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| - After a night of partying and a liquid diet of Goose, only two words come to mind...GOT PHO? After a disastrous pho aka "Zen Noodles" experience at Grand Luxe Café at our last Vegas trip, I was very skeptical when Nicole S. brought us here on Friday, March 4, 2010. But, I'm glad she did because who would have known you could find almost authentic Pho in TI?
FOOD:
*Cha Gio (Vietnamese Egg Rolls - $9): Meh. It tasted like pork veggie lumpia straight from the freezer section from the local Asian supermarket. The pork and veggie filling had no flavor and was very dry and it wasn't wrapped in the traditional banh tranhg (rice paper). The nuoc cham tasted water down as it lacked the pungent flavor from the fish sauce.
*#11 Combo Pho with rare beef slices, brisket, tendons, and beef balls ($14.95): Yes, the pho is almost 3x the price of what I would normally pay at a Pho place in SF's TL, but you CAN NOT put a price tag on a hangover cure! The beef broth was rich, savory, and wasn't too salty (the MSG did kick in heavily later). The portions are massive and they do NOT skimp on the meat portions. The rare beef slices and brisket were very tender, the huge chunks of tendon literally melted into your mouth, but the beef balls were a bit hard. The noodles were cooked al-dente just the way I liked them. Throw in the lime wedges, fresh basil, hoison sauce, and Sriracha and you get the perfect balance of tart, liquorice, sweet, salty, and a fiery kick. Just to note: stay away from the bean sprouts which were brown and not fresh.
SERVICE:
Fast and attentive. We got our pho within 10 minutes. However, on our second visit on Sunday, March 7, 2010, our waitress had somewhat of a bi-polar personality. When my friend was ordering her pho, she requested no onions, and the waitress kept on insisting on the green and red onions. My other friend tried to clarify, and the waitress rudely shushed and waved her hand at my friend. But, then throughout our meal there she was as sweet as can be.
AMBIANCE/DÉCOR:
No frills coffee shop type of feel with brown tables and booths, and funky multi-colored brown carpet.
Thanks, Nicole S....thanks for showing us there is life after death from those "Zen Noodles"!
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