Feb 16, 2007

Pho Grand and Lemongrass

My partner and I have sort of an odd tradition. We always eat Vietnamese food after we have our taxes done by a professional. If there is link, besides the location, it is the idea of eating such a tremendous meal for so little money. Pho Grand is the place that fills that bill. It is an immensely popular place and if you go there any time other than a cold night in February, there is usually a wait. She always gets the same thing, which I always must sample and that is a dish of scallops in a spicy coconut/curry sauce. It is not painfully spicy and fills you up with the warmth. I am more interested in trying a variety off their very extensive menu. This last visit, I had vegetables, noodles and a seafood mix. This dish was not spicy but I had several condiments available to add that extra zing. My favorite condiment is the fish hosein sauce. The seafood in this bowl was very tender, even the calamari was wonderful. There is so much more at Pho Grand to experience, the spring roll appetizers, the green tea dessert, and the seafood pancakes. I will update this review as I expand my experiences there.

Lemongrass used to be a very inexpensive hole in the wall Vietnamese restaurant on South Grand. Now it has moved to a much nicer location, just down the street. The food is as good as it always was and the prices didn’t skyrocket. It provides an interesting neighbor to Pho Grand, less than a block away. The primary difference is that there are a multitude of menu offerings that are enhanced with the flavor of lemongrass. Other than that, I find the two restaurants comparable and each has its devoted fans.

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