Pho-nominal

Pho

Pho-Bac

The wonderful, fragrant, healing rice noodle soup of Vietnam is a Seattle staple. Than Brothers has 10 restaurants in the Puget Sound area that serve up this ambrosia seven days a week from 10 am to 9 pm. Each bowl of beef or chicken or pork pho (pronounced "fuh") comes with a little plate of bean sprouts, fresh basil, a lime wedge, some peppers and a small cream puff. Everything except for the cream puff gets added to the soup. I don't use the hot peppers. I do squirt some brown (hoisan?) sauce into my bowl, though.

Than Bros. does a brisk business in this well-worn room. All of the ripped aqua booths and off-white tables were full at 2:45. Most of the customers were young guys in their mid to late 20's slurping down their hearty $6.25 large bowls. I had a medium, $5.75 serving of chicken pho. Truth be told, I much prefer the beef, but I felt a cold coming on and wanted to stave it off with a Jewish mother-meets Vietnam home remedy. My bowl did not disappoint. Best cheap meal in the city, if you ask me. AND, it is wheat-free. Something very important to me these days.

Pho - pronounced "fuh". There's a pho place in Bellevue called "What the Pho?" Wonder how many Eastsiders get the joke?