Review: Brentwood's Pho Vietnam offers inexpensive, delicious food
BETWEEN THE ORCHARDS and sprawling housing tracts, Brentwood is a study in contrasts. There's a charming, old-fashioned atmosphere about a town with so many u-pick farms, cozy bungalows and roads that meander past the Delta movie palace.
But much of Brentwood is big-box, chain-restaurant central. So when you spot a thriving, independent, family-owned eatery that doesn't sport a name like Quiznos or Chuck E. Cheese, that's cause for celebration. And when the restaurant in question is bustling at 8 on a damp Wednesday evening, turning out plate after generous plate of well-seasoned, delicious fare to a steady stream of customers -- that's a very happy thing indeed.
On this particular weeknight, when unseasonable rain alternates with brief, taunting glimpses of the setting sun, Brentwood looks like a ghost town, albeit one with a cute main drag. The movie theater's retro marquee emits a cheery glow, promising an evening of kung fu pandas and piratical antics to the utterly empty sidewalks.
But across the street, every single seat at Pho Vietnam is full. A few tables have been pushed together for a graduation celebration, and the other four-tops hold families and their bowls of steaming pho, platters of noodles and assorted stir-fried tastiness.
Unexpected charms
Owners Sandra La and Minh Trinh are experienced restaurateurs, with two Livermore restaurants under their collective belts. But two years ago, with the birth of their second child imminent, they decided to change gears and focus instead on just one, truly authentic Vietnamese eatery in their hometown of Brentwood.
Pho Vietnam became so successful, Trinh and his brother, Steve, opened an Antioch branch about six months ago. It's clear the family has got this thing down.
The restaurant itself won't win any interior design awards anytime soon -- the tables are Formica and the decor relatively plain. The chopsticks, napkins and forks are stashed in caddies on each table, along with bottles of soy sauce and sriracha. But that's fine, because all the effort has been expended on the food and warm, welcoming service.
It's a place that isn't trying to be anything but what it is: an honest and honestly delicious, family enterprise. There's no pretense, no attitude, just good food and ridiculously reasonable prices. And when the bill arrives, it's a yellow carbon copy of the kitchen check. We can't remember the last time we saw carbon paper. We find it unexpectedly charming.
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