We love shrimp just about any way you can cook ´em: grilled, fried, blackened, steamed, sautéed with garlic and white wine, baked with herbs and butter, you name it. But we dream about the crispy rice with sautéed shrimp at Pho 99 ($8.95). We salivate just thinking about this special family recipe for a traditional Vietnamese dish. The centerpiece is a small bowl of large shrimp, bathed in a rich, sweet, golden fish sauce unlike anything you´ve ever tasted — a perfect combination of flavors. It´s served with a round, flat molded cake of rice, lightly fried to attain a crispy crust and topped with smoky fried onions and fresh scallions. You spoon the shrimp over the rice and go crazy for the combination of textures: crunchy rice, tender shrimp and silky sauce. A side dish of bright green, braised baby bok choy with its own intriguing sauce completes one of the most perfect meals to be found in the Bay area.
Pho 99, 7212 N. Armenia Ave., Tampa, 813-915-0500.
This article appears in Sep 22-28, 2004.
