Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Anh-Dao

Formally known as Vietnamese Corner, the non-descript Anh-Dao brings a "Taste of Vietnam" to Capitol Hill.  The restaurant shares one wall with a pizza place and gave ¾ of its space to Frager's Hardware store after they suffered a devastating fire earlier this year.  Serving pho and a few other traditional Vietnamese items, this restaurant is modest but sure to satisfy your craving, especially on a chilly night.  Closest Metro is Potomac Avenue.

It was in the 30s the night before Thanksgiving and Keith did not want to cook dinner.  Instead, we walked to nearby Anh-Dao.  We have always passed by this little shop, but never went inside.  There are roughly ten tables and just one server to manage them all.  Service can be a little slow, but is tolerable.  We ordered spring rolls to start.  They were pretty standard with both chicken and shrimp inside.  The peanut dipping sauce was classic. 
 
Fresh bean sprout, Thai basil, cilantro, jalapeno, limes to season your pho.
Keith ordered the House Special Pho with beef slices, tripe, and meatballs.  The broth was flavorful and the noodles plentiful.  He never saw a meatball in pho before, and found them to be quite dense.  I ordered the Vegetarian Pho studded with fried tofu chunks and vegetable slices.  I happened to add the perfect combination of herbs, Sriracha, fish sauce, and lime juice to make my broth irresistible.  I usually barely drink the broth, but this time practically slurped up the whole bowl.  If I had any slight feeling of a cold coming on, it was knocked completely away by the vegetables in my soup.  Anh-Dao is super convenient for us to grab pho anytime this season - I'm sure we will return often.

Total Rating: 3.48
Food: 3.5, Price: 4, Service: 3, Ambience: 2, Accessibility: 5

What I ate:
Spring Rolls

Vegetarian Pho
with tofu and vegetables

Plus Keith ate:
House Special Pho
with beef, tripe, meatballs

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