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Thanks. You answered before I could go back and add to my post. I started to e-mail known tendon fan, Zim about the tendon in my pho the other day at Tank, but then I thought this was too good a tendon to keep between tendon fans.

Actually, I am not really a tendon fan. Aside from the tendon in chile sauce at Lao Sze Chuan, I mostly eat tendon to be nice to the cooks, the way one has to also put up with a bit of spleen while eating Korean beef marrow soup. Yet, the tendon in Tank's pho rewarded my faith in getting it "the way they do".

To me, this tendon was something that the old Trio or maybe the new Moto would do. Big masses of unctious beef essence, like something that was created out of modern scientific kitchen techniques instead of simply grabbing a piece of cow that most American butchers have been throwing out for years.

I know the other day we were talking about the value of the broth in pho, but at Tank what I liked best was the meats and such inside. I mean if the tendon is that good, what about the rare beef, and yes it was that good. All the meats were better than in other bowls of pho I've had of late.

Of course, having been won over on the tendon, I am still eating the meatball mostly because it is there. There is a slight appeal to that fishy flavor intermingled with the pork, but I've never grown to like the bounce in these balls.

Rob

Rob,

Interestingly, I was reading Authentic Vietnamese Cooking by Corinne Trang the other day and it's potato starch that "gives the meatballs their quenelle-like smooth and somewhat springy texture."

Speaking of delicious tendon, here's a picture from an outing at Han Bat for Sol lung tang, Korean bone marrow soup. I believe this is the exact moment Seth Z coined the phrase Tendonerific.



Enjoy,
Gary

Han Bat Restaurant
2723 W Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 271-8640

The new Tank seems to be doing huge business. I ran into Eric M. last Sunday while I was picking up a togo order. My wait was so long, Eric was served and finished his meal....BE CAREFUL ON WEEKENDS.

Eric and I discussed the reasons for the rush. I commented that in the old space there were not any big tables to accomodate family dining, just the long table near the front that was hard to get into and out of.

Anyway, we went with a huge group on Thursday a week ago. I thought the meal was delicious....but timing was a bit off, they need to work out the details.

I look forward to many years of Tank at this site.

pd

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Hi,

To avoid any disappointment, note Tank is closed on Thursdays.

Tank Noodle
4953 N Broadway
Chicago, IL 60640
773-878-2253
8:30-11pm

_________________
Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

It was incredibly crowded on Sunday afternoon! So much so that I broke my from tradition and watched NFL games with a fairly dissapointing Pho Hung meal (average tripe/marrow/steak pho, bad S&P Shrimps). Is there a consensus on a 2nd place carry-out joint on Argyle? I've never been to 888, I did think 777 was decent last time. While I'm on this Vietnamese thread, how much do the whole ducks hanging in the window across from Pho Hung cost? Do they lop-off the heads?

Hi,

Ducks cost approx. $10-$12. My personal favorite is the pai-pai style, where it is cut along the back bone and splayed. I like it because there is a higher amount of surface area and thus crispy bits. The regular duck always has skin which never got crispy via roasting. I want maximum crisp skin.

Pho 777 was amongst the best pho on Argyle until acquired by a new owner. I recently learned some cooks are still there from the prior owner, but obviously cooking without the full expression they previously enjoyed.

Here are some thoughts:

If you are looking for the closest thing to Tank, head to Pho Xe Lua. The menu is virtually identical, and the food is nearly as good.

It is interesting that you mention 777. For the purpose of staying "current," I revisited Pho 777, twice, in the past two weeks. I ordered pho and bun bo hue. Without any reservation, I can say--and as others have already done so--that the shop has taken a slide. This is a real personal pain, as 777 was, at one time, my favoured/recommended destination for both of these items.

A couple folks seem to favour Cafe Hoang for bun bo hue, these days. I cannot do so, as I have had an allergic reaction each time that I have tried it. I should hope that YMV.

As much as I adore the family that runs Thai Binh, I have never thought their food noteworthy. To be honest, I have this sense that the cook suffers from chronic depression. The food doesn't really show the love.

The same thing can be said for Pho 888. Their cook phones it in, sometimes routing the call through the microwave...

With the exception of pho, Tien Giang does soup noodles well. They could probably do you right with simple seafood and stir-frys, as well.

I like Dong Thanh a whole lot. I am not crazy about their pho broth, but the tai (sliced rare beef) that they use for it is killer. It is thick-cut, with a proper mineral tang. I really recommend Dong Thanh for stir-fried noodle dishes. Oh, fried noodle dishes and the bun ca ri ga... and the canh chua ca... and...

Search Chowhound. These shops have all been written about numerous times.

Regards,
Erik M.

A Public Service Announcement:

In an attempt to better serve their patrons, Tank now requires their floor staff to wear camouflage t-shirts.

Sublime.

To complete the look, they want the 411 on my gear:



No Comply.



I did tell them that today's meal was as good as ever, though.


com thit heo kho hot ga (thit kho tau)*

E.M.

BTW, in the last 5 weeks I have managed to complete another "Argyle District Pho Tour," and to my mind, Tank remains at the top of the stack.



* Rice plate with pork and hard-cooked eggs braised in coconut water.

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"Don't even touch my gold, I'm good."

Oh man, how did I miss that 9 months ago? Now that's a slam...

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New episode: Soil, Corn, Cows and Cheese
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Dude, I plant seeds.

E.M.

EDIT: It really is true, though. I have twice ordered dishes at Pho 888 which traditionally involve long-cooking/braising, only to hear the familiar chime of a microwave timer in the background.*

* Hu tieu bo kho and mi vit tiem. In the case of the latter dish, which traditionally involves a braised whole duck joint, the duck meat had the plasticised texture that can only result from the improper use of a microwave oven.

_________________
"Don't even touch my gold, I'm good."

Gary,

Must be a typo.

Goi Ca = fish salad
Goi Ga = chicken salad

I know it's quite a stretch but that's their attempt to stay close to the theme
Tank Noodle --> tank = military --> military = camouflage clothing

Get it?

Hey, take it easy on me, I am new to this whole Tank thing.

At any rate, I guess the sublimity of this event remains lost to you?

Their express wish is to make it easier for their patrons to identify the members of the floor staff, and they have chosen to do so with the use of a patterned fabric which was specifically designed to make recognition of the person who wears it more difficult.

E.M.

_________________
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Oh, I'll see the irony now. Thanks for pointing it out! Cheers!

I get it....I just don't like it.

I miss the very petite Ms. Kim and her cute outfits.

pd

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Nghe,

Yep, thanks for pointing that out. I'll edit my original post.

Enjoy,
Gary

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Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

Hi,

About ten days ago, a friend called to advise Tank had a new menu with lots of pictures. I supposed or hoped maybe one of our fine photographers here offered a hand to Tank on this project. After the Maxwell St. Walkabout, I stopped by Argyle on my way home to check out the new menus.



One look at their menu, I knew I was wrong estimating anyone I knew might have provided any photos. The cover with the stemware and what appears to be a loaf of bread in the corner, I knew this was not photographed by anyone here. I don't know where the bad photography ends and bad color matching at the printer begins. The interior photos suggest they were shot at Tank, though someone suggested they could be stock photos. Inside the menu, they seemed to rely on flash and possibly someone played too much with the photo editing though not too expertly.

The advertizing agency who created the menus have their names on the back. Their address included the initials HCMC, which I believe is Ho Chi Minh City. Color printing is cheaper in Asia than in the USA, so clearly that is where the menus were printed and likely designed.

The pictures in the menu will provide more information to dishes some might overlook. It's simply a pity for the money spent, there were not better photographs.

Regards,

_________________
Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

C2,

Had a late lunch today at Tank, in addition to pictures they seem to have made some of the menu captions a little more descriptive. I've also noticed the service has gotten better, not that it was bad, but they seem to have smoothed out the rough edges.

Food wise, iced coffee, Goi Cuon (fresh spring roll) and a sardine Banh Mi.

Enjoy,
Gary

_________________
Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

new menu indeed. figured we'd go here instead of 777 just for a change of scenery.

i had a craving for banh cuon... and man, did this place SUCK for bahn cuon... i thought 777's was bad, this was worse. apparently they spread themselves too thin in this new menu.

typically, the thin transparent rice noodles sheets are rolled up with a mixture of minced pork, shrimp and black mushroom and sprinkled with shredded fried brown onions. a good bun cuon should be thin, sticky, shiny and smooth on your tongue. yah.. tank's was 0/4 on that. beyond a strike out... with no stuffing to speak off. the rice noodles obviously too thick and dry. tho tank did provide the fried crunchy (fried mung bean flour thingie? can't recall the name of it) which was darned proper... overall it was so bad i had to default to pho #4. ugh...

what it should look like:


for the best banh cuon on this side of the planet:
Banh Cuon Tay Ho (all they serve is banh cuon, with 4 branches?)
9242 Bolsa Ave.. Westminster, CA 92683.

It can't possibly be as good as what you can get in New York, though.

_________________
Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Another comment on Tank here.

_________________
Watch Sky Full of Bacon, the Chicago food HD podcast!
New episode: Soil, Corn, Cows and Cheese
Watch the Reader's James Beard Award-winning Key Ingredient here.

Oh, you're joking!! Well, the waiters are Tank were very nice about my mispronunciation the last time I was there. So is it like "fuh" or "puh"?

Jimthebeerguy and I are thinking of going to Tank tonight. First we're going to the Book Cellar on Lincoln for a book signing by Les Claypool, bassist of Primus, and then we're going to go to Tank or Sun Wah or maybe both (we love the bahn mi but we've been looking forward to trying the BBQ at sun wah and can't make up our minds).

I made a post in Events, which is where you should reply if you want to meet us there to eat some awesome Vietnamese food. Here is the link: http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=100798#100798

fuh

I thought it was more like fuh????

_________________
Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Ah ok, so it's like ValleygirlSpeak or BlondeSpeak with the uptalking at the end? Please may I have a bowl of fuh? Like that?

_________________
"Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you want and let the food fight it out inside."
-Mark Twain

I usually just say Number 43 with egg noodles

My Vietnamese friend pronounces it with almost two syllables phah-aah, I have never really cared enough other than to make a courtesy attempt.

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Unchain your lunch money!

By George, she's got it!

_________________
Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Peter,

Interesting point. I have been corrected thusly by Viet folks in Houston pho shops. But upon asking around on Argyle, I've been told it's more like one syllable. Not sure if there are regional differences (within Vietnam). This is any easy one for many knowledgeable folks here, I'm sure. I'd like to get the correct way down.

Jeff,

Perhaps it is the Texas drawl...my Viet friend (a least the one who corrected me) is from Houston.

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The best way that I've found to describe the correct pronunciation to a fellow Westerner is "fur?," with the "r" so heavily aspirated that it's almost indistinct.*

E.M.

* The question mark indicates that the speaker's voice is slightly raised at the end.

_________________
"Don't even touch my gold, I'm good."