Pho Saigon - Southeast Asia Comes to Boardman

To quote my beloved Italian grandmother: “Colpo le candele. Il partito è finite.” Blow out the candles. The party is over. Such are the Christmas holidays. For the past four weeks, I ate too much. I drank too much. I partied too much. As the Christmas/New Years holidays go, this one was filled with house parties, venue parties, let’s go out for dinner parties, office parties…and in the midst of the revelry, I nary had an evening to try some new foodie place.

What to do? What to do? Then the soon to be outlawed incandescent light bulb went on in head. Why not review a place you go to once a week, that you thoroughly enjoy, and has the best Kung Pao in the city? That’s the trick…and Pho Saigon is the place.

For those of you not familiar with Vietnamese food, it’s a little different, and not what you would think. The end of the Vietnam War saw a mass migration of Vietnamese refugees fleeing to the United States. They ended up in some strange places. While the largest concentration of Vietnamese is in California, these hard working entrepreneurial immigrants landed in Minnesota, Virginia, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Washington, Florida, and Rhode Island. And so did their customs and their food.

I was first introduced to Vietnamese cuisine as a place called Pho Bong’s at the intersection of New York’s Chinatown and Bowery. It looked like a dump on the outside, and frankly looked like a dump on the inside. But the food was wonderful, and cheap!! We ate there three of our five nights in NYC. I was happy to see that when we returned several years later, the place had actually morphed into a chain throughout the city. Such are the wonders of America.

At any rate, Vietnamese cuisine is in a space by itself. It is light, concentrating on fresh and simply prepared vegetables and fruits flavored with the likes of lemongrass, mint, and basil, and simply fried meat or fish. It is not Chinese. It is not Thai. I would almost describe it as good summer eating. Even the noodles are as light as feathers. It is delicate. It is light. It is wonderful. It takes a little getting used to when you are expecting a Hunan Palace, but end up with its slender, delicate cousin. The flavors and textures are distinct.

Pho is one of the mainstays of Vietnamese cuisine. In plain language, it is soup. Classic Pho is a chicken or beef broth lightly seasoned with pieces of chicken or meat along with noodles and spring vegetables served piping hot. In New York City, guests gathered around a communal table, each of us given individually heated bowls of broth, and we chose from several different meats placed in the center of the table, boiling each piece as we selected it. It made for a leisurely dinner, and great for making new friends at the table.

Most restaurants serving Pho do it as a complete bowl, and I mean a big bowl, of soup put in front of you. Now…there are all sorts of Vietnamese soup. And being Asian, they know not to waste any part of the animal. Sometimes there may be things in the soup you would prefer not to be in the soup. For that reason, any and all Vietnamese menus I have seen give more than an adequate description of what is in the soup. Many include pictures. But there is always something you would like…and when the snow is flying outside, a steaming bowl of Pho fits the bill.

Pho Saigon is a gem of a Vietnamese restaurant located on South Avenue in Boardman across from Sam’s Club, next to the Clarencedale Bakery. When I saw it was going into this little plaza, I thought it would be a bust. Then we started eating there, and I have watched a slow but steady increase in clientele as the past few years have gone by. I’m there for lunch at least once a week.

It is absolutely spotless, with sea foam green walls, blonde furniture and hardwood floors. The décor is relaxing. There are two big screen televisions softly running CNN (they should try Fox). The help is friendly. It’s clear this is a family run establishment, and they try hard. I have never had a bad meal here.

In addition to the numerous Vietnamese selections, it has a full Chinese food menu. And it is outstanding. As I stated at the beginning, it is the best Kung Pao chicken I have had anywhere. So that is what I get when I go there!!!! Even thought the Pho is outstanding also!!!!!

Prices are reasonable. A huge bowl of Pho will run between 6 – 7 bucks. The Kung Pao is $8.95 for dinner and $5.75 for lunch, and you get a lot of food. You get a choice between steamed or fried rice.

I will be honest. The freshness of the seasoning of Vietnamese cuisine can be a bit disconcerting. Much of it I like…some of it I don’t. My palate is used to the much heavier Chinese and Thai cooking. Either way, at Pho Saigon, you will be winner.

I am a big supporter of locally owned restaurants. This one is worth a look. You will be pleasantly surprised.

My rating: 3 ½ meatballs 1/2

Pho Saigon
6532 South Avenue
Youngstown, OH 44512
330-729-9588