[Magdalen] WTPho?

[Lynn Ronkainen]

Wow! Mike you need a job, on the side, reporting on restaurants!! ; )
Lynn 

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 8, 2016, at 7:59 PM, M J _Mike_ Logsdon <mjl at ix.netcom.com> wrote:

>>> Leaves *should* include Thai basil and cilantro. Also there should be lime
wedges, bean sprouts, and assorted sauces on the table, most especially
fish sauce, hoisin and sriracha. Vietopia has 6 or 7 others of varying
strengths and heats. Properly made pho broth contains ginger, star anise,
garlic and some other spices, and simmers for a long time in a humongous
pot. Improperly made pho broth is, well, boring beef broth. Some people put
sugar in their pho. I don't. When it's done properly, the meat is sliced
very thin and the boiling broth is poured over it to cook it.
Slurping is not only allowed, it's encouraged. So is burping. I will spare
you a description of what Vietopia sounds like when it's crowded.<<<

Indeed, Jay, my leaves include cilantro and basil, NOT mint (that's in the shrimp spring rolls, which though wonderful, for me are an acquired taste I need a break from every now and then).  The citrus is lemon, not lime, but when I ask for extra I get a bowl full of wedges, and they all go in, AFTER I plunge every last bean sprout under the boiling broth to cook them.  And yes, the meat is sliced very thin, and the boiling broth does its magic.  The broth, though thin, is far from flavorless, as I implied earlier.  Just not zingy enough, in my book, but I think that's how it's supposed to be, even after all the spices you mention.  (A "tex-mex" palate like mine always expects unsubtlety, so needs to get used to it when presented with it.)  The sauces on my table are fish, hoisin, sriracha (which I don't use, as I associate that with so much else that I like not using it here), and that lovely chili sauce, which is in the standard bowl with the lid and spoon and reminds me of the "sriracha people"'s chili garlic sauce (and may be that very thing) except it has a distinctly vinegary edge I love.  When I told Everett about the chicken pho last night and how it's basically pure pulled breast meat, he insisted that tomorrow we go so he can try it.  Me, I've decided on a combo flank steak and shrimp (which is just the medium-sized pre-cooked variety subjected to the boiling broth, but that's okay, except that it's of course previously unseasoned, as is all the other meats, and, again, I suspect that's how it's supposed to be done).

Tonight though, shrimp burrito with shredded beef soft corn taco at a place that knows we always sit in Marta's section, where I'm "Friend!" and Everett's nothing more than a curly head to touch and admire.