Go Pho Yourself

We forgot to get anything out for dinner tonight. This meant that we went out for dinner. We get sort of tired of the traditional fare (and fast food is tiresome and unhealthy), so we decided to try something new to us. We decided on Pho (pronounced "fuh"), Vietnamese Noodles in broth. I've had it once before, but the rest of the family were first time pho-ers. The kids were remarkably well-behaved, at least until the very end, and the restaurant staff was very friendly (I think they were enamored with the little blond children who came in with big grins on their face).

Pho is pretty good. You order your meal, for example I got Pho Tai Nam, rice noodles with flank steak and round steak. They cook the broth all day long, so the flavors really mix well. They bring out a plate with parsley, basil, bean sprouts, jalapeños, and limes. As the bowl is brought out, you place the side items you want in your pho for flavoring, as well as hoisin and/or hot sauce (I can't remember the name of the hot sauce, but it's bright red and rather hot). Then you use chopsticks and a spoon to eat the pho and drink the broth.

My wife enjoyed it quite a bit, and my daughter, the Princess, actually surprised herself at liking it (she was the one who threw the temper tantrum about eating there). The Boy loved everything except the soy milk, which was a little too sweet for him. All in all, it was a pretty good meal with really good company. I think we'll be going back.