Midtown Lunch

Last week I told you guys about my last meal before Passover, as big Italian sandwich from Sarcone’s. I needed some serious carbs to break the week of no “chamatz” (bread products, including noodles).  It looks like I  make a habit out of ending Passover with Asian noodles; 2 years ago I broke with Nan Zhou and this year Pho 75 fit the bill.

Pho 75 is located at the corner of a Viet shopping plaza on Washington Avenue. Whereas Pho Hoa has a book for a menu, Pho 75 has a single page and its pho only. Pho, things to put in your pho, and drinks, nothing else.  But unlike Pho Hoa, Pho 75 nails their one menu item.

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A long time ago Mac and Cheese mentioned a place on Washington Ave that made their own tofu. With all the soy varieties, Viet Tofu is like a a tofu candy store. I finally sought it out and it will now be a regular stop whenever I am in the area.

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Pho Hoa is an international chain, which had previously persuaded me to seek my Viet soup elsewhere. But when I bit the bullet and dined there, I was pleasantly surprised by one soup in particular.

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It is a fairly often occurrence that I realize I need a fast and moderately healthy lunch. Vietnamese food can usually get that job done.  On 11th St, Vietnam Palace and Vietnam Restaurant across from each other, leaving you with a serious decision (snd I would love to know which you prefer). However, this lunch time decision was made up for me, only Vietnam Palace was open.  The menu is pretty affordable and the small lunch menu is a list of things from the regular menu, only cheaper. I was going to go with the grilled pork over vermicelli for $6 but was told that taking it to go during lunch resulted in  a surcharge. When I asked how much that surcharge would be I was told it might be about a dollar. That seemed annoyingly random and I thought “screw that.” Instead, for $9, I got the fully loaded bún. I think my math makes sense.

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This Wednesday, we are checking out the options for Vietnamese soup far away from the usual Washington Ave spots.

My friend at Philadining had been dying to try Thang Long’s soups. I was hesitant just because of how hot it is outside and I was thinking, how really different could they be from any other Vietnamese soup spot. But I let him drag me along, and I am so very glad that I did.

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Cafe Diem is a Vietnamese restaurant that is as tiny as it is authentic. The one page menu is dominated by noodle soups. The internet suggests the  bun bo hue, spicy beef soup, is the thing to get here. But my friend at Philadining praised the chicken noodle pho- called pho ga- and I decided to get over my notion that only beef pho was worthy of consumption.

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Chinatown has a ton of bakeries selling similar delicious baked good and drinks, plus a few with specialties like Yummy Yummy with their waffles and New Harmony with their “pop” smoothies. Cube Cafe has both, along with a menu of food that is… Pan-Asian inspired? Really though, the photo menu on the counter covers food from Vietnam, Malaysia, Korea, and China. Plus breakfast and dessert.

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