Yes :-) Jennifer's review (Jul 15th 2006)

My high school Spanish teacher was a squat man with a receding hairline of moist curly locks and a permagrin. He loved to work up a sweat singing the praises of his nuevo zapato and telling hyperbolic stories of his travels. Among his favorite? A claim his Volkswagen bus had plain old General Electric 60 watt bulbs as headlights. I’m trusting to a fault but not gullible folks.

I’d all but forgotten about Senor Lobo until Remi and I walked into Pho Thanh in Coeur d’Alene last week. There, behind the counter, was my Spanish teacher’s Vietnamese counterpart. Right down to the clothes, hairstyle, mannerisms, smile, and silly jokes. Remi didn’t quite see the resemblance, but then again he’d only met Senor Lobo once. There was his Vietnamese twin taking orders. I kept waiting for him to show me how to conjugate verbs. I knew this was going to be fun.

And Vietnamese Senor Lobo had quite the cast of characters: An extremely rude cell phone addict near the door—- a regular husband and wife team with an affection for lemongrass chow mein—- a table of adventurous college students—- and his very own family. His mother calmly buzzed around from front to back, taking a break to rest occasionally. His father, in a very smart cap, was manning the kitchen. A cousin or brother or son was helping with orders. All four had a family connection. It was evident in how they effortlessly and comfortably danced around each other. I felt like Vietnamese Senor Lobo had invited me into his home for lunch.

And wish I could eat lunch with him at Pho Thanh every day.

The barbecue chicken spring rolls were clean but unpolished. The edges were a little off, as if arthritic hands may have been lovingly rolling them all morning. The combination of chicken, rice noodles, and basil inside was perfect. Very delicate. Very palate cleansing. Temple food, as Nigella Lawson would say.

And the pho? Easily the best pho I’ve ever eaten. The broth was beautiful. Fresh basil, bean sprouts, rice noodles, and simple beef. When wonderful ingredients, combined with precision and care, create a whole new flavor I smile. Eating becomes a transcendental experience when an entire dish, not just the parts, is so complete and so beautiful. I love that feeling. It just doesn’t happen enough.

Vietnamese Senor Lobo and his cast know exactly what they’re doing.

Yes :-) Scott MacPhee's review (Oct 26th 2006)

Pho Thanh might just be our favorite restaurant in Coeur d’Alene. About once a week, the wife and I get our pho fix. We’d had pho in Spokane and in Seattle before Pho Thanh came to Coeur d’Alene, so we were excited to have a pho restaurant in our own town!