What The Phở?

...you might just be asking yourself that same question - I was, but it was well worth it!  Phở (fəʊ) is a traditional Vietnamese beef noodle soup and there are loads of these places in Portland.  I feel like the word Phở preceeding the name of the establishment is about as common as the "& lounge" following the name of a Chinese restaurant...but I digress.  Lesley has been encouraging me to try this wonderful food for a while now and the other night I finally came around.  We decided to patronize Phở Van on Hawthorne in SE Portland, mostly because it was close to my house and because Lesley had already been there before and considered it CDP worthy.  The meal started out with an order of shrimp and veggie salad rolls which had a nice peanut dipping sauce - so far so good.  I myself was famished after a full day of work so I decided to order the large bowl of Phở with the lean brisket.  There were about 10 different cuts of beef available on the menu, but this one sounded most appetizing to me.  And it should be noted, that  Lesley and I indepently ordered the same dish, which is par for the course.  When the food arrived I was thinking I should have ordered the small, but it was only a difference of $0.50 so W.T.P, right? This salty beef noodle soup hit the spot, especially when sufficiently doctored up.  Each bowl was served with a garnish plate consisting of sliced jalapeños, fresh basil leaves, bean sprouts and lime. As advised by Lesley I dumped the whole thing in but not before liberally adding house made chili sauce and Siracha.  The thins strips of brisket were delicious and lean as advertised, noodles tender and the broth a nice mix of beef flavor, saltniess and heat.  There was one problem though, my mouth wanted to finish the whole bowl of soup while my stomach was already bursting.  Could have possibly been attributed to a not so uncommon flavor enhancement additive, wink, wink.  Anyhow, a pleasant meal all around. I haven't tried any other Phở restaurants yet so I can't speak to whether this one was better or worse than average, but I can say that I did enjoy my first Phở experience and would go back again to Phở Van, especially for only $8.

-Evan