Pho Crazy: First a mea culpa. I few weeks ago, I mentioned that it could be hard to find good Vietnamese food around these parts. A flood of comments and pull-asides saying, “Are you nuts?” lent me to rethink my hasty comment. Clearly, I was incorrect. Or perhaps just not paying close enough attention.
I’ve since been to a spate of great local restaurants focused on pho and other southeast Asian specialties. One of the newest additions is Pho Crazy (320 W. Third St., Santa Rosa, 707-595-4447) in the former Anh Linh space. The pho ($8.25 to $11) is solid, with big chunks of brisket and savory “beef balls” (not what you think), though Pho Vietnam (711 Stony Point Road, Santa Rosa) and Noodle Mania (7233 Healdsburg Ave., Sebastopol) remain my benchmarks. My surprise fave: Tomatoes Tofu ($9.50), a dish of fried tofu sautéed in tomatoes. Don’t miss dessert: Vietnamese Che with red, white and mung beans and palm seeds ($3.50). It’s a unique, authentically Vietnamese taste worth trying.