A new Vietnamese restaurant is bringing a different interpretation of South Asian cuisine to a stretch of Ninth Avenue in Hell's Kitchen dominated by Thai restaurants. Pho 66 Noodle Bar & Grill, which opens this weekend to the public, will be ladling up steaming bowls of Vietnam's national dish as well as a selection of lettuce wraps, rolls, salads and a smattering of Thai-inspired dishes as well.
Before opening his restaurant, chef and owner Greg Hugunin (Bouley, Vong, Blue Hill, Craft) spent three years as a restaurant critic for SF Weekly, routinely reviewing Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese restaurants in the area. In addition to attending the esteemed French Culinary Institute in NYC, Hugunin also traveled for six months in Asia, taking classes in various types of regional fare to inspire his menu at Pho 66.
Chef Hugunin's menu centers around four different types of pho, each of which features contrasting elements that nod to both his classical training and his travels abroad. The Pho Deluxe ($21) comes with "five styles" of beef, including poached, braised, grilled, beef meatballs and beef broth; similarly, the vegetarian option, Pho Verte ($13/10/7) contains five different styles of greens. Besides the noodle soups, there are lettuce wraps stuffed with minced shrimp ($9) and pork belly two ways ($8) plus hearty wok dishes like the Pan Roasted Pork Belly Chow Fun ($16) with sauteed water spinach, bamboo shoot tips and Thai Basil. There's also a version of Pad Thai for that one friend who claims to "love Thai food" but won't ever order anything else.
673 Ninth Avenue // 212-315-9797 // Open Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
