@Pho.com

You'd never know it from the ridiculous, tech-bubble name, but this tidy little 82nd Avenue Vietnamese spot makes great real world grub, from intense, cinnamony pho ($7.25-$7.95) to addictive little deep-fried tofu pockets stuffed with spicy pork pâté ($5.25). It actually used to be a different Vietnamese restaurant, but last year new owner Jasmine Nguyen invested in a ceilingful of pretty orange lanterns and shellacked a few walls with shimmering, lava-toned tiles to create a peaceful cafe and bar shoehorned between a day-glo Gen X Clothing outlet and a "Hard Rock Bar" named after a Pink Floyd song. The restaurant's website boasts that it's "like visiting Vietnam without leaving your hometown" and, oddly enough, it kind of is—complete with a Muzak version of Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" wafting through the speakers and the broken English legend "with a lovely smile and healthy food" printed on the windows. You can eat your way through a goodly portion of the solid menu by ordering a special (vermicelli rice) noodle bowl ($8.95) or broken rice platter ($10.75). The grilled pork is charred and juicy, the crunchy little spring rolls greasy good, and the kitchen's sautéed lemongrass tofu ($8.25) is a springy, savory treat. Dot com also serves crispy bahn xeo rice-flour crepes ($10.25); essentially a giant yellow pancake filled with ground pork, shrimp and crunchy bean sprouts that tastes a bit like an Indian dosa on holiday. The soy and fish sauce are made in-house and the servers will lovingly identify each and every item on your plate if you ask. If this is Vietnam, then you never need to leave Portland again.

1. Order this: Hearty, winter-weather bahn mi bo kho beef stew ($8.50), rice bowls, anything involving fried tofu.
2. I’ll pass: The “spicy” tumeric noodles just aren’t. Although the sesame rice crackers sprinkled on top are a crunchy treat. 

EAT: @Pho.com, 7901 SE Powell Blvd., Suite K, 788-8877, atpho.com. Lunch and dinner 10 am-9 pm Sunday-Tuesday and Thursday, 10 am-10 pm Friday-Saturday. $.

WWeek 2015