PHO BINH HEIGHTS LOCATION
It was finally a cold day and I was hankering pho. My trusty mobile Yelp app told me that the nearest pho to my location was Pho Binh in the Heights, so I headed there sight unseen. It’s on White Oak near Studewood, along with several other restaurants like one of the Creek restaurants, a Christian’s Tailgate, a BB’s and the like. It is formerly the space of Sale Sucre, a little French Bistro I visited once.
The parking situation is terrible, little lots that hold just a few cars, warning signs everywere, including one that advises the police to please arrest any tresspassers. Not very welcoming. I almost left, many people did, driving in one end of the tiny lot and out the other and speeding off down the street. The businesses here would have so much more patronage if they could figure out the parking. But just as I was leaving, someone left a spot right in front of the restaurant, and it appearing that the space was not subject to any warnings or hexes, I squeezed in.
Order at the counter - the bar - and take a number on a stick to your table. I ordered the shrimp pho, and it was served quickly, hot and fresh. The shrimp were sliced in half stem to stern (like they do for Vietnamese spring rolls) and were very fresh and tender. No chewy shrimp here. The herbs provided were scant but enough for me. The place is clean and bright and the staff were all very friendly without rushing people. The music was calming and kept at a moderate level. I was in and out quickly while others lingered with friends and small children and took selfies.
Back home, I looked them up and found that the original location, a trailer on Beamer, was once on Alison Cook’s top 100 list for the Pho Tai Nam Gau with crispy fat. Others in the cloud recommend the beef (ask for extra beef fat) and the bone marrow pho! BONE MARROW PHO! Another proclaimed the grilled shrimp from the grill menu the best ever anywhere in the universe. They also serve banh mi, vermicelli, and and endless number of teas and drinks, also beer and wine. So looks like I’ll have to go back again! Luckily, there are multiple locations all over town now, so I’ll find one with dedicated parking.
That’s it! 4 more days to noodle up. Then it’s February, so will we pick another dish or shall we join the HO one getting started? That might make more sense given the lack of enthusiasm.