Photo by La Tur.
Dish of the Week: Pho
Where: Pho 14, Pho 75, Pho Viet, Eden Center
It’s officially soup weather. Between the persistent drizzle and damp chill, it’s the perfect time to snuggle up to a big, steamy bowl of noodle soup. Vietnamese pho, redolent with warming spices and long, slurpy noodles, is about as comforting as you can get on a rainy day.
Pho is one dish that doesn’t pay to make yourself. The rich flavors come from a broth that’s been simmering all day, drawing out complex flavors from vegetable, bone, ginger, cinnamon, and star anise. While beef pho is the most common, chicken pho is just as good, if not better, than the chicken noodle soup of your childhood. Pho 14, recognizing the demands of its consumers, also makes a vegetarian version, loaded with vegetables and tofu in a slightly sweet broth made with Fuji apples. Long story short, pho is all about the broth. Beyond that, the soup is a kind of a do-it-yourself affair. You choose the cut of meat(s), then add as much or as little fresh lime, spicy Thai basil, Sriracha, and bean sprouts as you want to achieve the desired balance of sweet, hot, and sour.
While I’m fairly addicted to Pho 14 for the sake of convenience – there are now three locations in Columbia Heights, Adams Morgan, and Van Ness – the best pho is in the suburbs. Pho 75 is an institution, as well it should be; when your restaurant has the ambiance of a third-rate cafeteria, you know the soup is the reason that people keep coming. And for city dwellers who have yet to visit Eden Center, this Vietnamese shopping mall is unquestionably the place to go for pho (or anything else related to Vietnamese cuisine). But some pho is better than no pho at all. So if you live in town and the rain is keeping you indoors this weekend, remember: Pho 14 delivers.
Small Bites
B for brunch
Vinoteca is no longer the only game in town for brunch and bocce. Newcomer Vendetta (1212 H St NE) is launching weekend brunch starting this Saturday. Sip on some bottomless Prosecco and mimosas ($12) and nosh on Italian-inspired brunch fare while tossing around a few bocce balls.
Politics, prose, and beer
Politics & Prose (5015 Connecticut Ave NW) is getting into more than just the books. Stop in this Saturday at 8 p.m. for a fall beer tasting led by Garrett Peck, local historian and author of Prohibition in D.C.: How Dry We Weren’t. Tickets are $20 for a selection of 3 oz tastings and light snacks.
Taste the District
Taste of D.C. is taking over downtown this weekend with food and beverages from over 70 different local restaurants. Aside from food samples, you’ll also be able to wet your whistle at the beer garden, featuring 50 different beers, and the “Wine Walk” which will be pouring over 100 different wines. This year’s festivities also include not one but two different eating competitions: Teams will compete to finish a 15-pound burger from BGR, while individuals will try to best last year’s winner in the 3rd Annual Ben’s Chili Bowl World Chili Eating Competition. (Last year, some poor soul ate two gallons of chili in six minutes.) Taste of D.C. will be held on Pennsylvania Avenue between 9th and 14th Streets NW between noon and 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids under 13.
