the $8 price. I'm used to $4 sandwiches from the more "traditional" places. And to through in a plot twist I went with the staple of Vietnamese side dishes, garlic fries. BUT, I must say that the food was very good. The sandwich was over twice the size of the $4 snack sandwiches I was used to and they actually put a decent amount of chicken in it. The jalapeƱos were fresh. The garlic fries were fantastic. The best I have had. They weren't soggy like most places. They were crispy without an overpowering amount of garlic. A+ for the food.
So overall the food is fantastic, but the parking (it took us a while to maneuver out way out after some creative parking from others) and service aren't. I may also be biased by what I perceive to be an attempt by restaurant owners to create buzz by setting up shop in tiny downtown houses with inadequate parking. You know that whole Yogism, "No one goes there anymore, it's too crowded."