LEO's Eats with Robin Garr
Pho Phi’s Pho Tai Chin, beef pho with eye of round and brisket.
You say “pho,” I say “fuh.” Which is the right way to say it, anyway? Inspired by a couple of bowls of pho, er, fuh, at Phi Pho (“Fee Fuh”), a new, fast-casual pho shop in St. Matthews, I dug into the roots of pho, and – somewhat to my surprise, since I thought I already knew this stuff – I learned a thing or two.
Pho isn’t really an ancient Vietnamese tradition, for example. It came with the French colonizers who took over what they called Indochina in the late 1800s, bringing with them French pastries, baguettes, and the notion that cow meat can be simmered to make a delicious broth. Yup, pot a feu became just-plain pho, and the pronunciation didn’t change much at all.
So if you’re still calling it “pho,” to rhyme with “d’oh,” perhaps it’s time to switch to “fuh,” to rhyme with “duh.” Whatever. Let’s go get some Vietnamese noodles!
Pho Phi, arrived last month in the shopping-center space vacated by Home Run Burgers, is the first and currently only outpost of a Vietnamese eatery with the same name in Austin, Texas.
Its decor is simple and bright, with travel posters and colorful photos of lotus flowers and lily pads to soften the edges. Service is fast-casual: Step up to the service counter, place your order, pay and take a number back to your table.
The menu offers Vietnamese standards with clear English descriptions for all the dishes. A dozen pho bowls are mostly $9.50 for a regular bowl and $11 for large, with the exceptions of a fancy multi-meat pho bowl ($10.50/$12) and a clear meatless pho ($8/$9). ...
Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/pho-phi-moneys-worth
You'll also find this review in LEO Weekly's Food
& Drink section today.
http://www.leoweekly.com/category/food-drink/
Pho Phi
4600 Shelbyville Road, Suite 602
290-3019
http://phophi.net
Robin Garr’s rating: 81 points.
Noise level: Pho Phi wasn’t particularly crowded during our midday Saturday visit, and noise was no barrier to communication. (The average sound level was 72dB, the sound level of normal conversation.)
Accessibility: The modern shopping center space is level and accessible to wheelchair users.
