What's in a name? The ever-expanding landscape of Vietnamese spots in the city tends to stick to a tried and true formula for naming. Step 1: "Did we mention we serve PHO?" Step 2: add a location marker (e.g.: "Kietzke"), possibly redundant and/or glaringly obvious buzz word (e.g.: "Asian"), OR some number (e.g.: "777"). 999 Pho follows suit, putting Viet cuisine's most recognizable dish at the forefront. And while I'm still waiting for new spots to pull out the gimmicky puns -- here's looking at you, Pho Shizzle, Pho Sho -- I can't possibly be mad that 999 is pulling out all the stops when it comes to bringing some good eats to the BLC. If you're looking for a review about pho, you should probs scroll a little further; my noodle soup-y needs usually bring me on the path less tread... rather, the other side of the menu with more exciting broth. It should be noted that veering away from pho makes me neither maverick nor expert: at the end of the day, I'm just looking for other flavors when it comes to rainy day soups.
If you frequent enough Vietnamese restaurants and read the menu beyond numbers and descriptors, you'll probably be familiar with Bun Bo Hue, even if only by name. Growing up, I'd think of it as "pho but mad spicy," but adult me (post-999Pho me) now understands why that description does BBH no justice. There's a whole mess of different flavors at work: bolder, louder, more in-your-face through a mix of lemongrass, fish sauce, shrimp paste, and a heaping helping of chili. 999's version comes with the works: flank, cha lua, pork belly, and a few cubes of pig blood curd (surprise!). Though not for the faint of heart/palate, BBH is a wild ride and great for anyone that isn't scared away by heat or extra fishy flavor... or hulking blocks of congealed blood. I'm a BBH apologist, but broth-wise, the Bo Kho is by far my favorite: BECAUSE WHO DOESN'T LOVE BEEF STEW? To me, Bo Kho is the unsung hero of the noodle soup world, woefully overlooked by pho-natics and the BBH counterculture, but still a star in its own right by way of being wonderfully hearty. Offering a more savory kick from pho, yet more mild than BBH, it's a wonderful beef-centric happy medium for anyone looking to branch out to new broth.
Noodle soup is not the be-all, end-all at 999: their non soup-y dishes are just as bangin'. The nem nuong cuon is definitely my favorite, and the owners will proudly tell you that they're the only ones in town that offer it (fact check, someone?). It's a spring roll with grilled pork paste (think spam, but not), and all you need to know is that it's delicious. In the same vein, a lot of the highlights here are offerings that are few and far between on other Reno menus. I'm not much of a Banh Xeo guy, but this place may just convert me to the dark side of crispy crepe goodness. Their smoothies are fantastic, jackfruit and DURIAN especially. That's not to say that the classics go overlooked here: the fried rice is solid, the stir-fried noodles dishes are delish, and the banh mis here are some of the BEST around -- would highly recommend the combo sandwich, as it comes with the works.
A budding business, they're still working through a few kinks and growing pains. The last time I came in was at the tail end of a Sunday lunch rush, and tables weren't being cleared fast enough to make way for the second wave of hungry diners, myself included, slowly clustering around the main entrance. Service can be a bit spotty and frantic, but it's still nothing short of earnest. 999 is easily one of my new favorite spots in town, and I'm happy to look past the clunky service (that still comes with a smile, mind you!) for more of their amazing food. read more