I visited There for a pop-up this past Tuesday night and had a good time. This is a local gastropub that opened in the Town Brookhaven mixed-use development in 2011-12. It's right across from Costco so there's plenty of parking.
My friend Jonathan Truong, former Yelp Atlanta Community Manager (2015-2018), worked with There owner Bill Brown and executive chef Shane Devereux to host "Minhzy's Pho Pop-Up," benefiting the American Heart Association. The turnout was great. Most of the customers throughout the night were there to try the special pop-up Vietnamese menu.
There normally serves scratch-made New American cuisine, fare that's more creative and elevated than typical pub grub. They use locally-sourced ingredients. They have an acre of land nearby where they grow a lot of their own produce. In 2017, There won Atlanta Magazine's 3rd Annual Best Burger Battle at Lenox Square, determined by popular vote. Craft cocktails are a specialty.
There has a simple space: an L-shaped bar, a few TVs for sports, booths, and versatile tables. Outside, they have a small, dog-friendly, covered patio. The atmosphere is casual and at night, is dimly lit. This place felt like a neighborhood watering hole. They're open late daily and also serve weekend brunch. You can catch live music certain times of the week. I felt comfortable here and enjoyed the ambiance.
The pop-up menu consisted of two drinks and three food items:
Drinks
* Anh Oi ($10) - Vietnamese margarita using fermented lemons and tequila
* Minhzy Julep ($10) - Batavia Arrack (Indonesian rice and sugarcane molasses) with ginger, lemongrass, Thai basil, simple syrup, and club soda
Food
* Veg Papaya Salad ($9) - mix of papaya, sliced napa cabbage, onion, and sprouts topped with cilantro, crushed peanuts, and vegetarian fish sauce
* Thit Kho ($10) - four-hour-plus palm-sugar-simmered pork butt and eggs with fresh garlic, caramelized onions, and rendered fish sauce
* Momma's Pho ($12) - 50 pounds of beef marrow bones simmered for more than a day, infused with fire-roasted ginger, sweet onions, and lemongrass; rice noodles, cilantro, and scallions, topped with slices of New York strip
The menu, which I uploaded to this listing, sounded a lot more colorful and funny with Jon's entertaining writing style. There owner Bill and chef Shane were at the event helping Jon both in the kitchen and out on the dining room floor. Jon and Bill came out and served some dishes themselves.
I tried everything, but the Anh Oi. The Minhzy Julep could've been better. A couple others independently agreed. The alcohol tasted cheap. It's okay, though, because this was a fundraiser and we were there to support Jon.
The food was a different story. Everything tasted great. All of the dishes were Southern Vietnamese dishes. My favorite dish of the night was actually not the pho, but the rice (Thit Kho). It was really good. The pork had amazing flavor and texture. Savory and rich. I'm pretty sure it was the best Thit Kho I've had anywhere. I was really impressed with it considering Jon isn't a professional chef. The dish could definitely hold its own against any Vietnamese restaurant. The ingredients were fresh and I really liked the addition of the crunchy, raw watercress. Also, not only did the dish taste great, but it looked great too. In general, Jon did a wonderful job with the presentation of all of his dishes.
As for the pho, wow. The best part was the meat. My fiancee commented it was the best meat she's ever had in pho and I agree. The meat was high quality, tender, and served rare (it eventually cooked in the hot soup). The beef was super tender and succulent with little fat and virtually no gristle. The broth was clean, clear, and on the light side. Several folks commented on the lightness of the broth. Like the other dishes, all of the ingredients were fresh. I appreciated the attention to detail including stalks of spring onion in the soup and the side plate of veggies including basil, culantro, green *and* red jalapenos, and lime wedges. Jon personally served the side plates. I could tell he put a lot of thought and effort into the execution of each and every dish, both from a taste perspective and a presentation perspective. My friend Melissa said she hasn't had better pho.
The Veg Papaya Salad was excellent. I couldn't stop eating it. I've eaten a lot of papaya salad, both here and in Southeast Asia, and I was a big fan of this particular version. It tasted light and fresh. Some papaya salads are just drenched in fish sauce and become salty. Not this one. Also, the consistency of the papaya and cabbage was just right (often, some can be too hard). The shrimp chips were a nice addition, providing an appetizing, contrasting texture.
Overall, I loved how spicy the dishes could be too if you ate the Thai chili peppers and jalapenos. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it.
Mackenzie B was our server. She was sweet and did a nice job.
Thank you, Jon, Bill, and Shane.