Adventure 10: Pho Hai Tuyet

Although I've had plenty of adventures in the past year, it would seem that I've not written about them since last September.  Interestingly, it's been two years (shy a few days) since the "adventure" premise arose.  Looking back, I am amazed and humbled that my lowest point became my strongest.  Of all the things I have done for myself, earning how to be on my own makes me the most proud.  Learning how to fly solo, and how to do it happily, is allowing me to better share my life with the people I care about.  So it's time for my adventure posts to take on a new context: Adventures can happen anywhere, anytime, and with anyone -- because life should always be an adventure. 

Tuesday nights have become "date night" for Mr. A and me, which has presented a great opportunity to explore more of Milwaukee.  Sharing a fondness for ethnic food, this week we decided to start the hunt for the best pho in Milwaukee.  There are a surprising number of Vietnamese options here -- something I didn't anticipate before I began looking.  I selected a little place on the South Side on its authenticity, called Pho Hai Tayet.  Following my original food review format:

1. Food: Excellent: **** The spring roll appetizer was served with a delicious peanut sauce, thick with carrot slices.  The bowls of pho were served promptly and the perfect temperature, with the ordinary fixings to "personalize" the flavors: bean sprouts, basil, chili sauce, jalapeno slices.  They are large, with a good broth-to-noodle ratio.  It was a completely warm and satisfying meal to complement the new crispness of mid-November. 
2. Service: *** The assumption that this place is authentic was a great one.  The first language on the menu is what I can only presume is Vietnamese, then sparse descriptions of the dishes in English -- so you'll need to be vaguely familiar with Vietnamese cuisine prior to your dining experience.  Exchanges with the waitstaff were limited, perhaps due to the language barriers.  A table next to us seemed to be having a particularly difficult time with this.  Our food was delivered very, very promptly, although with little-to-no-separation between the appetizer and main course.  I don't think this bothered us too much.
3. Atmosphere: ** Like I said, authentic.  The restaurant occupies a spot in a strip mall which could be easily overlooked.  There's not really any atmosphere to speak of -- Formica tables with numbers prominently displayed -- but perhaps that's the charm.  Televisions turned to a 24-hour news channel allowed us to follow the developments in the Penn State scandal while we ate.  Quite a few clients came in for take-out orders, as well, so if atmosphere is important to you, creating your own vibe at home (or elsewhere) may be a better option.
4. Price: Quite reasonable.  The result was date night dinner for around $25, including tip.  I looked into making pho on my own and realized that dining out is a.) cheaper and b.) much less trouble than a from-scratch endeavor.  More importantly, the food was delicious and I think Mr. A would agree when I conclude that we had a great time.

I'm not sure if we'll continue trying the other Milwaukee Vietnamese joints in our quest for the perfect pho, but it wouldn't be a disappointment if Pho Hai Tuyet became our pho-place-of-choice.  

It's my hope that "adventure" posts will become more regular -- but blogging is always more time-consuming than I anticipate, so no promises.  Happy exploring to you and yours!