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.