It may seem strange, but for DMP and I, Vietnamese food is "comfort food". When we were dating and first married in Logan, there was a little family-run Vietnamese place called Saigon. It had awesome, delicious food for really cheap. We went there a lot for date nights.
After we moved to Tempe, we located "the best Vietnamese food in the Valley". Boy, were they right. Yen Mei was tucked inside the giant Asian food store and was always packed. The decor wasn't anything to write home about, but it more than made up for it in the taste of the food. The funny this is that we were usually the only all-white family or couple in the place. That got us some strange looks, but hey- you know it's good if the locals love it.
After we moved here, we were sad to discover there were no Vietnamese places close enough for regular eating. We've had a fix occasionally (Roy, UT has one for heaven's sake) but never had full access to the goodness whenever we wanted. Until now.
About a month or two ago, I noticed a sign on State St. in Orem "Pho Noodle House- Opening Soon". Can it be? I thought?!?! Pho is a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup, so I figured a place named "Pho" had to include some Vietnamese goodness right?
On my way home from work, I noticed an "Open" sign. Joy! DMP, the girls and I went last night. It's menu has a unique hybrid of Japanese and Vietnamese (and a little Thai) noodle and rice dishes, but we were over the moon to discover that they had spring rolls (called summer rolls, but still super delish) which our our absolute favorite. DMP had the Pho made with brisket and it was excellent. It was fun, too, because they give you bean sprouts, basil, jalapenos, limes, hoisin and chile sauce on the side. It is interactive food- you can make it to your taste.
The girls and I got my "regular"- BBQ pork and chicken vermicelli. It is a dish with vermicelli noodles, bean sprouts, cucumber carrots and the BBQ (which isn't like American BBQ, of course). It was SO good. Their vinegar sauce (not sure what it is called but it is rice vinegar, carrots, and other stuff) was the best we've ever had- a perfect blend of sweet, vinegar and it had a little kick. The girls ate their dinner right up- I was so proud but not surprised since EJ is practically made from Vietnamese food (and french fries and corn dogs...).
If you are in Provo, definitely visit Pho. Super-fantastic yumminess. I'll even take you!
P.S. DMP came up with the title of today's post. Don't make fun of him TOO much, it was better than anything I could come up with.
First is the y-peeler. This will change the way you peel veggies. Seriously. Once you use one, you'll wonder why you ever did it the old way. They are super-cheap at IKEA and places like Target and Walmart.
Next is the super-duper pizza stone. I got one because Macey's ran a deal that involved a cheap one and some free frozen pizza. This thing renders basic blah frozen pizza to crispy, bubbly brown-baked cheesy topped pizza. Better than (or at least equal to) delivery- and hotter. The best part? The stone keeps the pizza hot while you eat your first piece. Totally worth it!
