Tay Do was my destination one evening after flying into Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport. Was Halloween night!
There were 3-4 other tables of diners when I arrived. Not seeing a host/hostess to seat me - I grabbed a table and waited. About five minutes later a little lady came over to greet me and give me a menu.
I ordered the Pho Ga - their menu lists it as being a "cinnamon broth."
35 minutes later my Pho finally came out. By far the longest I've ever waited for Pho. I was close to getting up and leaving and finding something, anything to eat - when the Pho finally came out.
The plate of veggies/aromatics had no Jalapeños and no Basil. Instead there was fresh Cilantro on the plate - I've eaten Pho at a lot of places - I've never seen that. I asked for Jalapeños and Basil - apparently they serve neither. The lady who was serving me seemed confused, I told her that the vast majority of Pho places I go to serve/offer both of those items with Pho. About 5 minutes later she comes out with a small bowl with some sliced chilies - they looked like they were some sort of Thai or Serrano chile pepper. Whatever they were - they were very spicy! Just the way I like it! She seemed surprised that I took the entire amount she brought and dumped it into the broth.
The broth was very different than most of the Pho I am used to eating. I could characterize it as being somewhat "rustic." Not bad - just different. Chicken was tender. Noodles were not clumped. Cilantro, Bean Sprouts, and Lime - all appeared fresh.
Cons:
- No Jalapeños and no Basil
- The bottle of Sriracha sauce was obviously stored in a refrigerator. I prefer my Sriracha to be room temperature. There really isn't any reason to refrigerate Sriracha IMHO.
- I hope 35 minutes is not the average to get a bowl of Pho here. That's a long wait for a bowl of Pho!