KirkK's mmm-yoso San Diego food blog gives a terrific "retrospective" review of San Diego's best pho joints. He starts with Phuong Trang and goes down the list, samping eight different restaurants and including photos of the meal from each. He is surely a dedicated food journalist. The many comments in the thread add even more criticism and suggestions. Pho certainly does bring out the true believer in all of us!
Word came down from central command. There was need to find a way to create supply lines into La Jolla. My mission was to find a secure way in and out with out that would allow our troops to enjoy the hearty goodness of the phood of all phoods, pho.
It was a swarming cesspool of enemy activity with no real easy way to access it. The traffic is bad and the only way in and out seems to be waiting forever in what seems to be an endless line of yuppies in way too expensive cars. It was determined that this would take a bit more planning than the usual.
After scouring the area for what seemed like a lifetime, I had to strategically retreat to a safe haven and think about the over view. Then, it hit me like a baseball bat to the back of the head. After lying there unconscious for three days, I woke up with my wallet and my virginity GONE.
It was only then that I saw a reasonable answer to the La Jolla dilemma. If our troops could return to these coordinates before and after their assaults they would be well fortified and satisfied. Pho Hoacali, 7351 Clairemont Mesa, San Diego, CA 858-565-6997.
This place was great, and while they don't serve Pho Ga, they have an excellent bowl of Tai. It's a hearty broff and strange surreal atmosphere. They have fish tanks and everything seemed really clean, everything is white, the phloor, the tables, it's like a gawdayum pho hospital. The dreamy cloudlike effect added to the real dream of a nice hot bu' of pho. I liked the place a lot and would give it an excellent if they had Ga but they don't so they only get a good. But you know how I am about the Ga, if it aint' Ga I don't usually want no moa!
So, until I find a closer outpost to serve our never ending battle, this place could serve the La Jolla troops with not too far of a distance to go depending on the coordinates of the daily La Jolla conflict.
A letter we received from Cookie, to our favorite San Diego operative Cong Khi:
Hey Cong, HELP!!!! Please, please help.
I am in search of some good pho. I was born in raised in the Bay Area, San Jose to be exact. The Vietnamese population up there is HUGE and me, well I was spoiled. I am american (well mexican-filipina-american if you wanna get technical), but the majority of my friends were asian. 3 out of my 4 best friends in high school were Vietnamese. My one friend, Hai, her mom was a cook at a Vietnamese restaurant and going to Hai's place for dinner was always THE BEST. In San Jose you can find Pho Bangs on every other block, and Pho numbers 1-1 billion (okay so i exaggerate... but just a little). But the thing is you can find great Pho on every street corner and well into the night. There are even a number of 24 hour places!
Here in San Diego it sucks! Nothing is open late - except Denny's YUCK!! I've been here about 2 years and I finally found a good Pho place down the street from my house and on Sunday (after about an hour escapade) I discovered that it's been bought out and now it's a Chinese noodle house. BAH! I work in La Jolla and would love it if you could tell me where I can find a good bowl of Pho around here. I live in City Heights (near 15 and university), any suggestions for a good place over there. I usually order Tai (just the rare steak) but recently I have been ordering it with meatballs too. Hey while I'm at it, I guess it can't hurt to ask, but do you know where I can get a good Vietnamese sandwich ... you know the kind with the roll and like bbq pork and onions and carrots and stuff ... I haven't had one of those since I've been living here. I'm soooo hungry. Help please.
THANK YOU!! –Cookie
While pho may very well be the perfect breafast, lunch or dinner. I would like to invite you - gentle reader to another one of the Cong Khi's favs called thit bo kho, or beef stew. I don't know really how it's traditionally made or eatn I just know how I like it. What I like most is smothering the goddess of the most beautiful foods with it, the rice noodle. I mean what is a meal with out nooda? So along with that, it is a must for me to also be a glutten and have the nicest warmed viet-french bread with it on the side. I've heard tales that in some places they actually hollow out the core of the bread and fill it with the beautiful stew. While this sounds very scruptious I'm afraid I would be missing the noodas and not really enjoy it as much. So dear dear freinds and fellow expatriots, please stop by Lucky seafood on the corner of Mira Mesa and Black mountain road in San Diego California for some of the best Vietnamese Beef Stew I've had in my entire life. If you're not lucky enough to live near Lucky then you're not rucky at all but with any luck, I'm sure some where near you there is a place that may have a viable substitute. Till next time, high hoe sliver....
I started to explore the Da Nang section of San Diego over in the Convoy Linda Vista area. There are so many places there to discover I didn't know where to start. I began with Pho Tau Bay Restaurant at 7604 Linda Vista Rd San Diego, CA 92111. Good resteraunt but kinda on the high side for prices. Seems they have a lot of overhead in order to keep those fish tanks clean and those fake streams running. But it is a pretty nice place inside. Then again, I'd go sit in a back alley and eat if the pho was good. Atmosphere don't fill the void n'am sayin. Very nice crew, and one waitress in particular was way hot. But again, it's about the love of pho not the love of tang right? Well, ok may be there's some gray area there but this place was a'ight, better than some but definately not in the top ten. If you're on you're way to Mesa college and got some extra money, stop in. If you're tight on cash you can find cheaper better pho...
In my never-ending search for distant beacons of light in the pho universe, I found myself at the direct opposite corner of Mira Mesa and Black Mountain Road from the Lucky seafood. The Southwest corner is the home of Pho Bolsa, a nice restaurant. Huge chunks of Ga almost too big and I had to cut most of them in half. This is a surprise because I'm a big mouf mofo. The broff isn't the classic pho broff in the Ga. They use a chicken-based substance that makes you long for more. There are no bits of spices or dirt whatever the stuff is that makes some broffs so good. It was a pleasant place to eat though tucked up in the strip mall by the Wendy's. Since it's so close to the Lucky that's behind the Arco on the opposite corner, I would just as soon walk over there to get a much better pho. They don't have the good chili sauce at bolsa either, which is a big disappointment. Don't much care for the red sauce in the bottle with the green cap. Over all the atmosphere was nice, but do I really go for the atmosphere???? Where is the love...
Sure many of you have heard the praise the Cong Khi gives his home clan. Lucky Seafood Pho is definately in my heart and the people there are like family to me. As far as I'm concerned they are the standard to which all others must be compared. But, as I was driving through the parking lot one day, I noticed a small faction nested in the corner of the same strip mall at Mira Mesa and Black Mountain Road.
There, as I lay in hiding watching the enemy's movement, was a small stronghold right in the heart of Hanoi. This shop is small and yet very nice inside. It's called Pho Hung. Great people run this place and offer very good service and food. Great price too; like Lucky they aren't trying to break the bank like some places. I've seen Pho Ga for as much as 8 bux this place was under five like it should be.
The broth was flavorful and robust and a suprisingly good substitute for my home clan's fortification. I hated myself for liking it so much, as though I was betraying my family. But I have to admit, I would go there again. This could never replace my home pho, but I did like it and would recommend visiting there when Lucky has a line out the door. You won't be disappointed. The sauce wasn't as viscous but the vegetables were fresh and the place was really clean.
I know it's been a while since you've heard from the Cong Khi but lo and behold here I am! With the commander occupied on other missions it was assigned to me the undertaking of reconnaisance in to the unknown territory of lil Saigon. Affectionately called that because it's south of our usual stomp up in Mira Mesa (closer to Hanoi).
Continue reading "Grand Openings in San Diego's "Lil' Saigon"" »
These are the things that run through my mind while enjoying pho at Lucky's pho in Mira Mesa Black Mountain Road, just north of Mira Mesa blvd (connected to Lucky Seafood). Daily treat that can't be beat from North County to San Y'sid' ... best pho in the land from Alabama to the DMZ From Hanoi to Houston. The master was preaching these and other great realizations in this morning pre-pho meditations and I thought that I should share the pho-losophy with you...
After a narrow escape from the imperial PHO HOA HIEP on Mira Mesa road east of 15, I couldn't help but ask myself what had just went through. I should know better than to stray from my home pho like that but I feel the need to put my clan's pho to the challenge to make sure they are still the shining center to the phuniverse.
The Commander and I entered the strange unknown pho joint with an uncanny optimism. The smell was good however more subtle as we couldn't smell it until we were actually in the place and almost to the table. That should have been the first sign that something was going to go awry. We sat down and I ordered the usual. I'm a die hard pho ga phan and when out for a challenge I like to compare phapples to phapples so I order the same thing.
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