Picture by Brian Vander Brug from the Los Angeles Times

• "By purist standards, the pho bac at Pho Minh is clearly the finest in town, a limpid, full-flavored broth, sprinkled with slivered fresh ginger and fortified with a delicious hunk of meat that looks something like a filet mignon that had just lost a bad razor fight, a delicate broth compelling enough to make the usual add-in seasonings of basil, lime and fresh-sliced chiles seem almost unnecessary. The broth is deeply scented with Vietnamese cinnamon, which is the best in the world — or at least that’s what the guy at Penzey’s says when he’s charging me an extra buck for it. The pho dac biet is great too, although it seems almost vulgar in comparison."
  
  - Pulitzer Prize Winning Food Critic Jonathan Gold