Pot O' Goodness: Husband and wife open Elm City's only Vietnamese restaurant
By Todd Lyon
From the New Haven Register
The owners of Pot-au-Pho: Sophie, left, and Dinh Nguyen with their children Isabella, 8, and Thomas, 21. Aaron Flaum/Photo galleries |
|
It’s been a long time coming; I’ve gotten used to driving down George Street, past the former Macy’s Men Store and wondering: When is it going to be here?The facade has been ready for months, looking great: a rooster with a flourish of feathers against a black background that reads, Bella’s Downtown Market Cafe.
Did you know that Vietnamese cookery is judged not only by taste, but by texture? That Vietnam has one of the most healthful cuisines of the world? That it mimics the same haute flavors as French cuisine, but manages to capture them without the benefit of butter or cream, and with very little animal fat?
Did you know that Vietnamese cookery is judged not only by taste, but by texture? That Vietnam has one of the most healthful cuisines of the world? That it mimics the same haute flavors as French cuisine, but manages to capture them without the benefit of butter or cream, and with very little animal fat?
A remarkable woman, that Sophie. Born in Vietnam, educated in Paris (she holds an MBA), fluent in five languages and home-schooled in the culinary arts by her talented mother and aunt, as well as her husband’s family, who own restaurants in Paris and San Francisco.
"My parents liked good food, liked to go out. They introduced me to a whole variety of cuisines — Indian, French, everything," she recalls. Which helps explain why, in addition to serving as head chef at Pot-au-Pho, New Haven’s newest and, to my knowledge, only Vietnamese restaurant, Sophie can also cook just about any world cuisine you can name.
She and her husband, Dinh (pronounced "Dean") came to this country in 1985 and settled in Clinton. From 1985 to 1991, the couple owned and operated Thanh Binh, a Vietnamese restaurant in Clinton, and also opened a second location in Hamden. "At the time, it was very difficult because of a lack of ingredients," Sophie explains. "We’d have to buy dried lemongrass and soak it for days, and we found that if we soaked it too much, it lacked flavor, too little, it gave a bad texture."
Sophie went back to her original profession — banking — while husband Dinh became an IT director for a health organization. "But we always wanted to be in business," laughs Sophie. "It’s in our blood."
I’ll cut to the chase: the two started investing in real estate, and in February bought the building, and the business, on Whitney Avenue that was most recently home to Elm City Java. Within three weeks, the two-story space had been handsomely transformed into Pot-au-Pho.
I’m impressed by that name, and its origin. It is, of course, a play on words: "Pot-au-feu," which literally means "pot on fire," describes a French soup involving veggies and meat. "Pho," on the other hand, is the signature soup of Vietnam, which also employs meat and vegetables, but, in classic Asian style, integrates noodles and fresh herbs in a clear broth.
What I didn’t know, until Sophie schooled me, was that, during the many years that France occupied Vietnam, the word "feu" was adopted by the native population as a general description of meat-based soup. Over time, both the soup and the term mutated, which is how pho — the word, and the soup — came to be.
And you should try the pho that flows out of that little kitchen on Whitney Avenue. It’s amazing.
Sophie and Dinh serve their pho in large, high-style bowls, with a basket of fresh Asian basil, bean sprouts, chili peppers and a wedge of lime on the side. "You’re supposed to shred the basil, squeeze the lime and add sprouts as you please," explains Sophie. "The chilis are hot — some Vietnamese people actually bite them, but more often they’re squeezed on the edge of the bowl to add a bit of heat."
Pho is certainly not the only thing on Pot-au-Pho’s menu; I’ve been lucky enough to try at least seven of their offerings — none priced over $9, mind you — and have been awakened to such marvelous dishes as Cha Gio (crispy rolls with pork filling), Mi Vit Tiem (an egg-noodle soup with braised five-spice duck and shiitake mushrooms) and Bun Tom Nuong (lemongrass-marinated shrimp on sugar cane skewers served on a bed of vermicelli, scallions, peanuts, pickled carrots and cilantro), to name a few.
"I like everything that’s beautiful," says Sophie. "People eat with their eyes, and then taste the food." She’s done a fine job with the two-story space, which has mostly countertop space upstairs and a blessedly cool dining room downstairs.
In addition to soups, noodle dishes, rice-based dishes and "finger food," i.e. savory rolls, Pot-au-Pho specializes in sorbets, gelato, bubble tea (dozens of flavors to choose from), fresh-squeezed lemonade (divine!) and flavored tea slushes.
Pot-au-Pho is another feather in New Haven’s culinary cap, yet Sophie and Dinh have just begun: This fall, they’ll be opening a second, more upscale Vietnamese restaurant in Branford.
Until then, stay casual and make yourself happy with Pot-au-Pho’s affordable, healthful, flavorful gifts for the eye and the palate.
Todd Lyon of New Haven is a freelance writer.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Place: Pot-au-Pho, 71 Whitney Ave., New Haven.
• Phone: (203) 776-2248.
• Hours: 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays.
• Reservations: Not accepted.
• Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard.
• Food: A lovely assortment of Vietnamese specialties is served in an attractive two-story space. Soups are a specialty: outstanding is the pho, a beef-based clear soup scented with ginger, cinnamon and anise, presented with thin slices of high-quality meat plus noodles and other goodies. It’s a meal in itself, and costs just $6.95. There are five soups in all, as well as Bun (vermicelli) dishes, priced from $5.95-$6.95; Com Dia (rice platters), hearty offerings of steamed jasmine rice served with roasted, julienned pork and a slice of Vietnamese pork quiche ($6.95); "Old Favorites," a listing of rolls and salads, priced from $4.75-$6.25; exotic specialties such as Bun Tom Nuong, lemongrass-marinated shrimp on a sugarcane skewer, served on a bed of vermicelli and adorned with flavor and texture in the form of peanuts, scallions and more ($8.95); and gelatos, sorbets and flan for dessert ($2.50-$4.95).
• Drink: A recent beer and wine license has ushered in a short selection of international beers; a wine list is under construction and will soon be unveiled. There are plenty of other beverages to keep you busy, including a long list of flavored bubble teas ($3.75), which presently are two for the price of one, plus flavored tea slushes (black or green, $4), Ca Phe Den (strong Vietnamese coffee, iced or hot, $2.50), and more.
• Wheelchair access: Entrances are not accessible.
• Private parties: The downstairs dining room, which seats 32, can be reserved, and portions of it can be partitioned off with screens.
• Catering: Sophie will soon be launching a Vietnamese catering service. Stay tuned.
• Parking: Free after 5 p.m. in the lot at the corner of Whitney and Trumbull streets. Otherwise, metered parking on the street is the best option, which is free after 7 p.m. |
|
|
|
