Where: Simply Pho,  2929 Milam St, Houston, TX 77006
When: January 26, 2013

Brenden wasn’t feeling very well, so I suggested to him something that always makes me feel better when I’m fighting a cold, pho. Houston has a large Vietnamese population and consequently great Vietnamese restaurants. Brenden told me about a new pho place that had just opened up; it qualified under the 52 Date rules, so we went.

Simply Pho was previously in the space that housed Pho Nga, and we were at their grand opening. The restaurant was bright and clean. It was also near empty on 8PM on a Saturday night. We parked Brenden’s El Camino right outside the front door, which is rare in Midtown.

The first thing I noticed besides the balloons and streamers, was the temperature. I was wearing capris (it was in the 80s earlier that day, yay Houston) yet I was overjoyed that I brought a cardigan because it was freezing in there. Thank god it’s pho, right?

We sit down and order hot tea and the waiter brings us menus. We right away notice that the menus have smiley face stickers on house specials, although my menu had an extra smiley face. We order Chắ Giờ, crispy egg rolls. We notice that it comes in orders of 3 and we ask if we can have 4. The waiter is hesitant, maybe confused. I explain that we will pay for an extra egg roll and he checks with the chef.

Although there were a lot of options, we both craved pho. Brenden ordered P1 Phở Tai, beef noodle soup with round eye steak with extra meatballs (he was really excited about the meatballs for some reason) and I ordered P11 Phở Tái Nạm Gầu Gân Sách, beef noodle soup with steak, well done flank, fatty brisket, tendon and tripe. Hey, I’m adventurous too. Plus, it was the dish my extra smiley face was near. We both order regulars rather than large, which definitely sufficed. $6, no matter the pho. Fantastic!

We get our four egg rolls! The pho comes out not much later with fresh accompaniments. Brenden puts a lot of spice in his, but he says it was still bland – maybe he couldn’t taste anything because of his cold? My broth was clear, not greasy and my meat was good. Pretty typical pho, but very clean.

We finished and were pleased with our meal. It would be a nice place for a date, but not too late, because they close at 9. And ugh, I totally have Brenden’s cold now.

Brenden’s Take:

It was nice because it was new and clean, compared to other Vietnamese restaurants in Midtown. The ambiance made me I felt like I was in Bellaire. The prices were dead on for the food; I liked that I could add meatballs for a dollar. My food was exactly what I expected for the surrounding area. It would take a couple more visits to explore the menu to compare to the other places in the neighborhood. Is it better pho than across the street? I hope that they extend their hours on the weekend!