Every year, when summer passes the baton to autumn, I shake out my sweaters and head to the nearest pho joint. Pho, that Vietnamese staple of rice noodles in a steaming broth, is working its way up the list of American comfort food. At Pho Nam, the pho’s first-rate, so jump right in. A word about the decor: just because a restaurant has twinkling Christmas lights hung in late August and fake plants in need of dusting does not mean the food is bad. Enough said.
Pho Nam makes it easy for you to order, with a slick menu filled with pictures and a user-friendly pricing structure. All Pho Bo (beef pho) comes in two sizes, small ($4.55) and large ($5.15). Pho Bo always starts with a beef broth and flat rice noodles; you choose what cuts of beef to add in. Each bowl comes with a generous plate of bean sprouts, basil, chile sauce, and lemon wedges. The menu suggests that "first-timers" stick with one cut of meat – steak, lean brisket, or beef balls. But in the spirit of reality television, I recommend facing your fear factor and trying the more interesting House Special combination, which adds flank, tendon, and tripe to the above cuts.
Your meal begins with a bowl of rice noodles mounded with beef and a separate bowl of broth. Pouring in the broth immediately lets the noodles relax and unwind and cooks the raw slices of steak before the broth becomes too cold. The noodles are deliciously chewy, the broth fragrant with scallions and cilantro. Steak is tender as a slice of brie cheese. Flank and brisket are sliced so paper thin as to make these ordinarily tougher cuts dissolve in your mouth. Tendons are the translucent bits which, though they appear rubbery, are actually pliant and almost flavorless. Tripe, from the stomach lining of the cow, is rough-textured and crunchy. Like tendon, tripe takes on the flavor of the broth.
Pho Nam also offers bun, or thin rice vermicelli served over a stack of bean sprouts, and your choice of grilled pork, shrimp, fried egg rolls, or grilled onion-beef rolls. A fistful of cucumbers, pickled carrots, and shredded lettuce accompanies each bun dish. Although the vermicelli was perfectly cooked, slip-ups like bitter cucumbers, tough beef rolls, and junior-sized shrimp make Pho Nam’s bun their weaker suit compared to pho. However, at $5.55 a plate, bun is still a good value.
Finally, Pho Nam offers several cold and hot concoctions to sip with your noodles. There’s Vietnamese-style coffee, served hot or cold with condensed milk, as well as fresh coconut juice, soy bean milk, sweet bean drinks over ice, and tropical smoothies. For something different, try the Custard Apple Smoothie ($2.35). The custard apple is a white-fleshed tropical fruit with a soft perfume and a taste similar to a pippin apple.