6-1-Pho a clever take on Vietnamese dining
6-1-Pho is rooted in the classic Vietnam dining tradition, but has adopted a familiar service model that has taken some of the mystique out of the cuisine.
Opened six years ago by husbandand-wife team Ian Capotosta and Lisa Bui, the fast casual restaurant allows customers to build their own meals from a list of ingredients.
The signature dish is the pho ($10.75), a rice-noodle soup that comes with fresh sides — bean sprouts, Thai basil, jalapenos and a wedge of lime.
Customers can choose from three stocks and pick up to three proteins; meatball, thin slices of raw beef that cook in the hot broth, chicken and marinated tofu.
“That's the beauty of this whole setup.” Bui said. “We've noticed people have altered their pho because of our setup. It's interesting to see the different combinations people ask for.”
The beef broth is cooked for 24 hours with beef bones, onions, ginger, star anise, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom, among other seasonings.
“I think it's pretty much everything,”
Bui said. “I think a lot of people would agree that stock makes the pho. Everybody makes it somewhat differently.”
Likewise, the chicken and vegetarian stocks are complex but not cooked as long, the former simmering for 12 hours and the latter for about four hours. Vegans and vegetarians have more than a few options, such as the veggie broth with tofu, marinated in sesame oil, soy and sugar. It's baked and flash-fried, retaining a crunchy texture.
“We have a huge vegan following because of our broth,” Bui said. “It sells out almost every day.”
Com, or rice bowls ($9.75), are built with white or brown rice and a protein, and served with a side of fresh cucumber, tomato, pickled carrots, daikon, Thai basil, cilantro and a sweet sauce, made with fish sauce, garlic, chile paste, chile peppers, sugar and water.
Similarly constructed is the bun ($9.75), a cold rice-noodle plate that gets the addition of a bed of lettuce, mint and crushed peanuts.
Bui recommends the bun with Mama Mai's egg rolls, her mother's official recipe.
“Definitely, hands down, the sliced egg rolls topped with crushed peanuts,” she said. “That is my favorite.”
Otherwise, a single order of the egg rolls, also known as cha gio, is $6.75 for three ground pork and $6.50 for three tofu. They are hand-rolled and never frozen.
Banh mi sandwiches are another staple of Vietnamese menus. At 6-1-Pho, the classic pork banh mi ($9.75) has pork-liver pate, pork bologna, thin slices of pork belly and pork shoulder, pickled carrots, daikon, cucumbers, cilantro and a touch of Sriracha mayonnaise on a crusty loaf.
The meatball banh mi ($9.75) offers hand-rolled pork meatballs seasoned with jicama, onions and different spices, steamed and brushed with a tomato-soy glaze. Condiments are roughly the same as other sandwiches.
When Bui and Capotosta opened the restaurant, Bui wanted something catchy and captured a local spirit. She riffed on the local area code, 6-1-4, by subtracting four and adding pho, knowing full well the dish is pronounced (phuh) but created an irresistible play on words.
The neighborhood has been very supportive, she said.
“We love Clintonville,” she said. “This will always be the flagship store. I think the people of Clintonville totally received us and it's been great.”