Author: amywes5_wp

Food Review: Pho Vietnam in Fort Smith Has a Banh Mi for the Win!!!

Coming home from a long vacation out West, where not even one banh mi could be found, I was determined to get one before the vacation was over. Fort Smith happens to have plenty of different Asian restaurants to choose from. So, based on online reviews, I chose to try Pho Vietnam. While it wasn’t perfect, their banh mi was!

 

ENVIRONMENT

Set in an old gas station, this place is no 5 Star restaurant.
The outside reflected exactly what we would see on the inside.
With plenty of tables came plenty of unorganized junk lying around. To be fair, they only have one big open room with the kitchen having its own tiny space. So, all those extra chairs, dishes, glasses,  toaster ovens and nautical decor has to go somewhere, right?
But I never judge a book by its cover- some of the best food I’ve had have been in holes-in-a-wall.

 

MENU

The menu is lengthy!  (Too lengthy to post photos of each page)
Full of Thai teas and smoothies, egg rolls, spring rolls, chow mein options, lo mein options, banh mi options, rice dishes, noodle dishes, fried rice options, vermicelli bowls, pho options, and many “Vietnamese Specialties” including rice flour crepes.

 

FOOD

Tea- Free

Immediately upon sitting, we were given menus and complimentary hot tea!
You know I’m a sucker for freebies, but this tea was very delicious! It needed no sweeteners with its almost floral flavor.

Saigon Spring Rolls- $7.95

Ok, these were NOT the Saigon spring rolls, which should have jicama, carrots, lettuce, basil, sausage, eggs, shrimp, and peanuts.
Rather, we were given the regular rolls. I knew by looking at them they were wrong, but gave them one bite to see if they could be enjoyed anyway.
They couldn’t. These were honestly the worst, driest, blandest spring rolls I’ve ever tasted. I sent them back and was told the Saigon ones were not available. I wish I was told that when I ordered them?
*These were taken off our ticket with no issues.

Saigon Beef Salad- $7.95

How do I judge a new restaurant? By its beef salad and banh mis. This beef salad was cheap and beautiful. The beef was flavorful and cooked just right. The rest was extremely bland. It didn’t have the same “zing” in the dressing as I am used to in a Thai beef salad. Clearly, Thai and Vietnamese dressings are not the same.

Banh Mis- $3.95

We tried two different kinds, the Barbeque Pork and the Paris Style.
The Paris Style had eggs with “sausage” and lettuce, plus all the normal additions- pickled veggies, jalapeños, cilantro. However, the large amount of onion was something I’d never experienced on a banh mi before. It was very tasty and different than any banh mi I had tried before. The egg was a nice texture addition and the “sausage” was just bacon. Though it still had the sweetness and spiciness and vinegar flavors you typically get in a banh mi.

However, the star of the show was the BBQ pork. In the perfectly soft, yet toasty bread (ok, the other banh mi had perfect bread, too) there was a ton of ridiculously juicy, flavorful pork. Juices were not dripping, but spilling out of this sandwich. Yes, it was messy, but it was to die for. And $4!!!! And it was anything but small. This is officially my favorite banh mi!

Mystery Dessert- Free

After our meal was done, we were brought small bowls of….well, I’m not so sure. Banana tapioca pudding with peanuts? I am not a huge fan of tapioca. However, this warm pudding was delicious! There was a great banana flavor without the texture of banana. I gobbled it up!

 

OVERALL

I would eat here again just for the free tea and dessert. Otherwise, I’ll be getting banh mis (many bbq pork ones) to go. These are life.
***This restaurant is CASH ONLY.

 

Food Review: Fassler Hall

Fassler Hall is a new hot spot in Little Rock.  Located downtown, on Capitol, right next door to Dust Bowl Lanes, it is a great spot for hanging out, drinking beer, and eating delicious food.

ENVIRONMENT

This place is HUGE. Indoor is a very open space with a very lengthy bar and also multiple tables, big and small. Then, out back there is another large patio area with many tables with large umbrellas for some shade.  This is the perfect spot for hanging out with your friends and meeting new ones.
The two times I have been here, the place was packed, but there are plenty of seats for however many people decide to show up.

MENU/FOOD

The link below shows the menu from Fassler Hall’s website:

Menu

In short, this is a German-themed restaurant. There are many different sausages to try, from traditional bratwurst to a lamb or chicken sausage. All are house-made as well. While I’ve been here twice so far, I  have yet to try any sausages. I will! but everything else looks so good!

There are also appetizers, like duck fat fries, house-made pork rinds, and pretzels. I’ve tried the pretzels…they are pretty good and come with a side of mustard. And two for $6 isn’t bad!

They also have a couple sandwiches (schnitzels mostly) and a haus salad that is delicious. I added falafel to mine ($9 total) and they were very tasty and the salad was very large. Great deal in my book.

However, the star of the menu has to be their entrees, which come with two sides. I’ve tried the schnitzel and it was phenomenal. Dare I say, even better than The Pantry’s. It is very large, cooked perfectly and covered in this delicious mushroom gravy.
For the sides, I tried the sweet potato spaetzle, which was too sweet in my opinion, and the roasted Brussels sprouts. The sprouts are served cold (on purpose), which was very odd, but they were very good. Still, I’m going to have to try new sides next time- like the duck fat fries. I stole one off a friend’s plate and they are killer. SO crispy!

They also have a pretzel bread pudding and some brunch options like tacos and biscuits.

I can’t talk about this place without mentioning the beer!
There are plenty of options here. Even if you don’t like beer, they also serve wine.  But the beer here is the point. They have a few Euro and German drafts, German bottles, but plenty of other bottles available. The issue is they are not cheap. I paid $6.50 for a bottle. To me, that’s too expensive. I think the best deal is to get a Litre of one of their drafts, which will run you somewhere between  $8-$14.

Even if you don’t go for the beer, check this place out for the food and the fun environment. Heads up: it will probably be packed, and the service will then be slow. But that’s okay! You’re there to be laid back and spend time with friends…and to try that schnitzel.