The main attraction at Pho 75 is available in nearly 20 versions, which is why I like to ask my server for his or her favorite. "No. 12," one of them recently shared, steering me to a big bowl of beef broth teaming with thin rice noodles, sliced onions and shreds of barely cooked brisket and eye-of-round steak. The steaming Vietnamese classic (pronounced FUH) is good on its own, better when a diner adds a few accents from the accompanying plate of licorice-like Thai basil, crisp bean sprouts, fiery jalapeno and fresh lime. Pho 75's dining hall is not much to look at, just row after row of tables in a utilitarian box, and the service, while speedy, can vary from cheerful to sullen. But in all likelihood, you'll be too busy slurping your meal-in-a-bowl ($5.45) to care. --Tom Sietsema (December 25, 2005)
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