pho-king

Pho in Hue

Okay, the round trip fare from your home in America to Hue City, Viet Nam, might be a bit steep, but if you ever make it to Hue, try the pho at the Saigon Pho shop.  Hue is not the capital of pho - Hanoi and Saigon compete for that title. but this place serves a very good bowl of pho for 10,000 Vietnamese dong - about 66 cents.

You don't see many westerners in this place, and that is too bad because they serve a very good Saigon-style pho, with all the usual shrubbery to put  in it. Oh yeah - if you're not into pho, the rest of the menu is pretty good.

Be sure to click on the photos to see a larger version.

La Jolla PHO?

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.

Pho Hong Long

Shadd Wade writes to tell us about a recent pho find in Los Angeles:

I started eating pho while I lived with 2 Vietnamese roommates in San Diego. They took me to a nice little joint on Linda Vista called Pho Hoa Hiep. I instantly fell in love with it, and I make a point of eating there whenever I visit.

3 years later, I live in Los Angeles. I like to sample the local pho restaurants wherever I go in this massive interlocking puzzle of communites. After trying many, many restaurants, there is one that has captured the full attention of my hunger for pho – Pho Hong Long.

 

Located on Crenshaw, 2 miles east of the 405, I lovingly refer to it as ghetto pho. The restaurant is not very nice, but it is serviceable. The prices are average for LA. The staff is busy, but quick to respond. Be prepared to wait outside for a few minutes, as this place gets packed often.

 

I usually order the tai chin. The beef is good quality and fresh. You can hear the meat slicer running in the back. The noodles are tender yet tensile. 

 

It's the broth that has me hooked. They must boil a cow for a week to get the rich flavor of their broth. It is full flavor and thick – not runny or thin. At some restaurants, you eat most of your pho, and then just kinda get tired of the broth. Not here. I eat every last boatful of the big bowl of broth. And I make it spicy.

 

I always feel refreshed and full of energy when I walk out of Pho Hong Long, sweating and blowing my nose from all the chili paste and peppers. Highly recommended.

Dear Cong Khi

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

Revenge of Noodlepie

Noodlepie, the Saigon bureau for street food reports, has a number of new reviews up of Saigon pho. I dare anyone to read a page or so of his notes and not want to immediately fly to Vietnam and stuff your face.

Better Veggie Pho

Even though it is sacrilege, and I don't believe that veggie pho really is pho (or food for that matter), too many poor misguided vegetarians ask me about vegetarian pho for me to ignore it completely ... So, I give you: a better veggie pho recipe (brocoli? peanuts? wtf??).