Archive for the ‘pho’ tag
Around the corner at Grab n Go
We’re lucky to live in a neighborhood with a bunch of weekly lunch options. Unfortunately we don’t work in this neighborhood, but on the coveted Work at home days we can pretend we’re the dot.com hipsters we used to be.
This past Friday I (Small, that is) was feeling a little under the weather and craved some healing Asian soup. The closest holder of my elixir? Grab n Go Vietnamese restaurant. I stress Vietnamese because Grab n Go used to be Grab n Go Italian (which was also a purveyor of healing soup but has been replaced). I called ahead and ordered a chicken noodle soup. It’s a version of pho (usually beef) made with grilled chicken.
The soup is packaged much like a bun (Vietnamese grilled meat served on rice noodles with assorted stuff). Noodles and chicken are in one container. A second container holds steamy broth. And a third container, a plastic bag, contains mint, bean sprouts, and a lime. I’m also given a small container (yes, a fourth container) of 2 different sauces (rooster sauce and a brown sauce).
I head home and dump container one in a bowl. Then, I pour on the contents of container two. I’m using a large bowl but there’s so much broth I need to reserve some of the liquid. I top it off with the contents of the bag and keep the sauces on the side.
And… inhale. The broth is either really salty or spicy or something, (or I’m even more on the verge of a cold than I think) but I go through many glasses of water. Useful if you’re catching a cold to stay hydrated. The chicken is grilled almost teriyaki-style and is quite flavorful. There are a huge amount of bean sprouts. I’m almost full eating sprouts and chicken before I even get to the noodles! I have to say the dish is immensely satisfying and really reasonably priced.
Overall thumbs: Up. Service is warm, the soup was nourishing but I’ve also had the banh mi (vietnamese sandwiches) in the past here and really enjoyed that. Location can’t be beat.
Tastiness rating: Grilled dishes, soup, and sandwiches are all hits here. Not the best in the city but combined with the location and flavors a pretty solid win.
Service: Good. Not white tablecloth wait on you service (though I’ve only done takeout) but definitely bend over backwards make sure you’re happy service.
Dog friendliness: Fair. There are sometimes tables outside but the location on 6th street isn’t a winner. They do always smile at the dogs, tho, so I know they’d be welcomed (outside).