Pho 84 Inc
But yesterday, on our way to see Duran Duran in Concord (a fun but weird experience in its own right), my brother Lonnie and I were excited about grabbing dinner on the way, and we both knew Pho 84 would be the place. I'm a fan of Vietnamese food in general, but most places in peninsula/south bay serve pretty standard fare: a bunch of variations of pho (soup), fresh/fried spring rolls, and grilled meats. Pho 84 is different. They might even serve pho, but that's not the reason to go. They just have a variety of very tasty dishes that don't taste much like food I've had anywhere else. Some of the dishes to try: - The mussels are outstanding. They come in a sweet/sour/spicy broth which you should save to put on your rice. - They serve your choice of seafood or meat with an incredible sauce of curry, onions, vermicelli, and mushrooms. I like it best with fried snapper, but you can't go wrong with shrimp either (what we got yesterday). It's a bit spicy, but so good. - Another signature sauce is a spicy sweet "shrimp base sauce." It tastes a lot better than it sounds--yesterday we got it with beef and beans, but I've also had it with eggplant. We ate so much we could barely move...
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Without question the best Vietnamese restaurant I have ever visited, and it has never been convenient to where I live.Incredibly flavorful without being too spicy, great variety, not greasy, increasingly upscale decor, reasonable prices and good service. What else could you ask for? For what it's worth, I don't think anyone else there was on the way to Duran Duran. Roy belted out an impressive rendition of "Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand..." in the middle of the restaurant. Just blank stares.
Laney and Shanna were singing "Rio" the whole day today, nothing to do with the restaurant...but I have to say I was a bit jealous that the boys got a chance to eat at one of my faves We went to that same restaurant when L&S were 10 months old - they loved it too. The staff was horrified that the girls ate straight off the table
Um, Duran Duran?I used to consult at Clorox right there in downtown so used to hit Pho 84 a LOT. I still dream about their dishes. I'm sure they serve Pho but the dishes are amazing. I loved the hotpoits & many yummy saucy dishes. The only thing remotely close that's closer is Saigon City in San Mateo on 3rd. It's much more of a Pho place than Pho84 but they have some hotpots & other dishes that are really good.
Right, Saigon City is good but not in the same league at all! My brother and I hit Pho 84 again a few weeks ago (this time for the Yazoo concert in Oakland!), food was as good as ever.BTW, not sure when you were last there, but they renovated Pho 84 at some point, it's actually even nice inside.
It is critically important to note that this time we had plenty of concert-going hipster company at Pho. At least two other tables were headed to the Yazoo gig. It was a heart-warming rendition of "Don't Go" as we serenaded the wait staff.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaHuzkyurC0 BTW, one of the employees said that they are opening a restaurant in Walnut Creek.
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