They can't all be winners...

I've loved Asian food for as long as I can remember.  As kids, while my siblings begged for McDonald's for dinner, I usually asked to go to New China buffet.  I practiced over and over with disposable chopsticks, meticulously following the directions on the back of the packet to gain proficiency.  I had more late-night dinners at Twin Dragon during my high school years than I can recall.  Over the last decade or so, my interests have broken free from the confines of Americanized Chinese fare and branched out to other Asian cuisines, and one thing we're surely not lacking in the Treasure Valley is Vietnamese restaurants (not like we're lousy with them or anything, but there's certainly more of them around than Korean or dim sum joints).

It's hard to find a fan of Vietnamese food who doesn't like pho.  It's not my favorite Vietnamese dish, but I still adore it.and even if (as so many say) the pho around here don't stand up against noodle joints abroad or in larger U.S. cities, most of the people I talk to still have a favorite local spot.  My personal preference is Pho Tam, but I'm certainly not above scarfing down a bowl at Baguette Deli, and I also have to reluctantly admit that I've yet to sample the wares of Pho 79 and Pho Nouveau.  Since they opened, Pho Bac has had a steadily growing fanbase, and has been recommended to me by several readers.  Personally, I'm amazed that a place with such a limited menu has lasted this long, but it led me to believe that they must be pretty good at what they do have.  So, after a year plus of driving past the place twice a day, five days a week, I finally decided to check them out.