Vietnamese
With Portland's considerable Vietnamese population, you might be tempted to expect the pho – the beef noodle soup which is the stalwart of Vietnamese cuisine – to be memorable. Indeed, with its dark, lusty broth, redolent with ginger, anise and cinnamon, pho can be a truly magical food. At long-running noodle stalls in Vietnam, the broth has been simmering for years – and you can almost taste the potency of time past in its thick, heady pungency. Here in Portland, the broth unfortunately tends to be of a blander variety, usually lacking in that intoxicating fragrance. But even if our pho doesn't quite attain the heights of the miraculous stuff ladled out from steaming vats in Hanoi, it's still unrivalled (albeit vegetarian-unfriendly) as far as cheap eating goes.
The closest you'll get to proper pho in this city is at Pho Oregon. The uncommonly verdant herbal accoutrement (a welcome improvement on the ubiquitous Thai basil, bean sprouts, and lime wedge combo) bodes well. Sure enough, Pho Oregon's broth is rich and satisfying – though perhaps not quite amazing enough to merit the tedious drive up to NE Portland. This is especially the case since only a dozen or so blocks away from Reed, Pho Hung makes a more than respectable bowl of pho. On a cold winter night, the chicken noodle soup (pho ga) might be even better. However, some seriously flawed dishes (e.g. the horrible plasticky egg rolls) mean that you need to tread warily around the menu.
If you're feeling adventurous, the eponymous speciality at Bun Bo Hue is another hearty (quite literally) noodle soup, heavily laced with chilli and lemongrass and chock full of barely identifiable animal bits. It's not pretty but laudable – if only for its unstinting authenticity. Perhaps because the mere thought of pig trotters and blood cubes is enough to make many queasy, Bun Bo Hue's succinct menu also includes a resplendent bun thit nuong (grilled pork – or if you must, tofu – over cold vermicelli noodles). It's a common enough dish, but rarely executed with such aromatic panache.
Further along SE 82nd, Pho Van marks an appealing change from the ramshackle (and that's being generous) décor of most Portland's Vietnamese restaurants. The congenial atmosphere reflects the philosophy behind their cooking – an attempt at giving diners a gentle entry into the cuisine. But this isn't to say that all of their choices are the usual standards. Alongside the customary pho and bun entries, there are some less familiar choices, like wrap-your-own rice crepes and a traditional seven-course set meal composed of variations on beef. At its swanky Pearl outpost, exotic salads and grills abound; pho isn't even available unless you specially request it. The recently-opened Hawthorne branch has a convenient location, but its severely pared-down menu offers meagre rewards.
A curious phenomenon among Vietnamese eateries is how frequently they also double as Chinese (or triple as Thai) restaurants. At My Canh, you can order pho, pad thai, and chow fun. At first glance, it might be difficult to distinguish between My Canh and somewhere like Chopsticks. The difference is that there's actually memorable food at My Canh. Take for instance their most outstanding dish – a catfish clay-pot stew which explains why this is some Portland aficionados' favorite place for Vietnamese. Thien Hong is similarly renowned for one item: its salt and pepper squid. Other dishes are bad-to-mediocre, but it's notable at least that people continue flocking here for that one dish.
Finally, it's worth mentioning banh mi – one of the more benign (and tasty) legacies of French colonialism. Basically, it's a crisp baguette filled with julienned fresh and pickled vegetables, cilantro sprigs, jalapeños, and pâté (or BBQ pork or tofu). It may sound like an awkward fusion-food conceit, but it's actually very delicious. Nam's Deli and An Xuyen sell good ones for a couple of dollars, alongside various cakes, breads and cookies.
An Xuyen Bakery: 5345 SE Foster $
Bun Bo Hue: 7002 SE 82nd Ave $ R
My Canh: 1801 NE 39th Ave $
Nam's Deli: 7821 SE Powell $
Pho Hung: 4717 SE Powell Blvd $
Pho Oregon: 6236 NE Sandy Blvd $
Pho Van: 1919 SE 82nd Ave; also at 3404 SE Hawthorne Blvd and 1012 NW Glisan St $-$$
Thien Hong: 6749 NE Sandy Blvd $
See also: Banh Cuon Tanh Dinh.