#38 at Pho Pasteur - Chinatown

Sorry, blurry lady on the left, I didn't mean to catch you there (picking your ear?). Re-taking the picture was out of the question, as I did not feel like it.

Moline (IL), Richardson (TX), Rosemead (CA), Boston, Sydney, Toronto, San Diego, and New York City. What do all of these cities have in common? According to Google, they are all home to Vietnamese restaurants named 'Pasteur' or 'Pho Pasteur' (apparently unaffiliated) - and I am certain there are more.

So, what's the deal with Vietnam and Pasteur? Who really knows? Not I. I was unaware of how extensive the connection was until I started writing this post and googled "Pho Pasteur," which turned up numerous results from all over the world.
Curiosity and further googling led me to this:

Fully aware of the international importance of his work, Pasteur's disciples dispersed themselves wherever their assistance was needed. In 1891, the first Foreign Institut Pasteur was founded in Saigon (today Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) launching what was to become a vast international network of Instituts Pasteur.

And then questioning my (questionable?) authority on all things Vietnamese, and dear friend, Arthur (Vietnamese by descent, but Texas born and raised), got me this response:

Arthur: something about french colonial influence
especially re: pho's origins in french consomme

Thanks, Arthur!

I don't know about other people, but to me the words 'Pasteur' or 'pasteurize' or 'pasteurization' do not really get my tummy grumbling. And if they do, it's not in a good way. But hey, that's just me.

Festive signage.
That waiter that appears to be delighted about the lower half of his body disintegrating into an amorphous blob roughly the shape of South Vietnam...really creeps me out.

Now, you might be assuming this post is going to be about pho, but you would be wrong. SO WRONG. You have never been so wrong. Shame on you.

Why the hostility, Susan? I don't really know. I'm sorry, it was a joke. I'm at work and not working (because who works on Friday?), and my mind wanders. I'm sleepy, and I have actually never had the pho here.

BBQ Pork Chop! AKA 'pokchap,' AKA 'pokechop,' AKA Com Suon Bi Cha, AKA #38 on the menu.
Pretty, no?

In my estimation, this has to be not only one of the most pleasantly polychromatic, but most satisfying meals $6 ($6.50?) can get you in this city. Or in Manhattan, at least.
It's nothing spectacular, nothing knock-your-socks-off about it. But it's hearty, and homey, and delicious. And the portion is very generous. Also, I am one who really likes to have a lot of variety packed into one meal, and this plate's got it. The pork chop itself is nicely cooked, sweet and salty (the chili sauce in the squeeze bottle provided adds a nice kick), and just moist and fatty enough without being greasy. Not once in the 8 or 9 times I've had it has it come out the least bit dry.
In fact, twice in the past month M has actually gotten 2 of these for take-away, biked them home to Greenpoint in styrofoam containers, and I'll be darned if they weren't still lip-smackin' delicious*.
Then you have the dry, shredded pork [stuff] on the side. Pork 2 ways! That's fancy. As one would expect, it is dry, and also has a sort of grainy texture. And a bit salty. I wouldn't say it's not tasty, it's...interesting. I usually eat a few bites of it with some rice and some of the crinkle-cut pickled carrots or daikon, and then try to pawn the rest off onto M, who's usually cleared his plate by the time I make it over to this part.

*FYI: thesaurus entries for "tasty" are sucks.

Egg...thing.

My second favorite part of the dish is what I like to endearingly call the "egg thing." I don't know what it is. A cupcake-shaped omelet? Anyway, it's good. Very dense, and packed with glass or rice noodles, bits of pork (pork 3 ways!), and seems to have a hint of some kind of spice that I can't place. I want to say it almost tastes a tiny bit cinnamon-y, or cardamom-y, but that actually doesn't sound very good, so I won't say it. Consider it not said.

Not the most appealing cross-section shot.

And then you have the rice, and the ornamental vegetables (which I always eat, because they're there).

For a quick, cheap, and satisfying meal downtown, to stay or take-away, this a great stand-by. The restaurant itself is a little tight, and has weird feng shui* issues (if you're not careful, you'll trip right over a 4-top directly in front of the door), but the service is fast and friendly enough. Highly recommended. I do want to try other things on the menu, but M and I are creatures of habit (lazy brains), and it's not really a place to take a group, so I can't make any promises.

*I know approximately nothing about feng shui.**

**Man, I need to cool it with the footnotes and parentheticals.


85 Baxter St (btwn Walker and White)
New York, NY 10013-4433
(212) 608-3656