I've been a long-time fan of Pho Pasteur in Allston. During the awful
winter of '93-'94, I think I probably ate there three times a week or
more. It's consistently been one of my favorite restaurants, because of
its quality and reliability.
I regret to say that it's no longer on my A list, or possibly not even on
my B list. The food is still okay...not great, but okay. I don't think
it's as good as it used to be, but it's of acceptable quality. What's
really gone downhill is the service. Pho Pasteur has expanded its space
over the past couple of years. I'm guessing they have seating for three
times as many patrons as they did two years ago. Unfortunately, they
don't seem to have expanded their waitstaff to compensate. My last three
or four visits have been characterized by very long waits for everything:
to place an order, to be served, to get a check, etc. Last night I
noticed that I was not alone in this; the antics that some diners went
through to get a waiter's attention would have been amusing, if I hadn't
been one of them. I don't think it's a matter of careless or inattentive
waiters; I think it's a matter of some inexperienced waiters having to
handle too many tables.
Maybe some folks will still think it's worth it. If you've got a couple
of hours to spend over a leisurely dinner, then maybe it will work for
you. It would also help if you didn't mind having your appetizer order
botched, as mine was last night, and if you're willing to pick apart a
gluey mass of stuck-together noodles at the bottom of your bowl of pho.
If I felt that I would get the right thing, and that the quality would be
as good as I remember, I would still go in spite of the long waits. I
would not make it a regular thing, however -- I just don't have that kind
of time to spend for dinner on a weekday night. Given the way that the
food quality has fallen off, I don't think I'll be back. There are a lot
of places in Boston where I can get reasonably good Vietnamese food,
without having to endure long waits and botched orders. Meanwhile, I wish
Pho Pasteur the best of luck in reaching their apparent objective of being
able to add "over one billion served" to their sign. It may take a while,
but they'll get there ;-)
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Mary Malmros Very Small Being [email removed]
People cannot do what they cannot think, and they cannot think
what they cannot say.
- John Ralston SaulBoston, MA