Pho Gettaboutit…

Tonight, dinner plans were a bit rushed as we had errands to do. Originally, plans were to take advantage of some good eats at a neighborhood Irish Pub. However we ended up in the neighborhood of Argyle St. and Broadway St. (sometimes called “North Chinatown” or “New Chinatown“, though the neighborhood is heavily Vietnamese).

We hit up our fave Vietnamese restaurant, Tank Noodle. This place serves the best Pho in Chicago… so naturally, we ordered the #40 ~ Pho: Beef Noodle Soup with sliced beef, well done brisket, well done flank steak, soft tendon, bible tripe and beef meatball.

Phở is served as a bowl of white rice noodles in clear beef broth, with thin cuts of beef (steak, fatty flank, lean flank, brisket). Variations featuring tendon, tripe, meatballs, chicken leg, chicken breast, or other chicken organs (heart, liver, etc.) are also available.

The broth is generally made by boiling beef (and sometimes also chicken) bones, oxtails, flank steak, and spices, and takes several hours to prepare. Spices include Saigon cinnamon, star anise, ginger, cloves, and sometimes also black cardamom.

The noodles, called bánh phở in Vietnamese, are traditionally cut from wide sheets of fresh rice noodles, although dried noodles (also called “rice sticks”) may also be used.

The dish is garnished with ingredients such as green onions, white onions, cilantro or coriander leaves, ngo gai (“saw leaf herb”), mint, basil lemon or lime, bean sprouts and chile or jalapeno peppers. The last four items are usually provided on a separate plate, which allows folks to adjust the soup’s flavor as they like. Some sauces such as hoisin sauce fish sauce, and the Thai hot sauce Sriracha, are popular additions as well.