biteintoboulder.com

Boulder is graced with an abundance of fantastic restaurants, and many of them are local. Pearl Street in particular never fails to feed me and feed me well, and I’m lucky enough to live in the neighborhood (don’t all start stalking me at once). So, on Thursday night, I sauntered out my door and into Black Pepper Pho.

It’s tucked away in a strip mall and might be easy to miss, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the bowl of broth and noodle gold that is Pho, a Vietnamese soup pronounced “Fuh” (…ck, this is good).

The menu was straightforward and even included pictures of the herbs and spices they use to season the pho. This was reassuring; sometimes there’s no telling what’s in the food I’m served. The fish tacos I once ate from a beachside stand in Lake Tahoe, when I was young and reckless and overlooked the fact that it was way too hot for anyone to be handing out fish without a mechanism for refrigeration, stand out as an example.

Despite my flashback, I was somehow still in the mood for seafood, so I ordered the Seafood Pho.

I added some sriracha and soy sauce and it suited my needs exactly. I wanted someone to taste the perfect ratio of salt and spice and broth and then hire me as head chef on the spot, but it didn’t happen. (Black Pepper Pho, consider this my application.)

I rounded out my meal with a cup of the hot mint tea. I was expecting tea from a tea bag, but this cup was stuffed with mint leaves and hot water, making for a pretty appearance and strong taste. It was minty! Not for the faint of heart.

I especially liked that Black Pepper Pho feels like  a “real” restaurant in spite of its location in the strip mall. Next time I stop in for coffee from the Starbucks next door before running off to class or work, I might just sit down and let a full waitstaff serve me some really delicious soup instead.