Shabby strip center establishments carry a lot of cachet when it comes to Vietnamese restaurants, usually because the mom and pop proprietors are running the places themselves, which in turn is the hallmark of authenticity. Pho 45 however is housed in a newish center on 249, and the interior is clean and brightly lit, but you can still see the family ties as the proprietors bustle about the busy dining room. And busy it is during the lunch hour, because regardless of how new it is, Pho 45 has quite a following. My first time there, patrons came streaming steadily in, 95% of whom were Vietnamese, which was an immediate vote of confidence.
As the name suggests, there are more than a dozen Pho options, from the straightforward, most of which employ eye round steak (Pho Tai), to the complex combinations (Dac Biet) of flank, brisket, tripe, and tendon. I should know my Pho portions by now, but nevertheless since the small was only $5.49, I thought I could afford a Banh Mi sandwich to go along with it for only $2.75. My wallet had room, but my stomach did not. Almost. I chose a fairly simple soup of eye round steak and fatty brisket (Pho Tai, Gau), but simple it was not. I could smell the seasonings as the un-small bowl was brought to my table full of dark, rich, complex broth. The vermicelli was soft and the fresh cilantro and basil were aromatic, but the steak and brisket were out of this world. I venture to use an adjective much loved, though overused, by Anthony Bourdain - the flavors were ephemeral. If I thought too hard about what I was tasting, the fleeting harmony of seasonings were gone. It was like trying to eff the ineffable. About halfway through my soup, I was brought a perfectly golden brown baguette, soft on the inside, stuffed with fresh cucumber, carrot, cilantro, and jalapeño, along with some exquisite BBQ pork (Banh Mi Thit Nuong). I was no less impressed with the chargrilled pork with a tangy glaze, and battled an internal desire to return to the soup. With all of the above for around $9, I waddled out smiling contentedly.
But Pho is not the only thing on offer at Pho 45: they also have a number of rice (Com) and vermicelli (Bun) options, special dishes, and quite an array of drinks, including Vietnamese iced coffee, tea, lemonade, and milk. I often go for the chargrilled pork rice dish, but I was sold on one that also had shredded roast pork and pork skin with a fried egg on top (Com Bi Thit Nuong Trung). I'm sure you could get a fried egg on any of the dishes, or the sandwiches, if you asked them, but I just stuck to the menu. The BBQ pork was just as delicious as it had been on the sandwich, the roast pork was savory and tender, though I didn't go for too much of the fatty pork skin. I thought it would perhaps have been fried and crisp, but it was soft and I used a few pieces to add a rich, fatty flavor to the other pork. As the egg yolk broke and oozed into the rice and pork, this was an exceptional lunch for only $7 and change.
I know there are a lot of places I still need to try, but this is my first 5-star Vietnamese review. The elegant interior and attentive staff added that elusive element. From now on when I start to get hungry around mid day, I'll just look at my watch and see that it's about Pho 45.