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| - Oh that's where I left it! Years of neglect, conformity, discomfort has dulled it. Lack of attention has made me nearly forget it existed in the first place. I should've gone shopping with it more often, dressed it up nice, took it out around the block so people knew it was part of my life.
Ah, Vietnamese food, cornerstone to my soul growing up. How I've missed you, and how wonderful it is to find you again.
I was born Vietnamese but grew up denying it. I'm happy to report that Pho Ao Sen has helped me bring some Viet soul back in my life. Although I blame my girlfriend for never wanting to go out for Asian food, I completely forgive her years of indifference for suggesting trying out Pho Ao Sen!
I will say that walking in, I was incredibly nervous. I've never been to a Vietnamese place that I loved if it had nice decor or great service. Opening the door, you're greeted by a lovely water feature that is just the right size to catch your attention but not be too ostentatious, and everything is a lovely dark mahogany-colored wooden theme. A sleek looking bar is the centerpiece of this nicely sized restaurant, ~70 or so I estimate it could seat.
We were seated promptly, and courteously asked what we would to drink. The missus stuck with water, while I indulged in Da Chahn ($3.00), a wonderfully tart, cooling, freshly made batch of lemonade. Toni ordered Pho Ga ($6.75), which arrived in typical gargantuan bowl fashion, and also came with it an agonizingly tempting aroma (can't eat meat for another 21 days) that had me literally over her bowl, nearly overwhelmed by the rich scent. My biggest pet peeve with any type of Pho is oily broth, and this was the 2nd cleanest broth I've ever seen, second only to my father's. Chock full of chicken and suitably accompanied by traditional accompaniments, as soon as I am free to eat meat I will come back for this.
I ordered the Bun Bo Xao Xa Chay ($9.00) Lemongrass "beef" (textured soy protein with the consistency and moisture content of beef) stir-fried in fresh garlic, sliced onions, and lemongrass. Served with rice vermicelli over bed of fresh shredded lettuce, mint, and bean sprouts, also with crushed peanuts aplenty. A surprisingly tasty soy-based sauce mixed with something vinegary made a wonderful stand in for nuoc mam (fish sauce). I ate about half and decided to take the rest home. Remembering how it tasted, I broke that promise in about 3 seconds and wolfed the rest down. This could go down so far as my favorite vegetarian dish of all time.
Wow, just wow. I love this place! It's more expensive than most Viet places I've been too, but the quality of food, service, and decor more than build enough value for me to pay twice as much. I am ready to bust out the my old bamboo hat that I've kept hidden over the years and wear it down the streets with pride. Sure, scoff, stare, mock; I'm Vietnamese and proud of it because our food is absolutely amazing! I'll never turn my back on it again!
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