What is pho? Pronounced sort of like "fuh," it's Vietnamese beef noodle soup. It's actually a popular breakfast food in Vietnam, but me, I'll eat it whenever. I used to go to the Pho Pasteur...

What is pho? Pronounced sort of like "fuh," it's Vietnamese beef noodle soup. It's actually a popular breakfast food in Vietnam, but me, I'll eat it whenever. I used to go to the Pho Pasteur chain in the Boston area whenever we were up there, and so I was so happy when Pho Vi opened up in Bakersfield.

While there are other things on the menu (and those big plates of fried pork chops over rice look mighty tempting, and my wife likes the salads of meat over cold rice noodles, called bun), the basic currency of a pho place is, well, pho. (They actually do have a chicken based version of the soup too.)

Listed by number on the menu are a whole mess of variations--basically, pho is a long-cooked beef-based soup, into which they drop a big spool of rice noodles, and then you pick your condiments, which is to say, what parts of the cow you want. The superduper combo one, which I think might be number 1 but I'm not sure, has everything from pieces of rare flank steak to slices of brisket to more interesting things like tripe and pleasantly gelantinous pieces of tendon. I usually go for the one with beef, tendon, but no tripe. (There are also ones with Vietnamese meatballs.) Don't worry, some of those numbered combinations are sans both tripe and tendon, for the squeamish.

Then you doctor it up. On the table is a beautiful platter of fresh basil leaves, bean sprouts, and limes, and a bunch of other condiments, like hoisin, chili garlic sauce, and sriracha. Put whatever you want, however much you want, into your bowl. You can also, if you like, mix sauces in a little bowl and dip the meat from the soup into the sauce.

There are 2 sizes, and though I go for large, small is pretty substantial too, and neither is very expensive. This is filling, hearty, and basic, good and warming--it's soup, it's noodles, it's beef--what else could you ask for?

To drink, try a Vietnamese beverage--freshly squeezed lemonade mixed with soda, or classic Vietnamese iced coffee (strong espresso over ice with sweetened condensed milk poured on top, yum). Next door, after you finish your pho, go grab yourself a boba tea. It's all good.