Pho is Here!

I was driving around the very annoying and very dangerous Towson circle over the weekend, and I almost caused an accident myself when noticed a sign for Pho in one of the windows. Amen! There is a new Pho restaurant opening right in my very own town. I never thought I'd utter those words.

For those of you who don't know what Pho is (pronounced fuh--and you want to get this right, because the pho police are always look to apprenhend offenders of mispronouciation); it is a delightful Vietnamese soup that's broth is made primarily from beef bones. It usually has star anise and cilantro in it as well. It sounds like an odd combo, and honestly, a bit gross, but I assure you it is not. I won't get into tripe or tendon.
Very thin slices of rare beef tenderloin are added to the broth, along with rice noodles... and voila, you got yourself a bowl of pho. There is also a bowl of all kinds of goodies like bean sprouts, lime, basil, then some sauces to add to it. I love to put lots of plum sauce in it. Oh it's so good.

If you're sad it will make you happy. If you're lonely, it will be your companion. If Heaven were to shower anything on earth, it would likely be pho in beautiful beefy raindrops.

My office in CA used to be located in Cerritos, which must have a third of CA's Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, and Chinese restaurants. Korean BBQ (another one of my absolute faves) is served like fast food down there. On La Cienega near Hollywood, it's served all LA-style by slick-haired guys and svelte girls wearing all black, and answering everything as if it's a question. In Cerritos, it's served in two minutes for $4.50 by a guy who gets offended if your beef is anything but bloody when it hits your soup.

Now that my office is in Long Beach, I have to make a special trip back just to get the pho, and the amazing sweet rice they make. Oh, don't even get me started on the sweet rice people. I always order a side of the rice, even though it makes me so full and sick and bloated. It's that good. I also enjoy going with Justin, one of the partners from my company, who always forgets I've had pho a million times. He always instructs everyone how to order, and then puts all the fixins in when you get the soup. He's so excited to tell you what it's all about.
See, this is what pho does--it brings people together!

So, when the new Pho place opens in Towson in July, we'll all have to go out for a good time.