Never Judge a Vietnamese Restaurant by Its Pho (At Least in Chicago)
Bad pho doesn't mean the rest of the menu isn't worth trying.
Even though one burned down last week due to an unfortunate fire, it feels like there are almost more Vietnamese restaurants on or near Chicago’s Argyle Street in the Little Vietnam neighborhood than there are in Vietnam itself.
Over the years I’ve slurped down bowls of steamy pho from the majority of them as frequently as the McKenzie brothers drink beer. I figure the basic meaty broth of pho is a good indicator of the rest of a Vietnamese restaurant’s fare. If a spot uses prepackaged broths, they likely don’t care about putting out good food. If they make the broth from scratch and offer fresh-cut herbs, then I’m usually on to something bigger. Turns out that’s not quite a foolproof plan—at least not at New Saigon where the pho isn’t exactly transcendent.
In fact, everything about New Saigon—from the year-round Christmas decoration, to the Michael Jackson album poster, to the bowl of waxed fruit in the entertainment center and other bric-a-brac lovingly lit by a spotlight—suggests you should run the other way for your Vietnamese food.
By ordering an assortment of goodies though, I discovered that broth don’t mean a thing when it comes to meat acumen. One highlight was the broiled marinated beef on their #702 "Bun" dish—it was smoky and sesame-crusted with a sweet glaze. Even better was #1403, a stir-fry of tender chicken flecked with red chilies and the bright zing of lemongrass and ginger. Spicy, sweet, salty, with a touch of acid, it was a full palate coater, and one of the better dishes I’ve had near argyle.
New Saigon
5000 N. Broadway, Chicago IL 60640 (at W. Argyle Street; map)
773-334-3322
About the author: Michael Nagrant writes for Serious Eats from Chicago, where he also publishes Hungry magazine. Michael never met an organ meat he didn't like. He hopes to meet many more.
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5 Comments:
Pho to me is like American BBQ, it's best in the hands of specialists.
Restaurants (Viet or BBQ) with many menu items usually don't have the focus and resources to crank out distinctive, complex smoky BBQ or long simmered Pho.
I wouldn't judge a Vienamese restaurant by it's Pho necessarily. Some of the best overall restaurants often will have only average Pho (or not serve it at all), and tiny, specialized Pho shacks tend to put out the very best noodles.
Bob Ferrapuhls at 1:51PM on 08/14/08
P.S. Bric a Brac and year 'round Christmas decorations are often a clue to authenticity and quality potential to me, I'm skeptical of too fancy Viet or Thai restaurants.
Ditto for lots of blue neon and TVs turned on with the volume down while music plays on the sound system--more often than not you're often in good culinary hands.
Bob Ferrapuhls at 2:12PM on 08/14/08
@Bob, I totally agree with you. I've come to the same conclusions.
wookie at 3:13PM on 08/14/08
Like Bob said, I think if the restaurant has Pho in it (like Pho Hoa, Pho Saigon, Pho King, etc) it's pho better be damned good. But Viet restaurants, in general, usually have a speciality that they're famous for. It's good to ask the server what dishes he/she sees order the most.
johnnytakes5 at 10:34PM on 08/14/08
I confess that I sometimes judge a restaurant by the quality of pho that they serve. I think my family is spoiled in that my mom's a wonderful cook and when we eat out, we get dishes that she doesn't usually prepare at home, such as pho.
However, my dad will only eat pho at a restaurant that serves only that. There's one chain in Philly (Pho '75) that we visit every time my parents need to stock up on some food essentials.
tina_eats at 8:15PM on 08/15/08