Several months ago, a former coworker, who is Vietnamese, introduced me to pho, pronounced “fuh.” Pho, for the uninitiated is a Vietnamese soup, usually made with beef stock, noodles and thin slices of beef, pork, chicken, shrimp or tofu. A plate of garnishes such as Thai basil, jalapeno peppers, lime, cilantro and bean sprouts for the pho comes with the dish. Depending on your tastes, you also can add sauce for more flavor — hoisin, sriracha, fish or soy.
I’m game to try a new dish as long as I know I like the ingredients in the it. None of the ingredients gave me pause so I ordered pho with beef.
I became an instant pho fan. I couldn’t get enough of it.
Imagine my surprise and excitement when a new pho restaurant opened up within walking distance of my house. Pho 21 is located in the former Bentley’s Bar and Grill (and Claude and Annie’s before that). The owners have done a good job of trying to remove the bar and grill feel, but it’s a huge space. I’ve yet to see a packed house. Table seating is available as well as a bar. I rarely see anyone sit in the back half of the restaurant where a stage is set up for karaoke.
Pho 21 is also affordable, making it a great option for a busy weekday dinner or a Friday night when I don’t want to cook.
Recently, I stopped in for Pho 21 on a busy weekday. While I thoroughly enjoy pho, I’m trying to order other entrees off the menu. This time I had the number 61, stir-fried large rice noodles with shrimp and vegetables. The dish was chock full of carrots, broccoli and snow pea pods. I thought I ordered this dish before, but once the server sat my plate in front of me, I realized I had not. Everything in the dish was similar to what I ordered before, however, the rice noodles were wide. I wasn’t expecting wide noodles and almost sent the dish back to the kitchen. I’m glad I didn’t because they were pretty tasty. I added a little hoisin sauce and sriracha to the dish to add more flavor and a kick.
I haven’t had a dish I didn’t like at Pho 21. I hope it survives so I can keep going back.
Contact Editor Oseye Boyd at 317-762-7850. Follow her on Twitter @oseye_boyd.
