Eat Great Cheap 2018Good broth is the workhorse of any worthwhile pho shop. At this Vietnamese soup joint, the house-made sate sauce pulls equal weight. The blistering, wok-toasted blend of chilies and garlic in oil perks up bowls of beef soup, but that’s just the start. The menu is a trove of noodles—rice and egg, fat and skinny, crisp and soft—many in the same preparation. Recommended for first-timers: intense duck broth with a con-fit leg, black mushrooms, and egg noodles, or strands sautéed with pineapple, cucumber, shrimp, squid and topped with more of that addictive sauce. Also good: Rice-and-egg-noodle soup with chicken broth; fat noodles with beef, mustard greens, and shiitakes.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
