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| - For 11 am on a Saturday morning, the teeming scene down on the Strip District, where the Internet had guided us tourists and where we first sought out an early casual lunch, seemed crowded and chaotic. We jumped back on Liberty Avenue and kept heading northeast.
A few minutes later the wife's phone pulled up Tram's. We parked right in front, and in we went, because I'll eat Vietnamese food, and especially pho, at the drop of a hat (and the wife will do so with not too much more prompting).
Tram's was a pleasant surprise. For a Vietnamese place outside the big coastal metros, this one's older and mom-and-pop. The décor isn't much to look at, and the only sounds were a blaring TV and a video-poker machine.
But the food was quite good: By Vietnamese standards, the menu's pretty short, but there was basic pho with beef and meatballs that was rock-solid. The broth had some depth to it, and the beef was done a bit differently: Instead of the usual super-thin-sliced beef, this was almost like pulled beef, but tender and tasty.
The one-armed older fellow who waited on us is, I believe, one of the long-time owners. Even though this restaurant has been around for some time, something got lost in translation with my wife's order: She asked for the bun (vermicelli bowl) with tofu, but ended up with a vegetarian pho. She pronounced it "too healthy," which I take to mean bland, but for a vegetarian pho I thought the broth was quite rich and good.
The spring rolls were nice: Copious fresh herbs, and a good value for the money.
All-in-all, good job, Tram's Kitchen.
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