Finally- good Phở Gà!

I've checked out a couple of places, though the visits have been few and far between. At an average cost of $6/bowl (versus 30cents in Viet Nam), phở gà has been an infrequent treat. Most have not been the delicious market taste that I so crave, but then we went to Phở Văn.

My mom ordered the phở gà (Vietnamese chicken noodle soup) and I spruced it up for her with a little green vegetables, bean sprouts and fresh-squeezed lemon. It tasted just like the market in Thanh Hoa and I, quite honestly, couldn't have been much happier.

I had Bún Bò Huế ("round shanghai rice noodles, beef shank, slices of chả lụa, and picnic pork in a spicy lemongrass beef broth") which was delicious and spicy. I used to dislike the heat of spicy food, but grew to almost enjoy the burn of chilies. Crazy, but true.

Audrey tried the cơm gà (rice with grilled, lemongrass-marinated chicken), a variation of the kind we'd made in Tam Ky. It came with some nước mắm that was made to perfection. None too fishy and perfectly seasoned.

My sister chose the Bún Tôm Thịt ("pork marinated in honey and lemongrass and shrimp grilled over an open flame") and while not a fan of shrimp, found it quite delicious.

The prices are reasonable for America (insane for Viet Nam!), but the food was wonderful. Very authentic Vietnamese flavor, presented in a more Western fashion. No plastic chairs or wooden benches. No napkins tossed to the floor after use. While I miss all that periphery as well, it was so good to have the taste of Viet Nam again.