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January=20
13, 2010 > Restaurant Review: Pho great food, try Pho =
Appetit=20
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![](3D"http://www.tricityvoice.com/images/printbtn.gif") =20
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Restaurant Review: Pho great =
food, try=20
Pho Appetit
By Shavon Walker
Pho Appetit is located in a quiet business park on =
Stevenson=20
Boulevard, next to Cyclo Cafe. John Nguyen picked this =
location=20
well; close to the freeway with plenty of hungry commuters =
on their=20
way home. According to Judy Nguyen, sister-in-law of the =
owner and=20
one of the talented managers of the restaurant, John, with =
his=20
background as a chef, had always dreamed of having a =
restaurant. "He=20
liked the plaza because it's a pretty area," she =
added.
The=20
interior is very sleek and modern with black furniture and =
recessed=20
lighting. Bathrooms are clean and stylishly decorated. =
Prices are=20
sensible, ranging from $5.95 for a kids' meal to $19.95 for =
a rib=20
eye steak. And, of course, even the name is catchy. But what =
really=20
makes Pho Appetit special is the food.
My hungry =
group of=20
three chose a number of different foods for dinner. We =
started with=20
the phoi hop sampler: spring rolls, hot wings and egg rolls =
with a=20
pork filling. The spring rolls held fresh, crispy vegetables =
and the=20
accompanying sauces made them even more delicious. We chose =
mild hot=20
wings which were spicy enough to suit our tastes but not so =
hot that=20
the flavor vanished. My biggest pet peeve with hot wings at =
many=20
Vietnamese spots is that they often tend to be overcooked. =
That=20
wasn't the case here. The egg rolls were crunchy and well =
cooked,=20
not greasy. This is an amazing feat considering the pork=20
filling.
My husband ordered a bowl of pho with filet =
mignon.=20
The bowl of broth came hot and steaming from the kitchen =
with a side=20
of jalapeno peppers, lime, green onion and bean sprouts. =
Most pho=20
places also serve basil with their pho; Pho Appetit delivers =
the=20
basil in a glass of water so it looks more like a decoration =
than a=20
garnish. Extra broth was kept warm in a fondue container on =
the=20
table.
Broth for this pho wasn't overly salty the way =
it can=20
be at other restaurants. The reason is simple; Pho Appetit =
makes its=20
broth from scratch. "Our broth is made thick and muddy =
looking -=20
that's how you know the bones have been cooked for hours," =
Judy=20
said. "We cook it the night before and let it sit, so =
everything=20
goes in the broth except MSG; we don't put that in there. To =
make it=20
a little sweet, we put white radish instead of sugar." If =
you're=20
concerned about your health, the broth alone is an excellent =
reason=20
to eat here. The meat was served on a separate plate; =
containers of=20
hoisin and rooster sauce were readily available.
Our =
dining=20
companion chose vermicelli combo with pork. Her dish came =
with fresh=20
vegetables, shrimp eggrolls, grilled prawns, and grilled =
pork. All=20
were attractively arranged on a lovely bed of vermicelli and =
garnished with mint, bean sprouts, cucumber, green onions =
and=20
lettuce as well as grilled onions and peanuts. A light sauce =
topped=20
the entire meal. Noodles were warm and the vegetables were =
crunchy=20
and fresh.
I was looking for a vegetarian dish with =
as little=20
starch as possible and I found it in the lemongrass mock =
chicken,=20
which was served over a bed of lettuce accompanied by =
grilled=20
onions, green onions and red peppers. The waiter asked how =
spicy I=20
preferred the dish and was glad I chose the medium version. =
The=20
spice added a kick to the dish without overwhelming it. The=20
lemongrass taste was exactly what I'd been looking for and =
the tofu=20
had an excellent texture.
Although we did not sample =
any=20
desserts, we saw one that is a must have - the kids' bear. =
This=20
charming item is a scoop of chocolate gelato decorated with =
a bear=20
face. Amusingly enough, the dessert appeals to more than =
just=20
children. "On Valentine's Day last year, we had a full =
house," Judy=20
remembers. "All of the guys ordered the kids' bear for their =
dates.=20
I had six tables of dates and six kids' bears. All the girls =
were=20
like, "Oh my God!" I thought that was so =
adorable."
Pho=20
Appetit is definitely the place to go for a stylish dinner =
out that=20
will keep you - and your wallet - healthy. This restaurant =
succeeds=20
in their effort to serve delicious food with quality =
service. "Our=20
customer service is top notch," says Judy. From now on, I =
will join=20
Pho Appetit's growing group of loyal customers who agree.=20
Reviewed 1/3/2010
Pho Appetit
6096 =
Stevenson=20
Blvd., Fremont
(510)=20
=
659-8049
www.phoappetit.com
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