Meat!

I have always been a big fan of Pho-- At one point in my life I would eat it once or twice a week. An excerpt from an sf gate article explains the perfect makeup of pho quite well:
Good pho can be delicate or rich-tasting, spicy or subtle, loaded up with condiments or unadorned. Its success lies in a balance of well-made broth, noodles, beef and accents. And it has to be hot enough to steam up your glasses. In both traditions, a great broth is clear, almost transparent. Star anise and other spices shouldn't dominate, but serve more as undertones, says Mai Pham, Chronicle columnist, author of "Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table," and chef-owner of Lemon Grass Restaurant in Sacramento.

The broth should be balanced so it's not too sweet or salty. Sweetness is often the telltale sign of MSG, the flavor enhancer Vietnamese call "sweet powder," and this was evident at several restaurants we tried.

The noodles that dwell beneath, tangling around everything, also have to be just right. Pham says a true pho should consist of 1 part noodles to 4 parts broth, but Americanized versions tend to load up on the noodles, even though that can make for a bland bowl.

And good pho, should NEVER have clumpy noodles!

SOO anyway, on New years day, i had a huge craving for pho. We went to little saigon to turtle tower. MY GOD. I have never tasted pho so good, and I have been to many pho places. The noodles were wide, soft and slippery, the broth clear, but flavorful. There were no bean sprouts and mint on the sides, but that is because it is of the northern vietnamese tradition to just have lime and chile. I could drink the liquid for days and days-- this is the type of thing where I wish I could puncture a hole in my stomach and insert a refuse tube so I can guzzle uncontrollably. The beef was of very high quality and looked to be ribeye rather than the usual sirloin that is used in other places.

Turtle Tower, 631 Larkin St. (at Willow Street, between Eddy and Ellis); (415) 409-3333. Open 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m. daily (closed on tuesdays).
There is also a new location on Geary Street near 22nd.

After the pho, I went to watch the aviator, which was an excellent movie, Ammon's friend Buzz wrote a review, and I am too lazy to write my own.

After the movie we went for more pho at Pagolac. Pagolac was more of a full service restaurant, rather than a pho place. We ordered catfish in a clay pot, which was just the right amount of sweet and salty, as well as a bowl of pho. There were only two choices of pho- we had the beef. The meat was thinly sliced but somewhat tough. It had a good flavor, but was not as high quality as the meat at Turtle Tower. The noodles were of good texture, and the broth flavorful. It had a slightly too salty taste so we did have to put in some rooster sauce and all the herbs, but it was very tasty. The other food on the menu seemed to be very good--- you could roll your own spring rolls, and they had the 7 course meat meal for 13.95 a person. The ambiance of the restaurant was very simple and elegant. It was modern, and of good taste-- a good place to take a date if you felt like pho but didn't want to seem cheap (though it was very cheap there anyway). It is also open until 10pm! I will go there again for some good vietnamese cuisine, the catfish was delicious.

Pagolac, 655 Larkin St. (near Ellis); (415) 776-3234. Open 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday.