The Leader • Saturday, January 19, 2019 • Page 1B
Fun with pho
Want beer to-go? Holler at your state lawmakers bonated adult beverages. But the former is not allowed to sell beer togo, while the By Adam latter can put its product in Zuvanich cans or growlers and push them to their patrons. Brent Fogt lived close to Holler Brewing Co. foundthree breweries when he lived in Chicago, and he er John Holler calls the two didn’t even have to visit them categories and their differevery time he wanted to en- ing parameters a “fly in the joy their beer. He could have ointment,� but it’s more like jugs filled up at each site and a mosquito in a pint. In other take them home, where he words, Texas’ beer laws are could keep them cold until drunk and need to come to their senses. he got thirsty. Holler said Texas is the Fogt, an artist who moved to Houston within the last only state in the United year, cannot do that at his fa- States that does not allow tovorite craft beer maker near go sales at all its microbrewhis new home. Holler Brew- eries, but that could soon ing Co. can pour glasses of change. Identical House suds in its taproom in Sawyer and Senate bills have been Heights, but it’s illegal for the proposed in the Texas Leg2-year-old business to sell its islature that would amend a product to customers who 2013 law that led to the proliferation of taprooms, and want to take it with them. “It’s a really great thing to thereby an explosion of craft do to be able to have fresh brewers, by allowing small beer on demand,� Fogt said “breweries� to sell their prodwhile sitting at the Holler uct for off-site consumption bar Sunday night. “I wish we as well as on their premises. “It definitely would be a had that in Texas. I think it game-changer for us,� said would be really, really good Holler, who would start for Texas.� canning his beer if the law Texas does have that in many cases. But in other cas- passed and went into effect es, such as the case for Holler Sept. 1. “I think there are Brewing Co. and some other other breweries in the same craft beer makers in the area, boat.� To be considered a “brewit does not. pub� and presently be alThe state makes a regulowed to sell to-go beer, latory distinction between “breweries� and “brewpubs,� brewers must produce fewer which in many instances are than 10,000 barrels per year hardly distinguishable among See Brew P. 4B common consumers of car-
Zuvie’s Brews
Photo by Zarah Parker Pho Ga with a large helping of bean sprouts, cilantro, and lime. The dish is one of many variations available on the popular noodle dish.
Popular noodle soup boasts rich history By Zarah Parker zarah@theleadernews.com Pho can be simply explained as Vietnamese noodle soup traditionally made with beef or chicken broth that is seasoned with spices and topped with herbs. However, what that definition doesn’t capture is the rich flavor pho can achieve. To understand why the Vietnamese are proficient in creating flavor-filled broth, we have to start at pho’s beginning. The history of pho can be traced back to North Vietnam in the Nam Dinh/Hanoi region where it made its first appearance in the late 19th century. Many believe the iconic Vietnamese dish was inspired by French and Chinese cooking.
The word pho is actually a term to describe the cooking process used to make the dish, namely the long hours that are required to cook the broth. It’s from the French that the Vietnamese were influenced to use marrow-rich, cartilaginous bones that simmer in the broth for three hours. When it first originated in northern Vietnam it was simply rice noodles, beef and hearty broth. “As it moved into more wealthy South Vietnam, they added more things like basil, bean sprouts, mint, sawtooth, etc.,� said Christopher Huang, who opened Flying Pho, 3434 Ella Blvd., which serves only North Vietnamese pho. “Sugar also became a standard ingredient in south-
ern-style pho.� The most noticeable differences between the two styles is that northern-style pho features wider noodles and beefier broth. “The general idea is that the broth is king and doesn’t need to be modified to taste good,� Huang said. “Southern-style is more about customizability to the customer’s preference.� Americans have mostly been exposed to southern-style pho, due to a majority of immigrants coming from Vietnam being from the south. According to Huang, there are only a handful of north Vietnamese restaurants in the United States.
Review: Nam Eatery, home of pho and phonetic comedy By Zarah Parker zarah@theleadernews.com Keep Calm and Pho On. This is the message I was greeted with when I walked into Nam Eatery on 20th St. It was printed across the entrance rug, and I couldn’t help but agree with it. I was ready to relax and slurp up hot pho on a winter night in Houston, which means it was just kind of cold outside. Along with the rug’s play on a pop culture reference, the restaurant was decorated to be aesthetically pleasing to the modern eye. Black-and-white murals along the walls depict Vietnamese life, while sections feature chalkboard panels created for the customer who only eats out so they can Instagram it. And because I especially love puns, I enjoyed the chalkboard panel covered in colorful #PhoPuns, like So Phonny, Phoeva and Phonomenal (I’d say they were quite Phobulous). On the other side of the restaurant, a chalkboard panel featured the real reason I was at Nam Eatery: “Pho is cheaper than therapy.� The menu featured the classic Vietnamese options like banh mi, vermicelli bowls and, of course, pho, but the categories were given a modern flare that made me laugh. Some of the menu divisions were
Photo by Zarah Parker A young pho eater enjoys “phonny� puns emblazoned on the chalk panel inside the restaurant at Nam Eatery in the Heights.
Fingerlicious (appetizers), Slurpers (pho), Be Vulnerable (alcohol) with the caption underneath reading, “We won’t judge you ‌,â€? and Temptations (dessert) with the caption, “Confessions available at your nearest church.â€? I ordered the Pho Ga (chicken) at the counter and was promptly told by the cashier that it would come with a side of ginger sauce and that it was for dipping my chicken, not for pouring into my soup. It wasn’t long until my pho came out of the kitchen with a light
steam coming from the bowl. When the server once again explained that I should not pour the ginger into my soup, I had a sneaking suspicion that many customers had made the mistake before. Good news is that the chicken dipped in ginger was quite good. Now, normally I’ll try a sauce but rarely continue to use it. Yet, I was hooked by the ginger and quickly went from dipping to dunking my chicken. See Nam P. 4B
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