Sunday Pho Chronicles - Tan My

I'm on the hunt for the best Pho in Austin, Texas working my way to Elizabeth Street Cafe (ESC), the "coming soon" restaurant of Lambert's and Perla's, Larry McGuire. I have high hopes for ESC, so you better make it good Larry ;-)

My boyfriend and I have eaten a lot of Pho in the past year but usually from the same three places, and no, we haven't been to Vietnam (but we will go eventually). My dream Pho place would have as many locally-sourced, fresh ingredients as possible and/or using a combination of organic ingredients, no MSG and all white chicken breast meat or quality cuts of beef. 

Based on the Pho I've had so far, below is judging criteria and the score card to help me find the best Pho.

Judging Criteria and Score Card:

Service - (terrible) 1 2 3 4 5 (the best ever)

Spring Rolls - (terrible) 1 2 3 4 5 (the best ever)

Dipping Sauce - (terrible) 1 2 3 4 5 (the best ever)

Price $xx.xx (small) and $xx.xx (large)

Temperature of Broth - (cold) 1 2 3 4 5 (very hot)

Choice of Broth - Yes or No

Oily Broth - (very little) 1 2 3 4 5 (a lot)

MSG - Yes or No

Fresh Side Plate - Yes or No

Quality of Chicken - (low with strange crunch parts and dark meat) 1 2 3 4 5 (high)

Quality of Beef - (low with tough and strange fatty parts) 1 2 3 4 5 (high)

On our first adventure under the Sunday Pho Chronicles, we randomly selected Tan My to be our starting point. Tan My is up north off Ohlen Road behind the Target on 183. There's a laundry mat and a discoteca in the shopping center. We were nicely greeted as we walked in and took stock of the two tables that were seated.

The decor is like most Vietnamese restaurants-little focus or money spent on decor. But, I'm okay with that. In a way, it's what makes the ambiance of a Vietnamese restaurant. They aren't trying to be fancy, just straight to the point with the food they serve...and I like that. 

Now, on to the important stuff, the PHO!

Whenever we get Pho we typically order spring rolls to start, so this could also be called the Spring Roll Chronicles as well. To start off, we ordered #36 Goi Cuon - spring rolls with shrimp, pork, vegetables and vermicelli. The brown peanut dipping sauce was gelatinous with ground peanuts on top, but lacked peanut flavor. The insides were fresh; the combination of shrimp and pork was spot on. However, the rice paper was a little stale to me.

We ordered #14 Pho Ga – Noodle soup with chicken ($xx.xx for a small) and #13 Pho Tai – Noodle soup with eye round steak (and added beef meatballs to it aka #16 Pho Bo Vien) ($xx.xx for a large). What was great about this place was that I could order my pho in beef broth OR chicken broth. I opted to order my chicken pho in beef broth. The pho was served piping hot (as it should be), with a plate of fresh bean sprouts, Thai basil, lemon and jalapenos. 

#14 Pho Ga – Noodle soup with chicken

The chicken was all white breast meat. HALLELUJAH! Thank the Pho Lords there weren't any weird chicken parts, fat or dark meat floating around. The eye round steak was quality meat with some pink in the middle and the meatballs were very dense. I could have done without the meatballs. The table sides were fish sauce, fresh chili sauce, soy sauce, bitter roasted spicy pepper sauce and siracha. See below for Tan My's results!

#13 Pho Tai – Noodle soup with eye round steak (and added beef meatballs to it aka #16 Pho Bo Vien)

The results are in!

Service - 4

Spring Rolls - 3

Dipping Sauce - 1

Price $xx.xx (small) and $xx.xx (large)

Served Hot - 5

Choice of broth - Yes

Oily broth - 5

MSG - Yes or No

Fresh side plate - Yes

Quality of Chicken - 5

Quality of Beef - 4

Groupon: Should it be about turning a quick profit or repeat, long-term customers?

Restaurants and small business owners, aren't sure whether or not to use Groupon? This article states that the chronic deal-seekers that use Groupon are more interested in seeking out the next big deal than spending any meaningful amount of money at a small business. It isn't about a quick profit, but about repeat, long-term business.

Everyone's doing it: What you need to know about starting your own food truck

The trend these days are food trucks, witout a doubt. A new one seems to pop up every day (at least here in Austin). If you have a really good concept that serves great food, you might possibly do well for yourself. Here are a few pointers to get you started. Good luck!

My top favorite food trailers/trucks:
*Odd Duck Farm to Table
*East Side King

A great brunch idea! Icelandic vanilla yogurt with honey, apples, grapefruit, strawberries, grapes, blueberries and mixed nuts. Low fat and filling :)

Chicken Salad Sandwich with Raw Zucchini Salad

Homemade chicken salad sandwich and a raw zucchini ribbon salad (EVOO, lemon, Parmesan, parsley, salt/pepper.

How Long is Too Long?

According to Michael Bauer, executive food and wine editor and restaurant critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, restaurants as a rule of thumb when turning reservation tables, should allot 90 minutes for a table of two and 2 hours for a table of four. When diners take longer than this and the table is supposed to be turned for the next reservation he makes a good point: Restaurants need to communicate to the table and the incoming reservation what the situation is and never "call-out" the table that is hopefully on the way out. You think this is common knowledge to management and staff but you would be surprised how many restaurants forget about what is fundamental to their success; customer service--->communication. Not sure which is the cart before the horse but I presume both can be interchanged with one another.

I've worked in the service industry long enough and on the other side, have dined at many restaurants to know people don't appreciate being rushed. But on the other hand, diners needs to be more aware and cognizant they may not be the only ones occupying the table the rest of the evening (or afternoon if it's lunch).

For the most part, dinner, wherever you are, should not be rushed. Whether you're at home or in a restaurant it is a moment in your day where you can sit still and relax, share stories and reconnect with the people you love and be thankful for what you have. And if you are fortunate enough to have the option to eat with someone, you must never eat alone (more on that later).

In the Name of Marvel Olive

It finally came to me. M-a-r-v-e-l O-l-i-v-e! And now...I can begin.

To give a little bit of history, a week ago I was with my aunt Jan, my great uncle Tom and my grandmother Betty and they were telling me stories about my family. I found out that my great grandmother's name was Marvel Olive (last name Pitts) on my father's side. She was born July 26, 1895 and died in 1983 in Ardmore, OK. I was floored by the beauty of her name and a friend mentioned "hey, why don't you name 'it' Marvel Olive?" I sat on it for a week, and it's brilliant! I don't know much about her nor did I ever meet her but I think her name is graceful, unique and timeless. All of which, I hope the plans I have in store for myself are, as well.

According to one site, the name Marvel is a variant of "Maravilla" (Spanish, Latin) and "Marvell" (Latin), and the meaning of Marvel is "miracle to marvel at; wonderful, extraordinary". But on another site, it says the origin of Marvel is French. Who knows really, but lets run with it shall we?

I wish I could say the joy of cooking, eating and entertaining was passed down to me from my great grandmother, Marvel, since I'm naming this blog after her, but I feel it is from my mother's side I got this gene, if there ever were such a thing. I remember visiting my grandma Trudy in Florida in her small apartment, the air filled with cigarette smoke, and watching her bake all the time. A cocktail and cigarette in one hand (the classy kind of way, like Marlene Dietrich) and a spatula in another. I've heard stories of my grandfather starting a Playboy Club with his buddies in Jacksonville, FL back in the 1960s and being quite the host...and charmer.

This blog is about sustainable foods, the local food community, food policy, delicious eats, talented chefs, cooking and marketing insights of the food and beverage industry. While Austin is showing signs of having an upper echelon of amazing chefs and restaurants it still has a long way to go, and this is where I come in. I hope you like it.