Pho Tau Bay

Best Restaurant/Food 2010 - Best Vietnamese

Pho, the traditional Vietnamese beef noodle soup, is a product of Vietnam's relatively meager resources. The jungle-choked country is hardly flush with grazing land, and pho is essentially a case study in how to make a cow go a long way. A wonder of culinary resourcefulness, the soup gives back to itself as it's willed into existence: The meat that's boiled with spices for hours to yield cauldrons of broth is saved, cooled, sliced thin and then added sparingly to that same broth to be reheated just before it's served.

But beef is only the half of it, and at Pho Tau Bay in Metairie, the evidence is in the air. The pho is sweetened by minty Thai basil that diners add to their soup, tearing leaves from fresh sprigs that arrive on platters with sprouts, limes and sliced jalapenos. These condiments, along with chili sauce and hoisin, are commonly added to pho after it's served, transforming a perfectly harmonious yet mild creation -- slices of meat cut translucent thin, cilantro, green onion, rice noodles, a light broth cut with ginger, star anise, cinnamon and clove -- into something more vigorous and personal. In Vietnam, the idea of a soup that evolves at the eater's whim has a practical appeal.

113 Westbank Expy
Gretna, LA 70053
(504) 368-9846