The Best Kind of Vietnamese at PPQ

JC did not want me taking her picture. Oh no. No way. But since we go waaaaay back, I ran roughshod over her wishes and snapped one of her anyway. (Thanks, C!) Then it was down to business. We scooted down the street and around the corner to my friendly neighborhood Vietnamese eatery, Pho Phu Quoc, and made quick work of the spicy, tart green papaya salad covered with a generous handful of crushed peanuts and deep-fried onion strings. Almost as good as the addictive rendition that Charles Phan offers up at Out the Door.


Then we wolfed down PPQ's bouncy fresh spring rolls. All of 'em.


Moving right along, we slurped up the rare flank steak and beef ball pho. Beef balls? Not so much. It was the spongey texture that put me off. But the rest? AH-mazing. A subtly fragrant, steaming broth, sprinkled with scallions, it's the best noodle soup of its kind that I've ever had.