I stopped by my friend Cindy’s house tonight at around 6:30. We had made plans to go to dinner (since we decided not to sit in the rain at the Dar Williams Concert Under the Stars show). We both were in the mood for something light, that involved fresh veggies. We discussed salads at Whole Foods as well as Cafe Vietienne in West Philly, before deciding that we were in the mood for Pho.

For those of you who don’t know, Pho is Vietnamese noodle soup. It is traditionally a breakfast food in that country, but around here we like our savory foods later in the day, and so it’s become a lunch/dinner meal. It’s a beef broth made with lots of spices including star anise, ginger and cinnamon. It’s served in a huge bowl, with rice noodles and pieces of beef (which vary depending on your level of culinary risk taking) and a plate of fresh herbs, wedges of lime and bean sprouts.

In the past, my favorite place to go in Philly for Pho has been Pho Ba Le, which is on the south side of Washington Ave., between 6th and 7th. That was where we headed tonight, but when we got there at about 7:15, it was closed. We were momentarily stalled, as we are creatures of habit and didn’t know what to do next. But we looked to our right, and realized that there was another Pho place on the other side of the parking lot. As we walked over there, Cindy said, “This is Pho Ba Le’s loss because we’re probably going to like this place better.”

More prophetic words have never been spoken. I loved this new place. The service was quick and responsive and the Pho was really terrific. The menu has all the traditional Pho assortments, but also allows you mix and match ingredients, creating your very own Pho combination. What’s more, they have a bunch of non-Pho dishes and feature an assortment of chicken based soups for the non-beef eaters in the crowd. My only problem now is that in my excited slurping, I totally forgot to make note of the restaurant’s name. All I can tell you is that it’s right off 6th Street, behind Pho Ba Le. Anyone know the name?

And while we’re talking Pho, anyone else have a favorite spot they’d like to recommend?

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