Pho Seattle

Pho To Go

Pho King — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:11:06 +0000

I always enjoy sitting down for a good meal rather than having to deal with the logistics and ethics of a take out meal.

I had never actually had take out pho before. But one fateful night, my cousin was hellbent on getting pho to go. “I guess there is a first time for everything,” I thought to myself. We decided on Than Brothers in Edmonds.

Compared to all the other Than Brothers franchise restaurants, the Edmonds branch is quite spacious and clean. The environment is much more relaxing and open than the Than Brothers in the city. The tables are not cramped all together like in most pho restaraunts. Rather, they are spread out along the walls, and around the fish tank. Interestingly, they have the same horse mural that the Capital Hill branch has.

We got 2 orders of pho to go. There weren’t many people in the restaurant at the time, so our food came out within minutes. The soup broth comes inside a styrofoam container, the noodles in a ubiquitous Chinese to go box; the garnishes come in a styrofoam teriyaki to go box, the plastic spoon and bamboo chopsticks along with everything else is conveniently wrapped up in a plastic bag.

The garnishes included inside of the styrofoam box included bean sprouts, 2 giant sprigs of Thai basil, a few slices of green pepper, sliced white onions, coriander, a small plastic container with Sriracha hot sauce and hoisin sauce, and of course you can’t forget the tasty cream puff pastry on the side. The thinly sliced raw beef came saran wrapped on top of the noodles, so I just dumped the whole thing inside of the steaming hot soup. The broth itself was well prepared and delicious -maybe even the most delicious of all the Than Bros.

The food itself was fantastic. No complaints there. The biggest drawback with getting take out would have to be the abundance of all the non-recyclable refuse that is produced. I suppose an alternative would have been to bring in my own containers, however I don’t plan on getting an order to go anytime soon. Half the fun of eating pho is the going out and experiencing the restaurant itself with all its unique perks and nuances.

In summary, do yourself a favor next time you are thinking of getting pho to go: Just sit the pho down and enjoy your meal.

Pho: The Ultimate Hangover Cure

Pho King — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:28:26 +0000

What’s better than a steaming hot bowl of pho to cure a hangover? Something about the combination of hot soup and fresh herbs and vegetables is irresistable.

Here are some of the best places to go on Sunday morning for some delicious pho goodness.

Pho 900

Source: Yelp

This place rocks and is conveniently located on Broadway in the heart of Capitol Hill. Great vegan pho with cauliflower, carrots and some interesting additions to the palette.

Than Bros

There are multiple Than Bros eateries throughout the city, in such neighborhoods as the U-District, Capitol Hill and Ballard. Whichever one you end up at, you’ll find something satisfying. Their broth is especially good. The one thing that really makes them stand out is their complimentary cream puffs. Note: No vegetarian options here.

Tamarind Tree

Hidden behind a grocery store off Jackson in Seattle’s illustrious International District, the Tamarind Tree is a rare find: That unique blend of healthy options, large portions, low prices and delicious food. Truly one of the best in the I.D., the Tamarind Tree offers heaping portions of shiso, Thai basil, cilantro, mint and bean sprouts. They recently celebrated their 5-year anniversary by offering $5 entrees during lunch, including duck soup and a Vietnamese/French crepe specialty.

Summary

There are too many amazing pho restaurants in Seattle to list them all here. Pretty much any pho restaurant could be considered great hangover fare for the day after a night out drinking.

Pho is truly Seattle’s comfort food.

How to Pronounce Pho

Pho King — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:46:14 +0000

When people first start going to pho restaurants, one of the most oftenly heard blunders is the pronunciation of the word pho. Many people pronounce this like “foe,” as in “friend or foe.” This is incorrect. The proper pronunciation sounds like “fuh”, leading to many amusing situations when combined with other words.

Wikipedia corroborates this and even has an audio file you can listen to:

Phở (Vietnamese pronunciation: [fə̃ː] ( listen); in English, written pho and typically pronounced /ˈfʌ/^[1])

Beef Pho Videos

Pho King — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:25:38 +0000

Garnish for Pho

Pho King — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:07:51 +0000

Common garnishes for pho include fresh sliced lime, bean sprouts, cilantro and holy basil, all served raw. Sometimes you will also get green onions, white onions, ngò gai (culantro, or long coriander), Thai basil, fresh Thai chili peppers, and even lemon wedges, depending on the place.

When preparing pho at home, don’t hesitate to try new and interesting toppings. I find fresh crushed peanuts quite tasty. Others prefer condiments such as sweet or spicy sauces. I’ve also tried fresh leafy greens like lettuce to good effect.

Author: Jael from Ho Chi Minh City

Source: originally posted to Flickr as Phingredients by way of Wikipedia.

A delightful garnish to try is crispy fried onions, an obvious influence from the French. Trader Joe’s has these by the can and I will often add them to soups and salads.

One place near my house uses deep fried tofu skin as a topping. You can purchase this from local tofu manufacturers. It can be fried until crispy or immersed in the soup for an interesting texture. A variation on this which I tried at the delicious Boom Noodles in Capitol Hill is to use fried parmesan cheese. Yes, by frying (or baking, I suppose), into “chips,” you can create a nice garnish for pho or other similar soups.

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Introducing Pho Seattle

Pho King — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 21:51:58 +0000

Welcome to Pho Seattle. This site was created in the summer of 2009 by a group of Pho lovers in Seattle. We hope to share our favorite tips and restaurants with you. Bon appetit!