Pho – oooey !

Anthony Bourdain says “You don’t have to go looking for great food in Vietnam. Great food finds you. It’s everywhere.” Here in V-Town, you have to go looking for it. And today Cougar, Hula Girl and I all went in search of some tasty Vietnamese food, because where we lunch, it sure as hell wasn’t going to find us. Pho #1 is located in a strip mall whose primary anchors are a Long’s Drugs, a Curves, and a couple of defunct storefronts. The mall is definitely part of Vallejo’s burgeoning new “little Asia,” what with there being a Korean “BBQ” joint and Hop Hing’s Chinese Buffet and a couple of electronics stores. For some reason, I have a real fondness for this mall, in particular for the shark-y car salesmen who hang out in the parking lot of the nearby Team Chevrolet dealership. There's just something so cheesy and sleazy about them that it's almost worth the trip alone to watch them in action.


The Process:
Having had a few bad meal in a row, the kids are discouraged. The rumblings have gotten progressively louder regarding the healthfulness of the food project and everyone seems to be fearing the possibility of adding a few pounds. In fact, just this afternoon, Cougar was asking me whether or not my pants were comfortable as they appeared to be binding in some places. I’m thanking my lucky stars that the mirrored glass is on the outside of the building. I order what Cougar is having and Hula Girl orders what I'm having. The reason I go with Cougar is that she dines at Pho #1 quite often and seems very satisfied with the fare. I want to trust.

The Chow:
Plenty of it. A nice mixture of rice noodles, pickled vegetables, grilled shrimp, grilled chicken and a deep fried egg roll thingy. I'm sure in Vietnam this dish goes for just pennies and is incredibly delicious. But they have a Napalm scarred landscape, land mines, and a hell of a lot of war disfigured people wandering around the streets. And, I've heard rumors of dog being on the menu in more that a few establishments.

The Wrap:
C: I think the shrimp has gone off….
HG: There’s a really fishy taste here somewhere….
Me: I think the chicken was not quite right…I'm not sure it was even Chicken. I just passed a paw!

The Rating: 2.6 out of 5.