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Hoffman Estates' new Pho Chopsticks brings authentic pho to the suburbs

When I walk into an ethnic restaurant and it's filled with happy diners of that particular ethnicity, I know I'm in the right place. One special sweet spot is Pho Chopsticks, an unassuming eatery in a buzzing strip mall in Hoffman Estates.

Many locals have been crying in their Tsingtao beer since Ho Luck fried its last egg roll after decades in this location. Along came the Sun brothers' Pho Chopsticks offering a traditional Chinese American menu - won ton soup, chop suey, sweet and sour, Kung Pao chicken, egg foo young and more - along with a sizable assortment of Vietnamese noodle dishes. The brothers were aware that Thai, Japanese and Korean recipes like ramen, chop chae and Pad Thai have entered the American mainstream, and big cities are big on pho, the Vietnamese contender in Asian noodle wars. You needn't trek to Chicago's Uptown neighborhood or even River North now to get your first or 100th bowl of authentic pho.

Open for a little more than a month, Pho Chopsticks was full of Vietnamese diners the day I visited. And by the audible slurping (it's a sign of enjoyment), I would surmise they were pleased with the fare. Decor at the tidy eatery is more akin to a coffee shop except for the 3-D landscape scenes dotting the walls. No matter, because when on a mission for pho, it's better that the effort is going into the broth and not the booth.

The Vietnamese menu consists of appetizers, pho, bun and house specials. Cha gio, Vietnamese spring rolls, are a lighter variation on the thickly wrapped Chinese egg roll. Stuffed with minced pork, shrimp, bean threads and vegetables, the cigar-shaped starter is served with homemade nuac mon, a bright sauce made with lime, chili, sugar, garlic and fish sauce. Summer rolls offer a choice of grilled beef, pork or chicken, plus steamed shrimp packed into pliable rice paper along with lettuce, mint and vermicelli. Dip that into the homemade peanut sauce. Plus, there's a vegetarian version of the summer roll, too.

  Start off your meal with cha gio, a Vietnamese spring roll, at Pho Chopsticks. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com

Appetizers to try next time include shrimp papaya salad, grilled beef or shrimp for an extra protein punch and two more unusual but authentic Vietnamese items: marinated roast quail and beef wrapped in grape leaves. Per order, you get three of the tasty torpedoes, which consist of spiced ground beef wrapped in grape leaves and crowned with chopped peanuts and crispy onions. They are grilled to order, so you know they are freshly constructed at Pho Chopsticks.

You know how bone broth has been dubbed the magic elixir for the last year or so? Pho (pronounced “phuh”) has been ahead of the collagen curve for eons.

  Light and fresh, the shrimp papaya salad is one way to start a meal at Pho Chopsticks. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com

The Hanoi street food that was influenced by Chinese and French traditions is all about the fragrant broth made from bones, herbs and meat simmered for a day resulting in deep flavor and a shot of nutrition. The dozen renditions include springy rice noodles and accompaniments of crunchy bean spouts, lime wedges, cilantro, basil and sliced jalapeños. Take my advice and toss all of them in your steamy caldron. There's Sriracha and hoisin sauce on the table, but purists say if the broth is delicately spiced yet complex, these additions will just mask perfection. Proper pho broth is clear and rich with just a smidgen of fat, and noodles are slightly chewy and certainly not mushy. Choose your pho variety, which can include thin slices of round steak, flank steak, brisket, house-made beef balls, vegetables and for adventurous palates, tendon and tripe. Use the spoon to sip the broth and chopsticks to get at the meat and noodles.

We also tried a House Special of rice noodles and herbs in a rich chicken broth sided with crispy fried chicken and ginger sauce and one of the bun noodle bowls. The chicken broth in the regional noodle soup special is also fashioned from slowly simmered bones. It held up well for the two additional meals the portion provided for the next day and a half.

  Head chef Som Philavong cooks up Vietnamese favorites like Bun Ba Mon at Pho Chopsticks in Hoffman Estates. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com

Bun translates to vermicelli and any of the eight choices are perfect for a warm summer day when a hot crock of soup isn't appealing. The bowls are crammed with shredded lettuce, cucumbers, mint, basil, bean sprouts, fried shallots and your choice of grilled beef, pork, shrimp, lemon chicken, tofu, spring rolls or a combo of three items for a little more than a buck more.

The well-kept restaurant doesn't have a liquor license yet, but it does offer a sweet and creamy Vietnamese iced coffee and fresh fruit smoothies, from avocado to honeydew to kiwi to watermelon. The smoothies make a nice ending, especially since the only other treats are almond cookies and fortune cookies.

  Your choice of grilled beef, pork or chicken plus steamed shrimp is packed into pliable rice paper with lettuce, mint and vermicelli in Pho Chopsticks' goi cuon (summer roll). Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com

Also of note: Pho Chopsticks offers lunch specials under the Chinese and Vietnamese menus from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays, and the Chinese choices pack an egg roll, chicken fried rice and soda along with your entree. That's a lot of food for $6.95-$7.55.

<i>Restaurant reviews are based on one anonymous visit. The Daily Herald does not publish reviews of restaurants it cannot recommend.</i>

Pho Chopsticks

2 W. Golf Center, Hoffman Estates, (847) 882-4260,

phochopsticksil.com

Cuisine: Chinese plus Vietnamese noodle dishes

Setting: Spare but immaculate strip mall locale

Entrees: $5.25-$15.95

Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 1:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday

Also: Carry out, delivery and catering

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