pho-king

Rice Noodle, Sacramento CA

While pho is not their specialty, and they only serve pho tai, Rice Noodle (2836 Arden Way in Sacramento) does serve a better than decent bowl. I've been there several times before, and the friendly mom & pop joint has great bun and shrimp rolls. This time, however, I was in the mood for my favorite soup, and ordered a $5.25 (one-size-fits-all) bowl. The noodles were excellent and perfectly cooked, the steak rare, and the portion very generous. The broth was a bit more anisey than I'm used to, but I liked it a lot. The veggie plate included lime, chile, a nice purple basil and a little bit of sawtooth, plus a mound of sprouts, the only thing I don't like in my soup (but I do snack on them alongside the main course). All in all, I was impressed. If you find yourself out on that side of town, I think it'd be your only option for pho, and you won't be disappointed.

Pho on Campus

Students on the beautiful tree-lined campus of CSU Sacramento are now lucky enough to have pho for lunch. Following the footsteps of a dozen other local eateries who have within the last 8 years moved outposts to the campus, Saigon Bay, a local pho joint, recently opened a small cafe just off the library quad. I saw it this weekend, and while it was unfortunately closed for the intersession break, I can attest that if they use the same stock as their Howe Avenue location, it'll be quite tasty. They also have some bun, sandwiches and various cold rolls on the menu, and have right in front a very pretty outdoor eating area under the shade of a few large redwoods (although there are acres of lawn all around and plenty of other nice spots to lunch).

Revamped pho

Andy Nguyen's has finally reopened, after a long remodel! Their new menu has also substantially been revamped and is all California now. All vegetarian too. So get your vegeterian pho, complete with fake soy thinly cut flank steak. Not sure how they are going to imitate tripe...

Yummy Choice

I took a short stroll around the neighborhood on my lunch break yesterday and walked by a small Chinese restaurant I don't usually pay much attention to - a toned-down fast-food stirfry place that mostly caters to unadventurous and unsophisticated palates - but as I walked by I heard Viet spoken inside and glanced up to a small sign in the window: "pho - $5." I went in, ordered a bowl and ate it at the counter - it was a combination tai and ga, big chunks of succulent chicken and lots of thin slices of flavorful beef. Absolutely perfect broth, fat rather than the more typical thin noodles, and a huge pile of basil, lime and sprouts, and a small dish of Sriracha. It was actually about the most perfect bowl I've had in Sacramento, better than Saigon or any of the Hoa Viet locations. If you're in midtown/downtown Sacramento, I urge you to stop by, if only for the pho. Don't let the scary name keep you away! Yummy Choice: 1601 10th Street, Sacramento CA 95814. Counter seating downstairs, a few tables upstairs.

phở-tography II

Sherry at Pho Bac Hoa Viet in Sacramento, 08.28.04

Phở Superflip

Superflip enjoys a birthday bowl of Phở Bo at Phở Bac Hoa Viet on Broadway in Sacramento.

Pho Hoa

Jake over at 8bitjoystick has a good review of one of the newest instances of the Pho Hoa phenomenon in his own neighborhood. There are several Pho Hoa locations in Sacramento, where I live, and all are quite good, but ignore Jake's suggetion to bypass the tendon - we all know that rare flank / brisket / tendon with extra wonton and egg yolk and ridiculous amounts of Sriracha is the way to go.

best pho in the central valley

Hoa Viet, with a coupla locations in both Stockton and throughout Sacramento, serves the cleanest, purest, simplest and best pho in the central valley. In addition to the usual sprouts and thai basil, they often add sawleaf (or at least that's what my friends call it - anyone know the real name?), finely sliced shallot, and those tiny chilis that the Thai call "mouse shit peppers." Even Bob likes it! The duck noodle soup is good too, but of course it's not pho.

Thanks to Chowhound.com!