My husband and I were on the way home from visiting some friends in Truckee and our GPS took us through Carson City as it was faster than going through the tourist-infested areas of Tahoe. I was craving some pho but didn't want to drive to Reno that evening since it was already later in the day and we were tired. I came across Pho Country on Yelp and saw the mixed reviews. However, this was the only place that served pho, and I decided to try it.
Unfortunately, this was one of the places where I do not believe the 3.5 star rule (iykyk) holds up. Let's break my review down into sections for easier viewing purposes.
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS:
The restaurant was clean and tidy. However, upon walking in, I was not greeted with the smell of pho broth. When entering a Vietnamese restaurant (or even when outside one), you would normally smell the delicious broth that has been boiling for hours on end. This was not the case here. First red flag.
Upon being seated, I took one look at the menu and immediately commented on how extensive it was. I've included menu photos below so you can see for yourself. Having so many menu items is generally not a good sign as the restaurant cannot focus its efforts on making quality dishes. I originally wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt since Pho Country was the only Vietnamese restaurant in Carson City.
Thirdly, I noticed that all the condiments came packaged. There were no bottles of sriracha or hoisin sauce, but rather the packets you'd get when ordering pho for takeout. There were small containers of chili oil, however, which was nice. Regardless, the lack of actual bottles was concerning.
Lastly, the cutlery provided to us at our table were not the standard chopsticks and soup spoons, but rather forks and spoons. I had to request for chopsticks for both my husband and I, and even then, they were single use.
THE SERVICE:
Service was decent. We were greeted upon entering the restaurant and quickly seated. The dining room isn't very large but the tables were bussed quickly. Water was provided almost immediately in large glasses. However, it did take a bit of time for our orders to be taken.
THE FOOD:
For our appetizer, we ordered chicken egg rolls. I ordered the combination pho for my main while my husband ordered the hot and spicy seafood tom yum, which was served with a side of rice.
The chicken egg rolls--my first comment was how I couldn't exactly taste the meat inside. They were crispy and flaky and very hot, but flavor wise, they were lacking. The fish sauce was nothing special, and I felt like there wasn't enough of it to go around.
The pho dac biet--unfortunately, this is where my comment about the lack of aroma of pho broth ties into my food. You'd think for a restaurant that is called Pho Country that they would have decent pho. I'm a pho snob. I have pho almost every week. This was not it. I agree with other reviews that mentioned the toughness of the meats. The menu mentioned that it would come with rare steak, and there was absolutely none in the bowl (all the meat was cooked). The brisket was basically nonexistent, and don't get me started on the broth. The noodles were also clumped together at the bottom of the bowl. While it didn't take me much effort to separate them, no one wants clumpy noodles. Pho should be comfort food and an experience, not a mindless meal. If Pho Country is some newbie's first introduction to pho, I beg of you, please make the drive to Reno. I've had pretty good pho there. Nothing that compares to CA of course but a far cry from this bowl that I had.
The seafood tom yum--my husband and I were confused as to why it was served with rice instead of noodles. However, that was the only option we were given, and he wanted tom yum, so he still ordered it. The flavor of the broth itself was okay and had a good spice level to it. However, I noticed that there were jalapeños floating in the broth. Tom yum is a Thai soup, and should have Thai chilies for spiciness, not jalapeños. In addition, my husband was quick to mention that even though he ordered the seafood tom yum, there were not many pieces of seafood in the broth. There were tons of veggies and mushrooms, however. For $15 we were expecting a lot more seafood. Even my bowl of pho had more meat than his bowl. Regardless, he did not end up finishing his broth and we got the rest to go as we do not waste food. I'll just be adding more shrimp into it at home. The rice was fine he said, but nothing to write home about. At least it was not overcooked.
All in all, the food was not terrible, hence the 3 stars, but it was a far cry from food that usually makes me go "I had a nice meal". My husband and I have a thing where we will ask each other if we enjoyed our food at the end of our meal and I don't recall us asking that to each other. We left unsatisfied, but thankfully our next trip to NV will be to Reno so there will be plenty of delicious options for Asian food there. read more