Also unlike Pho 79, it is in a large strip mall’ish complex and as such has ample parking in front-which makes it far less of a pain to get to than Pho 79. to Canada, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan. Unlike Pho 79, Pho Hoa is part of a larger chain-it’s the local franchise of an operation that extends not just to California, Florida, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Washington and Utah, but beyond the U.S. Pho Hoa is almost across the street from it. I’m not going very far from it for the second. My first report was of lunch at Pho 79 on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis. Seating is communal so get ready to sit elbow to elbow with people you don’t know while you slurp.A few weeks ago I started what I described as a slow-motion survey of noodle soup-centered meals in the Twin Cities metro area. The tables are new and the chairs are sturdy enough now. In recent years, Pho Hoa has gotten the makeover it badly needed since the last century, when burn marks on the table counted as decor and you had to worry about your chair collapsing underneath you during lunch. You can also get a Vietnamese coffee if you want to sleep with your eyes wide open. This plus slippery chopsticks do not make for a fun combination.ĭrinks are limited, mainly sodas and juices. The noodles themselves are softer than most, usually overcooked, gummy, and settled into a giant ball in the dead center of the bowl. I usually go for contrasting textures - some fatty brisket paired up with flank that’s more on the fibrous side. For me, cuts of brisket, tendon, flank, and rare beef are tender and soft but taste rather less distinct from one another, except for a slight tinny note. If you order anything raw, a few moments in the steaming liquid will cook it. There are no rules to the sizable meat options, just personal preferences. If heat is a factor you look for in your garden, some sliced jalapeños will also serve you well. On its own, the broth is fragrant, but squirts of lime, leaves of fresh Vietnamese basil, strands of peppery culantro, and some bean sprouts further balance things and bring out a medley of herby garden scents and flavors. I make elaborate use of provided garnishes and toss everything into the bowl except for the stems, making something like a salad that sits atop the soup. The broth is balanced so it’s not too sweet or salty sweetness is usually the telltale sign of MSG. I also detect notes of onion, ginger, fish sauce, star anise, and cloves. There are some shiny globules of fat floating around that lend a richness that underscores the beefiness. Hearty, warming, and gelatinous, it is as close to a bowl of perfection as you will find in San Diego. Here, the sacred broth is full of beefy flavor, yet it is virtually clear. Only Garden Grove, Houston, and San Jose can claim more people of Vietnamese descent. Now in its fifth decade of operation, Pho Hoa is a family-owned restaurant in a city with the fourth largest population of Vietnamese in the U.S.A. They do one thing here, and they do it well. San Diego, CA ( The Joy of Food) - In a city teeming with Vietnamese noodle shops specializing in the very fragrant beef noodle soup known as pho, one of them has to be getting it right.
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