Friday, February 1, 2013.
Pho An. Saved By A Tickle.
I am getting over a cold. That's one of two bits of good news announced by the tickling in my throat. The other is that it will save me from having to go into town and force my way around the media trucks and the closed streets. I have two commercials to record. Under ordinary circumstances, I'd have to go down there and do them. But can't you hear my hoarseness, man? Who would want to listen to a radio announcer who sounds like that? That should get me past the problem until Monday.
Mary Ann spent the day in town, however. She would not be home in time for dinner. That left me free to try an eatery too exotic to interest her.
Pho An is next to the Thai Chili on Causeway Boulevard, just past the Acme. I think there may be a connection between the two restaurants, but I'm not sure. The staff and customers are much closer to Vietnam than I've seen in the Thai Chili, though. The lady waiting on me, for example, was not what you would call polished in her serving style, but that's what we look for in an ethnic restaurant, right?
The menu was abbreviated, containing really just one major dish: pho, and its many variations. For example, these two dishes were on the menu, at the same $7.95 price:
- Soup with well-done brisket, medium rare steak, meatballs, and tendon.
- Soup with medium-rare steak, tendon, well-done brisket, and meatballs.
Read it again. There is no typo on my part. See if you can figure it out.
I had the latter. I think. There were other variations in the order in the beef items. The broth was well-made, without that muddy look I see in a lot of pho, and with an interesting array of subtle flavors from the cooking vegetables. The meats were very good, with the exception of the gelatinous meatballs. But those have never appealed to me in any Vietnamese restaurant. The bowl of sprouts and herbs was low on the greens. But one certainly can't complain at this price. I couldn't finish it, but the bathtub-size portion was normal, too.
Pho An. Covington: 1102 N. Hwy 190 (Causeway Blvd). 985-892-4200.
