Slurp incredible Vietnamese soup in Little Saigon

Pho, the beloved meat-and-noodle soup of Vietnam, has firmly established itself in the West, where large numbers of Vietnamese have settled. You’ll find these huge, fragrant, steaming noodle bowls in urban areas like L.A., Seattle, San Jose, and San Francisco. The best pho (pronounced fuh) starts with beef bones simmered for hours with ginger, onion, fish sauce, cloves, and salt to develop a rich, umami flavored broth, which is then poured piping hot over thin rice noodles and sliced beef. Fresh herbs, typically basil, plus bean sprouts and lime are added to taste by the diner. One of the best bowls is at Pho 79 (714/531-2490) in Orange County, California’s Little Saigon.