pho-king

More Pho Adventures in Portland

Reader Nick Zukin (who recently posted a new survey of Vietnamese food in Portland) writes to tell us of the upcoming Pho Crawl, via Portlandfood.org. On August 21, a group of Portland pho aficionados will set out for meals at four of the best spots in town; check it out and if you are in the area please do share a few meals with these folks and report back on it for the rest of us.

Pho in Portland

One of my favorite food weblogs, Extra MSG, recently delved into Portland's Viet food scene to answer the age-old (well, coupla month-old, at least) question: is there decent pho in Portland, or will pho lovers have to move to California? He answers this question (you'll have to read it to find out the answer), and includes lots of mouth-watering pictures.

be prepared

Late last year, I was driving home late one night, a mere block from home when I pulled up behind this car:

I didn't have any!  I'll never let that happen again though, not with this car in my neighborhood.

Maybe We Have to Move Back

So according to the Vietnamese woman that was doing my mani-pedi today, there is no good pho to be had in Portland.  Or, more accurately, she said: "There is no restaurant that has good pho here,"  "I wouldn't eat pho in any restaurant in Portland," and finally, "It's all Americanized here. If you want authentic pho, go back to San Francisco."  The woman working next to her nodded her head in affirmation the whole time her colleague was talking.

Sheeee-it.

Portland's Best

I conducted an informal poll last night regarding the best places in Portland to get a bowl of the most delicious phở.

Of the ten or so people I asked, all agreed that the best phở is served at Phở Hung on SE Powell. Everyone also agreed that the second best place is Phở Oregon on NE Sandy Blvd.

So, there you have it, ten out of ten Portlanders agree.

'I Can't Move To A City Without Pho'

Currently, I live in Pho Heaven, aka the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area. I can indulge my pho whims everyday and still not hit every pho restaurant in the area. Is there anything better? Soon, though, we will be moving from San Francisco to Portland, Oregon. We are moving for my husband J.'s job. When we were considering Portland, we knew almost nothing about the city and knew absolutely no one that lived there. Since then, we've visited twice, met some nice people, and explored the city fairly thoroughly. Before he accepted the job, however, I told J. that there was absolutely no way I was moving to Portland if they didn't have pho. I can't live in a city without pho. That simple fact would have been the deal-breaker for me.