Pho Pasteur, Chinatown, Boston

Not so long ago I talked about my growing love affair with Pho.  I waxed on about the delicious flavors, the spice, the herbal accompaniment, the idea of replicating this all at home...and failing.  However, due to my own laziness, I had only indulged my frequent cravings at a single place outside my kitchen, Pho Lemongrass.  Of course, I was doing myself a big disservice.  How could I know the real joys of Pho, my beloved broth-based soup, if I hadn't sampled others take on it?  I have finally rectified that problem by visiting Pho Pasteur, located right on Washington Street in the Chinatown district of Boston.

Pho Pasteur is a family owned operation, touting their message "Customer Commitment First" loud and clear.  I was excited to learn if those words were just easy to type on their website, or if they truly upheld the goal as stated. 

Larger than my beloved Pho Lemongrass, and with a more industrial feel to it, it was clear that turnover was high at Pho Pasteur, and they were ready for crowds.  The staff was organized and efficient, obvious that their concentration was fully on the task at hand, rather than more social activities like chit chatting, or laughing at the idiot requests that I had for them.  That was fine by me- I just wanted my Pho!

In keeping with my traditional order, I went with Rare Steak Pho, which was served with the usual accompaniments of Sriracaha Sauce, hoison sauce, and the undetermined secondary hot sauce that never seems to come with a name on it.  The wonderful plate filled with cut lime wedges, bean sprouts and beautiful Thai Basil was delivered, and the anticipation for glorious Pho mounted.  Finally the soup was delivered.  

Before me was set a steaming bowl of beef broth, littered with finely sliced onions, cilantro and scallions.  In the middle of this bowl of goodness sat a pile of rice noodles and was topped with beautiful slices of rare steak.  This is what I love about rare beef Pho...when you shift the slices off of the pile, and dunk them beneath the piping hot broth they cook through, but remain tender and delicious.  While the accompaniments, and the ingredients appeared the same, the broth was what set this bowl apart.  Clear, rich in color, the broth was much cleaner tasting than other Pho I have enjoyed.   It was obvious to me that the chef at Pho Pasteur took special attention with his stock.  It had deeper flavor, and richer qualities.  The prominence of ingredients used to make the stock shown through, and it was one that I could have eaten alone.  It forever amazes me how the old saying that "the secret ingredient is love" makes itself clear time and again-a little extra time and attention can be the difference of a dish being same old same old- or really singing.  Their attention to detail held true throughout the dish I found, in placing the perfect amount of noodles in the bowl, to slicing the onions so paper thin they blended in with the noodles in harmony.

Pho Pasteur definitely made me even crazier for Pho, and excited to try even more new places for the piping hot bowl of soup.  They definitely hold true to their word, and are keeping their "customer commitment first".  Pho Pasteur, I will be back!   

Dumpling Cafe, Chinatown, Boston

A couple of weeks ago I brought you the news that the Dumpling Cafe, located on Washington Street in Boston's Chinatown, had not only opened, but was offering a tremendous deal to celebrate Chinese New Year (deal continues until the end of February!)  Last night I had the extreme honor of being invited to partake in their grand opening party, and celebration of the new year.  Never being one to turn down dumplings, I happily accepted the invitation, but had no idea of the wonders that would fill my evening.

Upon entering the small space, the cheery environment immediately envelops you, and the bright red colors warm you from the chill of the outside.  The sheer attitude of Dumpling Cafe welcomes you from the moment you step inside.  Last night, was a little extra special as within moments of arriving a beautiful Chinese Dragon puppet performed a traditional dance, symbolic of bringing both the new restaurant and the new year, power, strength and good luck.  It was a beautiful site to see and one that I won't soon forget.

The food, because lets face it, that's what we're there for, I won't soon forget either.  I sampled my way around the table laid out for the occasion taste testing pan fried pork and leek dumplings, pan fried seafood dumpling, pan fried vegetable dumpling, steamed mini juicy buns with pork and crab meat, and scallion pancakes.  On each of the buns the supple casings was well cooked, resulting in the perfect chewy texture, without that awful raw feel.  And even best, they were sturdy enough to encapsulate all of the beautiful juices escaping from the stuffing's inside, creating a beautifully runny waterfall of flavor with the first bite.  The ingredients stuffing each one were unique, possessing flavors completely different from each other.  Both of these facets I found to be a pleasant surprise in the face of the normal outcome of dumplings.  Too often they taste all the same- no matter the ingredients- making one wonder what actually is housed inside those little casings.  The pork and leek had beautiful light onion flavor throughout the tender meat, and the seafood dumplings were only lightly seasoned to allow the full flavors of seafood to shine through.

My favorites of the evening, the mini juicy buns, with pork and crab meat and the heavenly scallion pancakes.  The juicy buns, also referred to as "soup buns" were a literal explosion of delicious soup like liquid, spilling out of a beautifully steamed bun, and finally giving way to the patty of pork and crab inside.  Beautiful to look at, even prettier to eat.  The scallion pancakes, in a word, were just completely addictive.  I have always been a fan of these pan fried triangles of deliciousness, but last nights were some of the best I've had.  Made from un-leavened flat bread dough, with delicious scallions, these are pan fried to a light golden brown.  At Dumpling Cafe the dough was light and airy, more so than most, and not weighed down by the grease of the pan fry.

Browsing through their menu, Dumpling Cafe has a lot more than just dumplings, offering a wide array of familiar and unique dishes.  They have some fantastic specials it appears all the time, making them a really nice and affordable option for lunch or dinner in the city.  Act fast for their New Years celebration though- dinner for two just $20!