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News & ArtsThursday, September 9, 2010
Chow Chicago Transplant Derek Erdman on Than Brothers' Pho
Posted by Grant Brissey on Thu, Sep 9, 2010 at 1:09 PM
Derek Erdman finally landed in Seattle after a decade-and-a-half or so in Chicago, and he has taken to Than Brothers' Pho:
Discuss.
1
Good but not quite as good as Pho Cyclo on Broadway (I only have done the Than Bros on NW Market).
By the way are their creme puffs Beard Papas?
By the way are their creme puffs Beard Papas?
4
@1, the only real Than Brothers is the one on Aurora. I'm pretty sure they make their own creampuffs, too.
Everyday seems a bit much, though I do love them. I'll never forget the time we were sitting by the window and through the steam I could see them unloading literally dozens of 100-lb. sacks of MSG. Mmm, umami!
Everyday seems a bit much, though I do love them. I'll never forget the time we were sitting by the window and through the steam I could see them unloading literally dozens of 100-lb. sacks of MSG. Mmm, umami!
7
@1 , I completely agree. After moving to the neighborhood last year I made it a high priority to try the 4 or 5 different pho options on Broadway to find the best one. (Pho Cyclo #1, Than #2, the rest are m'eh to utter shit).
Pho Cyclo takes the cake for the best broth & all around pho offerings.
Than Bros have a cream puff and multiple locations. Its my default when I'm not on Broadway.
Pho Cyclo takes the cake for the best broth & all around pho offerings.
Than Bros have a cream puff and multiple locations. Its my default when I'm not on Broadway.
9
well i am glad we know where derek erdman likes to get pho now. who the hell is derek erdman anyway?
10
uh, broadway cafe ftw. they actually make it from scratch. that means no msg and lots of savory goodness.
11
Than Bros is far superior to Pho Cyclo. I also agree that veggie pho is bullshit. Pho is all about the deep, heady broth.
13
some of the best ethnic food in seattle are in white center.
the pho at than bros, suck. they can't even get hot tea right.
the pho at than bros, suck. they can't even get hot tea right.
15
Than borthers is the worst. Haven't been for years.
Thanh Vi on 12th and Jackson is where it's at.
Thanh Vi on 12th and Jackson is where it's at.
16
Y'all are nuts - Pho Cyclo is terrible. I've sworn off it forever after my last visit. Food is weak and oily, service is terrible.
Than Brothers OTOH, is fab, fast, and cheap. I couldn't eat it every day but I could eat it weekly.
Than Brothers OTOH, is fab, fast, and cheap. I couldn't eat it every day but I could eat it weekly.
17
Pho Bac in the international district (7th and Jackson) has the best pho. Rich hearty broth, high quality meats. Green Leaf on 8th and Jackon is also a good choice. Pho Cyclo and Thanh Bros are so inconsistent and average and often contains questionable meat quality. Like still frozen tendon and old brisket. I just wish more places had chili oil sauce like Thanh Bros.
And the service at Pho Cyclo is pure shit, but I guess they don't care since they have the best pho on Capitol Hill so the place is always packed. Whenever I eat at Pho Cyclo for the vermicelli bowl, I leave angry. I need to find a better place to get vermicelli bowls...
And the service at Pho Cyclo is pure shit, but I guess they don't care since they have the best pho on Capitol Hill so the place is always packed. Whenever I eat at Pho Cyclo for the vermicelli bowl, I leave angry. I need to find a better place to get vermicelli bowls...
19
@18: Is it bad that I used that link rather than go through the effort of just googling it myself?
22
@2 Pho Cyclo got blackballed from my dining habits when I ordered a pho bac and recieved pho with everything (ligaments, tripe, ...). I returned the food and they thay said thet would gladly make what I had ordered. Three minutes later they came back out with pho bac but something seemed amiss. There was tendon in it...Thet had picked out all of the ingredients I did not want. Did they use their hands? How often does this happen? How long has food sat in their kitchen before they give it to a diner that orders the appropriate dish?
24
@17,
Thanh Vi on the Ave has both bitchin' vermicelli bowls AND excellent chili oil (Pho Vietnam on the Ave also has the oil, though not the Bun).
Best chili oil and pho - Pho 99 in White Center by a mile.
Thanh Vi on the Ave has both bitchin' vermicelli bowls AND excellent chili oil (Pho Vietnam on the Ave also has the oil, though not the Bun).
Best chili oil and pho - Pho 99 in White Center by a mile.
26
Pho Bac on 7th Ave S.
Than Bros is watery and bland by comparison, every time I've ever been. Which, admittedly, hasn't been in a couple of years because Pho Bac so totally owns.
Pho Cyclo is also good, but only the 1st Ave S location across from the Starbucks Hive.
Thanh VI gets props also but I still prefer the 7th Ave Pho Bac location.
Than Bros is watery and bland by comparison, every time I've ever been. Which, admittedly, hasn't been in a couple of years because Pho Bac so totally owns.
Pho Cyclo is also good, but only the 1st Ave S location across from the Starbucks Hive.
Thanh VI gets props also but I still prefer the 7th Ave Pho Bac location.
27
venture to Lynnwood and get the Pho at Pho Alderwood. So tasty! I once worked in the area and still go back now and then for it! YUMMM!!!
28
So my ignorant question for the pho aficionados /anthropologists among us: what explains the regional variations in pho? Are there variations in Vietnam that get transported with them? Or do they adapt the pho to the tastes of their new homes? Or a combo of the two?
The pho in Montreal and Quebec almost always includes a hard-boiled egg and if you get chicken it's mostly dark meat. Broth is much richer than here.
I forget what was so different about Aussie pho except the broth was much richer, they had duck pho uniformly (yum) and they serve with ultra-hot real Asian peppers. Vancouver has duck pho as well.
My experience is that virtually all Seattle area phos (west coast US for that matter) are quite similar. The one exception that comes to mind is a place whose name I'm blanking, but it's on the east side of Rainier just south of Henderson (across from the library). Slightly different style noodles. Their chicken is mostly dark. They also serve really hot peppers and have good chili oil. And all their pho comes with a sliced tuber of some sort, which is delicious as hell, but no one there has been able to give me an English name for it...all they tell me is "it's Vietnamese."
I could list lots of other examples, but I'm struck by how much variation I see in pho from area to area and how little variation there is within an area.
The pho in Montreal and Quebec almost always includes a hard-boiled egg and if you get chicken it's mostly dark meat. Broth is much richer than here.
I forget what was so different about Aussie pho except the broth was much richer, they had duck pho uniformly (yum) and they serve with ultra-hot real Asian peppers. Vancouver has duck pho as well.
My experience is that virtually all Seattle area phos (west coast US for that matter) are quite similar. The one exception that comes to mind is a place whose name I'm blanking, but it's on the east side of Rainier just south of Henderson (across from the library). Slightly different style noodles. Their chicken is mostly dark. They also serve really hot peppers and have good chili oil. And all their pho comes with a sliced tuber of some sort, which is delicious as hell, but no one there has been able to give me an English name for it...all they tell me is "it's Vietnamese."
I could list lots of other examples, but I'm struck by how much variation I see in pho from area to area and how little variation there is within an area.
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