Pho Viet Huong Delivers Raw Meat in a Carton (on purpose)

The winter months mean vastly different things to different people. As the weather chills, the days shorten, and the holiday festivities commence, I am weary yet unchastened by the memories of holiday party benders past.

Survival during the season is incumbent upon finding reliable remedies to negate the ravages incurred by such immoderate behavior. For many, the solution is an obvious one: soup. In the wake of a pre-holiday practice run, I opted to determine how suitable Vietnamese noodle soup (pho) would be for delivery.

Forty minutes after ordering from Pho Viet Huong (73 Mulberry Street, 212-233-8988), the delivery arrived. Unsurprisingly, some assembly was required: The bulk of the Pho dac biet xe lua (“Extra Big Bowl of Beef Deluxe Noodle Soup”) arrived in a folded waxed-paper takeout carton and included cooked noodles, green onions, cilantro, tripe, tendon, and raw thinly-sliced steak. The broth was provided in a standard cylindrically-shaped clear plastic takeout vessels. The accoutrements, beansprout, basil, and a wedge of lime were were packed in a plastic bag.

In a standard dine-in scenario, the heat of the broth would be relied on to lightly cook the slices of raw steak. In my state of diminished mental acuity, I failed to conclude that it would be wise to reheat the broth to account for the temperature loss during transport. That said, I combined the components and began to consume the amalgamation, finding the broth to be light and pleasant, the noodles to be fresh, and the bouquet of varied beef textures to be the perfect solution for improving my physical state of being.

In addition to the order of pho, I also ordered the Banh mi cari de (“Curry Lamb French Bread Sandwich”). This selection also arrived in components. Inside a cylindrical container was a hearty curry sauce, coarsely cut potatoes, and a generous amount of supple lamb chunks with skin intact. The stew, which also had cooled over the course of delivery, had stratified. The container was accompanied by a crusty French-Vietnamese style baguette.

The Morning After: Given the realization that it was unwise to not reheat the broth prior to initial consumption, I opted not to maintain leftovers of the pho. After a night in the refrigerator, the curry lamb stew again stratified and the baguette stiffened marginally. Exposure to a heat source allowed the stew to be a fine leftover experience.

Repeatability: While user error was an issue, both the pho and banh mi were excellent choices for a cold day.

Ordered at 12:30PM, Light Fog