Sunday, February 14, 2010

Pho Xe Lua

6765-A Wilson Blvd
Falls Church, VA 22044
(703) 533-3130


Visited: February 14, 2010


The first thing I noticed about Pho Xe Lua was the two older gentlemen at the back of the restaurant playing what appeared to be checkers. I dunno why, but that really made this little joint seem pretty cool and gave it a calm atmosphere.

We decided to hit Xe Lua (XL) after our "appetizer" stop at the Nhu Lan Sandwich shop. I had been thinking about some mo-Pho goodness for the longest time and our visit to the Eden Center for the Vietnamese new year celebration was the best excuse ever to get our Pho fix.

We had been walking around Eden Center for a bit enjoying the all the New Year celebrations when we realized we were (1) starving and (2) getting "brr" cold. Being in the spirit of things I asked one of the locals for his favorite Pho place, and the gentleman kindly pointed towards XL and said, "Look for the neon Pho sign, they have the best chicken Pho ever!".

Navigating around the crowd of people we arrived at XL and noticed that the place seemed very small from the outside with a few people peppered around the small restaurant enjoying bowls of warm goodness. We walked inside doing our best not to look to awkward as we navigated our two stroller through the double doors of XL.

Inside we were greeted by a kindly old lady who immediately asked us about our monkey, "Twins?"

"Yes, twins" I replied with a smile as she showed us to a table. I immediately caught a glimpse of the two old men playing checkers and wondered to myself, "I wonder if I can get next?"

hahahaha

I ordered a big bowl of the #3 Pho which was round eye steak with well done flank steak while the wife ordered a small bowl of the #1 with round eye steak. I didn't know what to expect so I stayed away from my usual go-to Pho order which is a bowl of round eye steak, flank steak, tripe and tendon. This first visit was my way of testing the water to ensure the ingredients, broth and meat were all good.

I was not disappointed.

The broth was hot hot hot, the meat was fresh and the noodles were perfect. We served some Pho for the boys from our bowl and happily watched as they slurped up the Pho goodness and kept asking for "Mo mo mo!"

The flavor of the Pho's ingredients and the warmth of the broth revitalized my cold extremities and brought the color back into my cheeks. A thin bead of sweat ran down my forehead to my nose and down my cheeks. I was now warm and getting warmer as the warmth of this marvelous Vietnamese soup filled me with energy and life.

With hunger satisfied and empty bowls all around our tables, we packed up the boys, thanked the owners as we paid and left with full bellies. Our fun day at the Eden Center had been capped off with a tasty bowl of Pho goodness.

As we braved the crowded parking lot and quickly crossed the street to the family mini-van we waved good-bye to the Eden Center and made a mental note to come back to XL for another bowl of some delicious Pho. Next time, I'll make sure to order my usual bowl with all my favorite cuts of meat and get in on a game or two of checkers. :-)

Pho Xe Lua on Urbanspoon

2 comments:

  1. This place has the best pho I've ever had the pleasure of tasting. I've eaten at quite a few pho places, so the previous statement speaks volumes for me.

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  2. Truong-Lan,

    Yes, the Pho was delicious and I loved the small intimate nature of the restaurant. Its almost hidden away and I must admit have walked past it many many times on my past visits to the Eden Center. We'll definitely be back there for another bowl of Pho goodness.

    Thanks so much for posting and a very BIG thank you for reading.

    ~Antonio

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