Five years ago, we set out to find Portland’s best bowl of phở, a journey that took us to dozens of restaurants from Raleigh Hills to Rose City Park. That list, which I worked on in the hospital while waiting for the aforementioned 4-year-old, reinforced two thoughts:
- Portland is no San Jose, home to the largest Vietnamese community in America. But phở aficionados are well cared for here with under-rated gems such as Mekha and Pho Nguyen; old-school workhorses in Pho Oregon and Pho Hung; and destinations including Ha VL, sister Rose VL and Teo Bun Bo Hue.
- It would be fascinating to see what the American-born sons, daughters and grandchildren of these first-generation Vietnamese restaurant owners might do to celebrate and modernize the cuisine.