It is the broth that makes the pho. If a place gets the other stuff right, but the broth isn't good, it doesn't rate high in my estimation.
My favorite pho place in New York City is Pho Bang on Kissena Blvd in downtown Flushing. The broth is rich with beef and spices. Every bowl I order is so rich, that I cannot finish it, unless I am unusually hungry. If you speak Vietnamese, you can probably order specific combinations of meat accoutrements that are not listed on the menu. The combos listed aren't bad either, but not as complete as I've seen elsewhere. Meat portions are generous. They aren't always careful to cook the noodles right. Sometimes I get a wad of noodles stuck together. There are always more noodles in the bowl than I want to eat. I'd prefer they cook them more carefully and give me less. As good as the broth is, they could stand to serve it a bit hotter.
I decided to try the place immediately next door, Pho Hoang, to compare. On the plus side, the rice noodles were properly cooked, and the broth was really hot. I like a hot broth, because when I throw in the cold bean sprouts and basil leaves, it stays hot. I will not return to Pho Hoang because the pho broth was as bland as I've ever had. Really thin and boring. The meat portions were stingy too, even for little ol' me. Hell, I finished the whole bowl without any trouble, which I almost never do at a pho joint. To boot, the bathroom was so disgusting, I walked back out without even using it. Pho Bang is sparkling by comparison, and that's not saying much.
My overall favorite pho place is still Pho Hoa. It's an international chain, but no New York locations. They do have one in Philadelphia. I've only eaten at the one on Rainier Ave South in Columbia City, Seattle. If the others aren't so good, well I'm really not that sorry, because pho is dirt cheap. Pho Hoa's broth is richly flavored, and served really hot, the way I like it. They have a large variety of beef accoutrements for your pho, and you can either order prearranged combinations, or combos of your own preference. As I said, you could probably do that at Pho Bang, but without a command of Vietnamese, and without an easy menu guide with numbers, you might confuse the waiter and the kitchen staff. Plus, Pho Hoa offers more stuff, like fatty flank, crunchy flank, and meat balls. If you were thinking of ordering something besides pho, don't bother. Pho is what they do. Everything else sucks.
My favorite pho place in New York City is Pho Bang on Kissena Blvd in downtown Flushing. The broth is rich with beef and spices. Every bowl I order is so rich, that I cannot finish it, unless I am unusually hungry. If you speak Vietnamese, you can probably order specific combinations of meat accoutrements that are not listed on the menu. The combos listed aren't bad either, but not as complete as I've seen elsewhere. Meat portions are generous. They aren't always careful to cook the noodles right. Sometimes I get a wad of noodles stuck together. There are always more noodles in the bowl than I want to eat. I'd prefer they cook them more carefully and give me less. As good as the broth is, they could stand to serve it a bit hotter.
I decided to try the place immediately next door, Pho Hoang, to compare. On the plus side, the rice noodles were properly cooked, and the broth was really hot. I like a hot broth, because when I throw in the cold bean sprouts and basil leaves, it stays hot. I will not return to Pho Hoang because the pho broth was as bland as I've ever had. Really thin and boring. The meat portions were stingy too, even for little ol' me. Hell, I finished the whole bowl without any trouble, which I almost never do at a pho joint. To boot, the bathroom was so disgusting, I walked back out without even using it. Pho Bang is sparkling by comparison, and that's not saying much.
My overall favorite pho place is still Pho Hoa. It's an international chain, but no New York locations. They do have one in Philadelphia. I've only eaten at the one on Rainier Ave South in Columbia City, Seattle. If the others aren't so good, well I'm really not that sorry, because pho is dirt cheap. Pho Hoa's broth is richly flavored, and served really hot, the way I like it. They have a large variety of beef accoutrements for your pho, and you can either order prearranged combinations, or combos of your own preference. As I said, you could probably do that at Pho Bang, but without a command of Vietnamese, and without an easy menu guide with numbers, you might confuse the waiter and the kitchen staff. Plus, Pho Hoa offers more stuff, like fatty flank, crunchy flank, and meat balls. If you were thinking of ordering something besides pho, don't bother. Pho is what they do. Everything else sucks.
