Pho Orchid. Metairie: 3117 Houma Blvd. 504-457-4188.

Written by Tom Fitzmorris October 19, 2010 03:55 in

3 Fleur
Average check per person $15-$25
 BreakfastNo Breakfast SundayNo Breakfast MondayNo Breakfast TuesdayNo Breakfast WednesdayNo Breakfast ThursdayNo Breakfast FridayNo Breakfast Saturday
LunchLunch SundayLunch MondayLunch TuesdayLunch WednesdayLunch ThursdayLunch FridayLunch Saturday
DinnerDinner SundayDinner MondayDinner TuesdayDinner WednesdayDinner ThursdayDinner FridayDinner Saturday

Pho Orchid

Metairie 3: Houma Blvd To Kenner Line: 3117 Houma Blvd. 504-457-4188. Map.
Casual.
AE DC DS MC V
Website

WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
"The Nouvelle Cuisine Of Vietnam" says the building's marquee. Well, it is a new restaurant. But unless you're completely new to Vietnamese cooking, you won't find anything menu here that you haven't at least seen in other local Vietnamese restaurants. As the name implies, the specialty is pho--the beef-broth-and-noodle soup, and all of its dizzyingly numerous variations. The cooking is a bit above the local average, however, and even the more complicated dishes are served well.

WHAT'S GOOD
The broth is to a pho restaurant what the crust is to a pizzeria. The other parts of the dish can be terrific, but the broth must be. Here it's about in the middle of the local spectrum with respect to complexity and goodness. It can be had with all the familiar meats--brisket, eye of round, meatballs, tendon (this adds a marvelous mouthfeel, from all the gelatin it contains, but is best with other piece of beef), tripe (after acquiring a taste for it, the best of all), and other options. The

BACKSTORY
Pho Orchid is a family operation, opened in early 2009, taking over the former location of the long-running Ding How Chinese restaurant. A number of Asian restaurants preceded it, going all the way back to the mid-1970s, when Ding's--the first restaurant in the area to serve Peking duck--opened here.

DINING ROOM
Pho Orchid may be the handsomest, most comfortable Vietnamese restaurant in town. The big dining room is bisected by a line of artful furnishings, some of them glowing and bubbling. The lighting is low and the mood quiet. Reflective ceiling tiles make the place seem vast. Further renovation along one wall added to the airiness of the place. The service staff is for the most part very young and enthusiastic.

ESSENTIAL DISHES
starters
»Spring roll with grilled pork, chicken, shrimp, tofu or combinations
Egg roll
Torpedo shrimp
Chicken wing with butter
Pepper salted squid
BBQ beef stick
»Orchid pizza
Chicken delight salad
Grill chicken, shrimp and pork delight salad
Wonton soup
Asparagus soup
»Hot and sour shrimp soup
»Hot and sour fish soup
Hot and sour chicken soup
Pho
»Noodle soup with eye of round steak, brisket, soft tendon, meat ball, tripe, or combinations
Noodle soup with seafood
Noodle soup with chicken
Banh mi sandwiches
»Beef stew
Grilled chicken
Grilled pork
»Vietnamese ham
Entree soups
Clear noodle soup with shrimp, crab or combo
Rice noodles with beef stew
Combination soup (rice and noodles)
Rice noodle stir fried with meat, seafood, Chinese vegetables, or combo
Noodles and rice entrees
Seafood or meat with egg noodles
Soft or crisp noodles with beef, chicken, shrimp, seafood, vegetables or combos
»Bun (cool vermicelli noodles) with grilled pork, grilled pork pate, Vietnamese egg roll, grilled chicken grilled shrimp, lemongrass beef, or combos
»Shrimp wrapped in sugar cane
»Pressed vermicelli with lettuce, grilled pork, ground pork rolls, grilled beef, shrimp wrapped in sugar cane, grilled chicken, grilled shrimp, or combos
Steamed rice with grilled pork, grilled chicken, grilled shrimp, beef and vegetables, grilled pork and egg roll, shredded pork, grilled pork
Fried rice with Vietnamese sausage, shrimp, crab, squid, beef, chicken, vegetables, or combos
»Marinated sliced beef with butter on hot plate
»Shrimp and squid with butter on hot plate
»Marinated sliced beef fondued in a sweet vinaigrette broth
»Medium-rare sliced beef with lemon, onion, mint, herbs and nuoc mam sauce
Entrees
»Lemongrass chicken
Chicken with ginger
Beef with Chinese broccoli
Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce
Chicken with mixed vegetables
Shrimp with mixed vegetables
Seafood with assorted vegetables
Tofu with mixed vegetables
Eggplant with garlic sauce
Curry with beef, chicken, shrimp, or tofu
»Pad thai (chicken, beef, shrimp or combo)
»Shaken beef (sauteed)
Pork spare rib simmered with sauce
»Deep fried fish with tomato sauce
»Steamed fish with ginger sauce
»Fish in hot pot
»Scallops with chili sauce
»Salt baked scallop
Salmon with vegetable
Salt baked shrimp
Shrimp with chili sauce
Shrimp with ginger
Walnut shrimp

FOR BEST RESULTS
Many of the best dishes here are more appropriately served for a family rather than one or two people. The bigger the group, the more interesting the possibilities.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
Like most Vietnamese menus, the one here functions more as a price list than as a menu. Really, they do variations on pho, a few tabletop dishes, some grilled meats on rice or noodles, and maybe a dozen starters and entrees. They'll make almost anything you want within those strictures, but they don't need to note every possibility on the menu.

FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.

  • Dining Environment +1
  • Consistency +2
  • Service+1
  • Value +2
  • Attitude +2
  • Wine & Bar
  • Hipness +2
  • Local Color -1

 

SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES
  • Romantic
  • Good for business meetings
  • 25-75
  • Open Sunday lunch and dinner
  • Open Monday lunch and dinner
  • Open all afternoon
  • Unusually large servings
  • Quick, good meal
  • Good for children
  • Easy, nearby parking
  • Reservations accepted