Bo Kho: The Other Vietnamese Soup

Happy Tuesday in New Orleans. If you didn't think that the Saints' #1 seed in the playoffs was a sign of hell freezing over, then let me introduce today's weather forecast:

High: 45°
Low: 28°

But there's good news:

1. It's always 68° in the Dome.
2. A steaming bowl of bo kho awaits you at Pho Tau Bay.

The menu description of this surprisingly familiar soup reads: "Vietnamese style spicy beef stew." That is no lie. The huge cubes of chuck roast and tall chunks of softened carrot are identical impostors of the staples in my Mom's beef stew. The broth though is like nothing other. The most offbeat ingredient is annatto, which gives the broth a reddish hue and also adds a bit of heat. After the first spoonful, I felt like a heroin addict who just couldn't get enough. The soup comes with your choice of vermicelli, glass noodles, or a loaf of warm banh mi for dipping.

If that doesn't uncurl your toes and defrost your ears, then you may as well hibernate till Mardi Gras because we can't help you. I may never slurp another spoonful of pho again. The price for this culinary heater: $7.

Which leaves you just enough money leftover for a char-grilled pork banh mi. Make someone else pay the bridge toll.

'

Pho Tau Bay - Birdie