Kỳ Duyên Cafe

488 N Salina Street
Syracuse, NY 13203
(315) 471-5207
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On a recent road trip that took me through Syracuse during the lunching hour (anytime between 10AM and 4:30PM), I decided to check out a banh mi place I had been told about. Although you may think of Syracuse as a thriving metropolis, I assure you it has not since returned to it's (debatable) former glory. Luckily there was parking out front so no one stole my bike out of my truck. Although some guy wearing pajamas pants with no shoes or shirt asked me if I had any recyclable cans when I was feeding the meter. Maybe they are just eco-friendly. As you can see, the exterior of this shop announces "affluence" and so I was expecting a hipster to be serving fair trade tofu on gluten free rolls. Luckily I was wrong . . .

The interior was clean, cared for and definitely used to be a dive bar. You could tell by the yellowed drop tiles and the bathroom location. Oh, and the fact that behind that white wall there is still a bar. With people hanging out. Possibly smoking and 'playing games.'

The sandwiches were served on more of a torpedo roll than a French baguette, but to the same effect.

I went with a shredded pork and a BBQ pork. Because one pork just wouldn't cut it. These were $5 a pop, and worth every penny. The BBQ pork was the winner, as usual, with tender sliced meat, smokey sauce, and crisp vegetables.

Plenty of cucumber, julienned carrots, and fresh cilantro added the requisite crunch and fresh contrast to the protein. I also loved the butter/mayo mix helping to grease the skids.

The shredded pork and super dry, kind of like that old beef jerky chew I ate as  kid. I liked it, especially with the sliced pork sausage thing in the bottom. The pate on this one came through more, likely because it didn't have the flavorful BBQ sauce like its competitor.

You can see the pate leaking out the bottom.

If you are in the Syracuse area and find yourself in the mood for a cheap & tasty sandwich made with love and tendered with friendly service, you could do much worse than Kỳ Duyên Cafe. One of the better deals I have had in a while.

Wok Street

1518 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 693-3010
Website

I was invited to visit Wok Street recently to see what they have to offer. It is the same folks as Hai Street (which makes the sushi burritos I love), so I figured it would be a good meal and well worth my time. Tucked behind the tree here on Chestnut, next to the venerable Popeye's, you find Wok Street.

They specialize in Southeast Asian-style street food.

The interior had the industrial loft thing going on – nice and roomy with that city living feel.

It looked like a hip Chipotle (I can't help but use my old fave as the bar for comparison with all fancy-ish fast-ish food joints). But there was tons of counter space and for being so deep, the dining area was well lit.

As fast/fresh casual restaurant frequenters will recognize, you pick your option, soup, bowl, or sandwich, and work your way down the line customizing your order. If you prefer, you can go with the established favorites as an alternative.

I went with the staff favorites, chicken banh mi and the pickled peanut pork bowl. On the side, I was told to try the tofu cheesecake and the ginger lemonade, so I didn't deny those extras.

The pork bowl had white rice, brussel sprouts, braised pork, peanut sauce, pickled red onion, scallion, cilantro, and roasted peanuts.

The tart and tender pork was perfectly braised, and melted when picked up with chop sticks, or pushed around to scoop up some of its compatriots. It was a filling and quite delicious bowl, with a variety of flavors and textures to keep you interested. I would eat a lot of lunches here.

The chicken banh was small but well done, with teriyaki chicken (a total guilty pleasure of mine), hoisin mayo, cucumber, jalapeño, pickled red onion, and cilantro. Ask for extra mayo on the side, and add some chili sauce if you want to spice things up. At less than $7, this was a great quick meal, and the portion size will keep you honest. Enough to be full, but they certainly won't be rolling you out of there.

All of the veggies were fresh and crunchy, and I loved the pickled red onions.

A surprise was the tofu cheesecake. Thankfully it was served in a small container, not because it wasn't delicious, but because I was so full. I was pretty shocked with this tofu-based dessert being so delicious, it had a sour and sweet play going on that was addicting. I would definitely recommend checking out this local "Chiptole of Asian" for a quick and cheap lunch or dinner, especially if you are craving something fresh and healthy-ish.

Pho Street

204 Baltimore Pike
Springfield, PA 19064
(610) 544-3934
Website

Delaware County is not synonymous with Vietnamese food, but Pho Street is the best argument I have tasted so far to try and change that. Located in (what could only be) a former diner-y looking building, this place has tons of booths in which to sit and wait for some damn good food.

They have the usual accompaniments. Which makes me very happy. Any condiment I can get my hands on...

I decided to start with a shrimp summer roll. I love the way this feels "healthy" even though I generally and thoroughly douse it with peanut sauce.

The shrimp were plump and fresh, the rolls were soft had not developed the "skin" that can occur when exposed to the elements. A nice blend of vermicelli, herbs, and lettuce added to the fresh factor. This was a great summer roll.

Because I detest pho, I did not order it. Instead I ordered Hu Tíeu Tom Thit (pork and shrimp noodle soup). Instead of a beef broth, this is a soup with a very flavorful pork/chicken/shrimp combo broth that is the very definition of soul soothing. As is usual for pho-like but non-pho soups, it was served up in a large bowl and included sprouts, jalapeno slices, cilantro and some lime garnishes.

Before I get too into the soup, I will say the pork banh mi was my favorite part of the meal. The BBQ pork was thinly sliced, tender, and the sandwich was obviously constructed with love.

The fresh jalapeño peppers bring the heat, but I didn't find it overwhelming. This was probably due to the cooling cilantro and pickled carrot mixed with the "house special zesty sauce" (spicy mayo) and buttered roll. I have eaten this one a number of times, and it always satisfies. It also doesn't hurt that it rings in at a whooping $5.49.

The soup had a broth that was better than many I have eaten, even those in the non-pho category. So much depth of flavor, like the bones had longer to roast and the maker truly cares about the product.

Once doctored up with some of the aforementioned condiments, it had the heat, the salt, and I crave out of a huge bowl of (chicken) soup for the soul. I basically transformed it into a sort of Tom Yum flavored soup with the fermented hot sauce and I would rinse and repeat as long as Pho Street is around.

If you aren't near Mac Daddy Boulevard, you can also get your fix in Bryn Mawr. Which helps ease the sting of my limited Asian-food options in the 'burbs.

Pho Ha

610 Washington Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 599-0264

So before I go any further, I want to take a moment to remind any loyal readers, and to inform any new readers, that I hate Pho. I have had it at least a dozen times, and I have never been impressed. Everyone rants and raves about how amazing it is, and in my opinion, its just a bowl of under-seasoned broth with some scraps of meat tossed in, served with a side of bean sprouts and basil. The apparent allure is adding in your own ingredients to make the giant bowl of hot water (and cheap cuts of unseasoned meat) palatable. It’s as though no one had ever had a good bowl of ramen, or Tom Yum, or soft tofu, all of which deserve the cult status of Pho, yet are overlooked in favor of their mediocre Vietnamese counterpart.

That all being said, I hadn’t given it another try in almost a year, so I thought that perhaps on this trip, I would find the missing piece to begin to love this dish. Pho Ha came highly recommended, so I made a trip over.

When you walk into Pho Ha, you will stand around awkwardly until you are whisked away to a table.

Upon arrival at your table, you will be expected to know what you are ordering when you sit down. If not, a non-plussed waiter will stand over you rolling his eyes and awaiting your decision. For the love of God, DO NOT ask for a few minutes to look over the menu.

A large bowl of pho is almost comically large, and at the low low price of $6.60 you will wonder how they do it. Until you see the meat.

I ordered a combo (#45) featuring brisket, flank, tendon, fatty & crunchy flank. Lots of meat. All of it looked the same shade of grey, and for the most part it all tasted the same. The tendon got lost in the giant chopstick pinches of noodles. I used about everything I could find on the table to bring some life to this broth boat, but it was still as mediocre as I had remembered. There is just no level of care put into this dish (not hard to believe when it is served in under a minute and a half).

I brought along some spicy beer to match what I was expecting to be an explosion of flavor.

I am a sucker for some summer rolls, so I grabbed an order of them as well. They were fine. Probably my favorite part of the meal - and still hitting pretty low.

I also ordered the "Com Bi, Cha, Suon Nuong" or julienne pork rice plate.

The platter was another reasonably priced value at $6.60 and literally came out as a pile of indiscernible foods.

Although the pork was well seasoned – it was glossed with a sort of sweet and sour glaze – and had a nice charred flavor, it was decidedly not julienned.

There was some sort of eggy-pate-glass noodle thing that tasted earthy - and when I say "earthy," I mean to say it tasted sort of like dirt.

This tomato was buried under the pate. If your tomato looks more white than red, don't serve it at all.

So I admit I am not a huge pho fan. In reality, I would rather eat about anywhere else than at a pho place. If you love it, feel free to disagree. If you have never been, please go and decide for yourself. As for me, I know which soups are the real deal, and I will continue championing their consumption. You can keep the pho.