It may be a bazillion degrees outside, but that doesn’t stop many of us from enjoying a nice, steaming bowl of our favorite soup — Pho. Now, if you’re new to Pho or if you haven’t ever heard of Pho, you should probably check out our previous review of Pho Lien Hoa which will give you a little primer on the subject and convince you why you need to care about this Vietnamese specialty that we’re so abundantly blessed with here in Oklahoma City.

But if you’re already a Pho devotee like us, then perhaps it’s time to shake things up a bit. After all, that 100th bowl of the P11 at Pho Lien Hoa, while tasty, can start to loose it’s luster. So, let’s widen our Pho landscape. We have the answers for you. Here are a couple of Pho alternatives to try at Pho Cuong.

#39, aka “Banh Tam Tom Thit Nuong” is what I order most every time I go here. It consists of thick vermicelli noodles over a bed of romaine, pan-fried shallots, cilantro, bean sprouts, peanuts and cucumbers topped with grilled shrimp and pork. It comes with coconut syrup and diluted fish sauce on the side. Mix all that together and you get something delicious and healthy for just $6.25. If you want to spice things up a bit, try adding a few squirts of Sriracha (a.k.a. rooster) sauce.

Now the #39 is not so much a soup, so it can really give you some nice variety in your Pho shop visits. However, if you still want a soup but crave something out of the ordinary, Pho Cuong offers the #28 “Bun Bo Hue” ($6.50). Tim tried this once and had this to say about it:

“My Vietnamese friends tend to get the Bun Bo Hue and one told me this was the thing to get at Pho Cuong. I have to say, it is definitely a departure from the standard Pho. It is very spicy and the broth is delicious. However, there are some items floating in this soup that I didn’t recognize, but no matter. Just eat them up and enjoy!”

Although Pho Cuong offers some nice Pho alternatives like #39 and #28, they also have standard Pho, of course. They even nicely break up their Pho menu into sections based on how “experienced”  you are with Pho dining. Section one, “for the beginners,” has items #1-#4 which include the steak/brisket Pho (#2) that would be comparable to Pho Hoa’s P11. The menu then progresses to sections titled “A little bit of fat?” and “The Adventurer’s Choice” where you’ll find all of your tripes and tendons and what nots. I think this menu layout is pretty clever and really handy for people who are just getting started, so beginners have nothing to fear at Pho Cuong.

I have tried some of these standard Pho options here and will say that they are pretty much on par with Pho Lien Hoa. Honestly, I think Pho Cuong’s cuts of meat might be of better quality. However, the portions seemed a bit smaller so I guess it’s kind of a wash. While I believe Pho Lien Hoa will likely always retain its top status in the OKC Pho world, and so we are obliged to compare most other Pho Houses to them.

Pho Cuong is small, cozy, and full of life on Sunday afternoons. I’ve never had to wait to get seats even at 12pm on weekends unlike Pho Lien Hoa which can be a madhouse sometimes. It is important to note that Pho Cuong accepts credit cards, which gives it a pretty major advantage over Pho Lien Hoa, which is still cash and check only.

Like most Vietnamese restaurants, Pho Cuong also sells a nice assortment of fresh fruit smoothies ($3.25). If you’re feeling a bit daring, go and try the avocado or durian/jackfruit smoothies.

Overall, Pho Cuong is another great Pho House in the Asian District of Oklahoma City. Their quality Pho and their tasty alternatives to the standard are both great reasons to check them out. If you’ve tried Pho Cuong, let us know what you think in the comments.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — if you live in OKC and haven’t ever eaten Pho, you are truly not taking advantage of your surroundings. Our city is blessed with a large Vietnamese population and a thriving Asian District and to miss out one of this culture’s great offerings is a shame. At my office, we’ve started a tradition to ensure we don’t miss out. We call it Pho-riday. Get it? Yeah, it’s a pun inspired by the names of suburban Pho places everywhere.

Here in OKC, we have Asian district Pho and we have suburban Pho. I find it interesting that most suburban Pho places use Pho puns in their names. Pho-Bulous is one of those places. I have been skeptical of suburban Pho for a while now (having been spoiled by the outstanding Asian District places including Pho Lien Hoa), but we finally decided to venture out on Pho-riday and give Pho-Bulous a try.

I had heard good things about Pho-Bulous from many of our readers over the past year, ever since I posted my article on Pho Lien Hoa. One of things I heard is that they didn’t use MSG, which I found very hard to believe. So, I asked the folks at Pho-Bulous and they do, in fact, use MSG. That makes sense as it would be hard to imagine tasty Pho without it. However, I do feel they probably use less MSG than the Asian district places. This results in a lighter, milder-flavored broth that’s less complex that what I’m used to. I needed to add more condiments to the broth to make it really sing, but I have to say, I thought it was very good in its own way. It is definitely a different flavor than the Asian district Pho and I don’t think it will take top billing in my Pho book (that honor still belongs to Pho Lien Hoa, and likely always will), but Pho-Bulous made enough of an impression on me to warrant this review.

Pho-Bulous has several things going for it. First, it’s in a nice location, especially for Edmonites who don’t get downtown often. Also, its spot on the southern end of Broadway makes it convenient even for those in northwest OKC. Second, it has a very nice interior. High ceilings, trendy decor, and clean bathrooms all make for a pleasant experience.

They also have a varied menu with lots of items besides Pho. This is always helpful for dining with people who may or may not want to try the Pho, but on the flip side, it means their focus isn’t wholly on Pho. That’s one of the advantages of Pho Hoa — Pho is pretty much all they do and they do it very well. Still, having some options is good with a larger group or if you are going to make it a regular stop.

As mentioned before, I thought the Pho was notable, though different from Asian District places. The pricing ($5.95 for a small, $6.95 for a large) is only slightly higher than what you get downtown. As usual, a small was plenty big for even those of us with large appetites.

I also tried the “summer rolls” ($2.95 for two) which are Vietnamese-style spring rolls with your choice of grilled beef, chicken or pork. I chose this option because the shrimp rolls were $3.25 for two, which is $1.25 more than I’m used to paying downtown. I liked the grilled meat options, which offered variety from my standard shrimp roll order.

Two of my friends tried the vermicelli dishes ($6.95-$7.50) and weren’t too impressed. On the other hand, our vegetarian dining partner was directed to the Vietnamese stir fry with tofu ($6.75) which he really enjoyed. Oh, and speaking of vegetarians, this place does have several vegetarian dishes, but Pho is not one of them. Despite the fact that the menu offers “Vegetarian Pho” as a lunch special, it is not truly vegetarian as the broth is still the typical beef-based Pho broth. I have yet to find a restaurant in OKC offering true vegetarian Pho.

Bottom line, Pho-Bulous offers a solid, suburban Pho option. It is definitely better than other suburban options I have tried, but its Pho isn’t quite on par with Pho Lien Hoa. Nevertheless, they serve lots of other menu options — some good and some just ok — in a clean, trendy environment. If Edmond is your home base, Pho-Bulous is definitely worth a try.

Let us know what you think about Pho-Bulous in the comments.

Lately, I’ve been tired of cooking for myself and have had an insatiable desire for Asian food.  I have a string of Asian restaurant reviews coming soon and hope I don’t have a heart-attack from all the MSG I feel like I’m consuming (just so you know, it makes food much more delicious despite what critics of the flavor enhancer say).  Anyway, several people have dropped the name Lido around me so it sparked my curiosity enough to give it a try.  Legend says that Lido was the original Vietnamese restaurant to open up in Oklahoma City with success.  The influx of new immigrants, however, has allowed newer and better restaurants to open up around Oklahoma City. In my experience, Lido is an ok option, but there are many other places that offer better Chinese/Vietnamese food, often for less money.

If you look at the sign outside of Lido, it says “Vietnamese, Chinese and French Cuisine,” but when you look at the four items found in the “French Specialties” section on their 164 item menu, you’ll see Diced Filet Mignon, Mushroom Pork Chop, Mushroom Garlic Shrimp . . . and then you’ll notice Korean BBQ Beef ribs.  The last time I checked, Seoul is about 5,500 miles from Paris.  I don’t know about you, but I was scratching my head on that one.  I was hoping that the food wasn’t going to be plagued with the same sense of culinary confusion.

Besides the frog leg dishes, all the menu items were typical of most Chinese/Vietnamese restaurants. Nothing really stuck out.  However, conveniently located under the tabletob glass are various specials that actually caught my attention.  For $12.95, I had the Sizzling Fish Special.  You can choose from various types of fish, so I went with salmon in the mushroom garlic sauce (mushroom black bean and sweet & sour sauce are also available).  It also comes with your choice of steamed or fried rice and soup (egg drop or hot & sour).

The hot & sour soup I had was disappointing.  I’ve had Chinese delivery soup with much better flavor.  But I held out hope that the sizzling fish would surely change the course of this meal.  It came out similar to how Mexican fajita dishes are presented, nice and sizzling hot on a metal skillet. The sight of it definitely whetted my appetite.  It had a nice array of vegetables (baby corn, cilantro, peas, broccoli, onions, mushrooms, celery, bell peppers and spinach) with deep-fried, crusted fish covered in sauce.  Unfortunately, it looked a little better than it tasted, but it was alright. At least it satisfied my big appetite.

I’d heard that the vermicelli noodle dishes are the best thing to get at Lido, so I decided to visit one more time.  I ordered the charbroiled shrimp bowl ($8.95 dinner, $7.55 lunch).  The dish includes your choice of meat or shrimp, with cucumbers, carrots, and peanuts on a bed of thin vermicelli noodles, plus bean sprouts and shredded lettuce.  This includes a small bowl of Nuoc Mam (watered-down fish sauce) that you pour in the bowl to add flavor, and to help loosen up the noodles.  This dish was ok, but the shrimp was overcooked and the flavors didn’t really pop out to me.  It’s worth adding a few squirts of Sriracha sauce (Vietnamese chili sauce) to give it a little kick if you like a bit of spice. I’m not saying it was bad, but I just think many places, including Pho Cuong (3016 N. Classen Blvd. – review to come) up the street, offer better, and cheaper, variations of this dish with more flavor.

Since I haven’t even come close to making a dent in the massive selection of dishes, I know I can’t give a fully comprehensive review of Lido, but based on the few things I have tried and the less-than-satisfied comments from a few friends of mine, I know there are several other restaurants that do a much better job with Chinese/Vietnamese food.

That’s my take. What’s yours? If you’ve had a better (or worse) experience at Lido we’d like to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.

When I sat down to write about Kang’s Asian Bistro, I found it hard to describe. Part of it, surely, was from food overload. We had so many dishes and sushi rolls that it’s hard to really separate them properly.

But part of it also is that Kang’s has such a broad reach — from Thai to Chinese to Japanese to American foods — that it can be a little schizophrenic. It’s very much like a locally-owned P.F. Chang’s, except with sushi — or maybe a less-expensive version of Buddha Tao.

For instance, we started the meal with summer rolls — the Vietnamese restaurant favorites with shrimp and vegetables stuffed inside sticky rice paper. These fresh, light rolls don’t boast as much punch as some I’ve had (there was much less mint than I’m used to) but the accompanying spicy garlic sauce and the peanut sauce more than made up for it. But at $7 for four pieces (two rolls cut in half), it is a pretty expensive start to the meal.

We also had lettuce wraps ($8.45), the kind you might find on the menu at Chili’s, but these were much better. The chicken was expertly cooked and flavorful and the spicy sauce they served with them had a real kick, full of nasal heat, that I appreciate.

The sushi, which came next, was good, but not quite what I like. Sushi is subjective. Some people like nothing in their roll but rice and a sliver of fish or vegetable all wrapped up in seaweed. Some like nigiri — where there’s a slab of fresh fish on a ball of rice. And some like those towering rolls, fish inside and out, plenty of sauces and creams and seasonings &mdash the kinds that look like works of art when done right.

At Kang’s, you can get a couple of nigiri at very reasonable prices — anywhere from $1.75 for quail egg or $5.95 for tuna or yellowtail — or sashimi for $9-$11. Sarah would like for me to point out that she tried sashimi for the first time here. Yes, we’re all very proud of her for eating raw salmon, but the majority of the sushi we tried were Kang’s special rolls. They were a bit too much. I am an equal-opportunity sushi lover. I take all kinds, but at some point, you just need to put the roll down and be done with it.

The Mountain Roll ($14.45) was filled with shrimp tempura, cucumber, salmon, tuna, yellow tail, masago, spicy mayo, eel sauce and green onions. It tasted fine, though a bit heavy, but my problem was picking out individual flavors. The same went for the Baby Gecko ($9.45) which had cream cheese, jalapeno, salmon, spicy mayo, eel sauce and green onion. Plus, that one was tempura fried. Tasty, but it all started to taste the same.

The Spicy Cowboy ($11.45) also had tempura shrimp in it, but was at least a bit lighter. It was Tim’s favorite, and a favorite of some we’ve heard from on Twitter. Even though most of the rolls we tried were heavy and complex, they do have plain-old tuna and cucumber and California rolls, too and the pricing is quite reasonable — along the lines of what you’d find at Tokyo.

One big selling point for Kang’s is that if you don’t like sushi, there’s plenty more to eat. My favorite was probably Kang’s Fiery Chicken ($11.95) which was basically a General Tso’s Chicken with a fresher, spicier sauce. I also enjoyed the Mongolian Beef ($11.45) which was tender and flavorful.

One disappointment was the Crispy Thai Fire Fish ($15.45). Everything about that dish was perfect, except for the fish. If they had just chosen something other than catfish, I’m sure it would have been my favorite. Catfish, as Andrew said, just tastes like catfish, and messing with that can create an odd flavor. It wasn’t bad, I just would have liked it a lot more if it had been rainbow trout or another lightly-flavored white fish.

A delicacy was the Five Spice Quail, which wasn’t too hot, but had a richer flavor than plain old chicken. At $16.95, it’s an expensive treat, but delicious.

One other let down was the Thai Steak Salad ($11.50), which tasted great, but was textured all wrong. The lettuce was crisp, the cherry tomatoes were fresh, the marinade/dressing on the steak was wonderful, but Sarah commented that the steak itself was tough and chewy.

All in all, I really enjoyed Kang’s. The restaurant in Nichols Hills is hidden away on Olie Street, and the decor inside is modern, but comfortable. The prices are reasonable — especially for nigiri — and the flavors are spot on. Despite a few texture issues, I would definitely go back.

And if you’re with someone who just doesn’t care of Asian food of any stripe, Kang’s does a grilled beef tenderloin to placate them. If you’re tired of the long waits and higher prices at P.F. Chang’s, you can get similar, locally-produced food at Kang’s Asian Bistro. Please let us know what you think about Kang’s in the comments.

Not everyone realizes it, but Oklahoma City actually has a very large and thriving Vietnamese population. The numbers I have seen show over 20,000 Vietnamese in the city. If you live where I do, this comes as no surprise as Oklahoma City’s Asian district demonstrates ample evidence of this vibrant culture. In fact, you can’t drive a block in nearly any direction from NW 23rd and Classen without passing multiple Pho restaurants.

Yet, how many people in our city know what Pho is, let alone have ever tried it? I think that Oklahoma City is blessed to have such a unique Asian culture thriving in its midst. So, come on everyone. Let’s take advantage of the opportunity to experience what I consider to be one of the best meals available. Pho is inexpensive, healthy, hearty, flavorful, unique, and good at any time of day.

If you’re looking to experience Pho in this city, I think Pho Hoa is a great place to start. My co-writer, Andrew, is also a frequenter of Pho Hoa, so I’ve asked him to add his impressions in here too. You’ll being seeing some quotes from him mixed in.

Pho Hoa sits in a somewhat run-down strip mall along 23rd street. On the inside, it is far larger and far nicer than what you expect from the exterior. There’s nothing really special about the interior. It’s pretty sterile, in fact, with all-white surfaces lit up by florescent lighting. But, it is clean and bright, with a lot of sunlight pouring in through the large street-facing windows (at least during the day, when I’ve been there).

What do they serve? Well, Pho, mostly. So, let’s talk about Pho, because I have found that not everyone knows what it is.

Pho is Vietnamese noodle soup. It generally consists of long, skinny rice noodles in a light broth with thinly-sliced pieces of meat that are often dropped rare into the scalding-hot liquid and, because they are so thin, they cook thoroughly in only a few minutes as the dish is prepared. The soup is then presented to the table alongside a dish of fresh herbs (mint and basil), limes, jalepenos, and bean sprouts that you can add at will to your own bowl. There are also a few sauces (hoisin sauce and Sriracha hot sauce at least) on the table that you can use to customize the flavor of your dish.

Andrew says, “The broth at Pho Hoa is fantastic. Chock full of star anise (my favorite under-utilized spice), it really has a unique flavor that is very filling. I like to load my bowl up with sprouts, a little basil, and a couple healthy squirts of Sriracha Hot Sauce. If you are suffering from a head cold, go get a big bowl of this, squirt in a little more Sriracha than you would normally dare, and watch your head clear and your symptoms fade. Magic.”

Now, the menu at Pho Hoa is large and you might get a little overwhelmed when you first look at it, because it’s got a lot of different kinds of soup. There are different kinds of noodles and different combinations of meat. Don’t worry, though. We have a recommendation for you.

Get the rare steak at the top of the first side (it’s #11, I think). It’s rice noodles with thinly sliced beef that is added rare and cooked in the broth. This meat is very lean and very fresh and tasty. I love it.

Andrew also gets the rare steak, but he has an alternative suggestion on how to experience it. “I always ask to have the meat served rare and separately on a plate,” he says. “That way you can cook it yourself to your liking. My liking is sprinkled with salt and pepper, and then I roll it up with a bean sprout and a basil leaf, dunk it for about 5 seconds (just long enough to kill any weird lingering bacteria), and eat it very close to rare.”

If you’re looking for a little variety, you can also go with the Vermicelli dishes. These are like Pho without the soupy broth part. They include noodles and meat and other stuff mixed together in a bowl and topped with a chopped fried egg roll.

Pho Hoa also serves spring rolls that are very tasty and extremely fresh (2 come in an order for $1.99). They are the chilled kind, not the fried kind and contain shrimp and a mixture of herbs and vegetables. I really like them and Andrew agrees. “Pho Hoa makes the freshest spring rolls I have ever had. They have a great peanut sauce to dip them in,” he says.

Finally, if you’re looking for a dessert, Pho Hoa offers a very interesting option. Sesame balls ($1 per order) are a type of semi-sweet bean curd rolled up and encrusted with sesame seeds. I ike them because they are not really sweet, and I’m not a fan of super-sweet desserts, but Andrew disagrees. “They aren’t bad,” he says, “they just aren’t good. Definitely an acquired taste. They aren’t quite sweet enough for me, and they are extremely chewy.”

In conclusion, Pho is a great culinary tradition from an Asian culture with deep roots in Oklahoma City. I highly recommend that you get out and try some. It’s a dish that can be eaten any time of day (notice that Pho Hoa opens at 8:30am every day making Pho for breakfast an interesting option), and it’s something that’s healthy, hearty, affordable, and tasty every time. Give Pho Hoa, or any of our city’s Pho places a try soon.

And let us know what you think in the comments.