Chevy's, Pho Tu Do

Note: Pho Tu Do is now closed.


It's been a crazy few weeks, work-wise. Not too much done in terms of cooking. However, I have a couple of pictures to share.

Last night, we dropped by Chevy's because we had a coupon. Keeping my previous bitchy post in mind, I avoided the seafood and the enchiladas. I especially avoided the seafood enchiladas. Anyhoo, I ordered a soft picadillo beef taco. Granted, "picadillo" is Chevy's word for "cooked ground beef". Picadillo is supposed to contain more than that (even the Mexican version, which can be used as a taco filling) and I can say that Chevy's picadillo goes nowhere compared to K.'s fabulous Cuban picadillo.

Chevy's picadillo taco did taste just fine, however. What I liked best was the flautas. Chevy's website describes it as:

Salsa Chicken with roasted red peppers, grilled corn and a melted trio of cheeses, rolled in flour tortillas, lightly crisped with chipotle aioli drizzle. Served with mango-habanero salsa and homemade jalapeño jelly.

I tasted the chicken, the cheese, and the fried tortilla. It was kind of spicy, which I attribute to the peppers. Where was the corn? Whatever... it was still delicious. The chipotle aioli is pretty good, but the spicy, tangy jalapeño jelly is amazing. It's the perfect thing to put on something fried. There was no mango-habanero salsa. They were very kind and substituted beans for more of that yummy sweet corn tomalito. Yay, corn!

The picture's rather dark because I didn't want to use the flash in the restaurant, which was pretty dimly lit. Blinding our neighboring tables wouldn't make me the most popular patron.



Next picture is of a typical lunch item: pho. We go out for Vietnamese often and while I usually stick to the rice plates, pho is the Vietnamese dish. Stereotypical or not, pho is one of the first dishes that comes to mind when Vietnamese cuisine is discussed. At least, when it's discussed in the United States.

There's so much more to Vietnamese food, but we'll start with pho. The broth is pungent with a hint of sweetness. I usually order mine with slices of beef and strips of tripe. You can have yours with meatballs, brisket, flank, whatever. As long as it was part of the cow. For those who don't like red meat, there's pho ga, which is chicken-based.



Pho is served with a side of Thai basil, lime slices, bean sprouts, and chili slices. It's ridiculously cheap and is quickly served, thus making it an optimal lunch dish. This photo was taken at Pho Tu Do, which is pretty good (I don't agree with the Yelp reviewers). Their banh beo is awesome, but we didn't order it this time, so no picture is available.