I wouldn’t know a good pho if it fell out of the sky and landed on my face.
My inexperience with “authentic” ethnic food is probably my biggest weakness as a food writer. Or at least, my biggest insecurity. I don’t trust my own opinion, because I don’t think I’ve had enough to really know what the hell I’m talking about.
But I know what I like.
So, even if I can’t speak on the authenticity of a bowl of pho, I can still tell you if it is something that I would pay to put in my mouth again. And I know that I will return to Pho Dai Loi #2 many times.
For those unfamiliar with Pho, it’s a Vietnamese noodle soup. A more detailed and (theoretically) accurate description is here.
Tucked away in the back of a small shopping center on the ITP stretch of Buford Highway, conveniently only a few minutes from my girlfriend’s fiancé’s apartment, this unassuming Vietnamese restaurant churns out some seriously satisfying grub.
The first thing that I noticed, and always a good sign when looking for any ethnic food, was that I was the only white guy in a full house, and one of a small number of tables speaking English. If the folks that grew up on their momma’s Vietnamese comfort food eat here, they must be doing something right. (Granted, not every Asian person in the restaurant was actually Vietnamese, but you get my point. Hopefully in the least racist way possible).
With over 30 variations to choose from, the pho selection could intimidate an amateur like myself. I knew that I wanted a rich, beefy broth. And I don’t like doing food half-assed.
So, I ordered the pho with every piece of cow possible. The Pho Dac Biet.
This is noodle soup with rare eye round steak, well-done flank steak, marble brisket, soft tendon, and bible-tripe. But before I get into the various meats and their respective merits, we need to talk broth.
Broth can be anemic or revelatory. It can carry a dish, or the dish can simply float in it. Done right, you can feel a good broth in the small of your spine and the tips of your fingers.
And this broth was damn good.
Beefy awesomeness infused with cinnamon, ginger, star anise, cilantro, and clove. The next time I have a cold or I’m bundled up beside a fireplace, I want an oil drum of this broth by my side. I was impressed with the depth of flavor, and even if the rest of the pho had been forgettable, I would come back just for the broth.
The clear winner in terms of the meats was the thinly sliced eye round steak. Next go-round, I expect that I will get the Pho Tai (just the round steak). Both the brisket and the flank steak were also excellent, but I keep fantasizing about a bowl of nothing but that amazing broth and a pile of the deliciously tender rare eye round.
Being no stranger to tripe, I enjoyed it, but bible-tripe isn’t really my favorite. The texture is more off-putting than some of the alternatives. The tendon wasn’t as gelatinous as I would have wanted, but it was not unpleasant either. I think the novelty of getting both of these in my pho wore off about ¾ of the way through the bowl.
The serving sizes run from “kinda big” to “baby pool”, so bring your appetite. Despite ordering the “medium” sized bowl, I couldn’t find room to finish all of the noodles and assorted beef cuts, and left more of a wounded soldier than I usually care to.
But you can bet your sweet ass that I drank all of the broth.
My Engagement Dinner: Reynolds Landing
I’ve never really considered myself the “mysterious type”.
Most of my friends will tell you that I’m pretty much an open book. Yet, I’ve tried to maintain a modicum of anonymity in writing this blog, as many food writers do these days. Occasionally, I’ll give my readers a glimpse into the “real me”, and I have a tendency to write like I talk, so those of you that follow me probably have a pretty good idea of what I’d be like to sit down and have a beer with.
But I’m going to break the trend a little and get a little personal.
A few weeks back, I took the plunge and finally proposed to the “better half” that I often refer to dining with in many of my reviews. While I won’t bore you with the details of how it all went down, I obviously had to make an amazing meal part of the experience. And I thought it only appropriate to at least share that part with you.
The actual proposal took place up at Lake Oconee, in Greensboro, Ga. After popping the question (she said yes – cue squealing), I surprised my new bride-to-be with a romantic chef’s table dinner for two at the clubhouse at Reynolds Landing. What she didn’t know was that both of our families were waiting for us in the club, so the dinner for two was actually dinner for ten.
We had the pleasure of good wine, great company, and a fabulous 6-course meal created by the Reynolds Landing Chef De Cuisine, Matt Felix. The entire day worked out better than I could have asked for, and the food was the perfect way to cap it all off.
I’m a sucker for a good caprese salad. Give me some ripe tomatoes, some soft cheese, and a healthy dose of balsamic, and I’ll beg for more. Chef Felix put his own Georgia twist on the traditional caprese, adding sliced Vidalia onions and sweet peppers, and trading out the mozzarella for the nutty goat milk Midnight Moon cheese.
This soup was probably my favorite course of the night, and something that I wish I could get here in Atlanta. This is the “Light as Air Corn Bisque”. Felix takes his corn bisque, pours it into a whipped cream canister, and fires it back into the pot, whipping up the bisque and giving it a light, airy texture. As if that wasn’t appetizing enough, he then adds fresh lump blue crab meat and tops it off with a healthy dose of tarragon. It’s a good thing that my future in-laws have known me for so long, because most people might have gotten worried when the man marrying their daughter was licking the bottom of his bowl at the dinner table.
Next up was the Crispy Red Snapper with Tuscan Olive Ragout and Asparagus. The fish was cooked perfectly, and the crispy flesh added a lot of flavor and texture. There was a citrus reduction drizzled across the fish that gave it all a great acidic bite.
For our 4th course, we have a nice little Intermezzo – a house made Georgia White Peach Sorbet.
Our 5th course was the “Perfect” Prime Filet, which was center cut pieces of filet served with roasted shallot gratin and a decadent sauce au poivre. Most of you know my stance filets (not my favorite…least flavorful and most overpriced cut of steak), but this was one of the exceptions. Felix’s sauce au poivre added so much beefy goodness to the steak that any shortcomings in flavor were totally overshadowed. There was not a drop of the sauce left when I finished.
Our 6th and final course was a surprisingly light goat’s cheesecake, paired with a sweet blackberry coulis. It was a perfect way to round out the meal.
For you winos out there, here was the breakdown on our pairings:
1st Course – (Caprese Salad) Riondo Prosecco
2nd Course – (Corn Bisque) Riondo Prosecco
3rd Course – (Red Snapper) Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, 2009
5th Course – (Prime Filet) Lewis Cabernet, 2003
6th Course – (Cheesecake) Tokaji Aszu, 1993, 5 puttoyos, Hilltop Neszmely
It was a perfect meal for a perfect day, and I couldn’t have been happier with either. I’ve known for a long time how lucky I am. But having the woman of my dreams agree to spend the rest of her life with me is the best reminder of that I could imagine.
I hope she knows what she is signing up for!
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