Pho D’Lite’s atmosphere is superior to its competition but its food is merely adequate.
It’s difficult to describe Pho D’Lite without drawing comparisons to its nearby competitor Pho Thom. Both Route 1 restaurants serve the same genre of food — Vietnamese and Southeast Asian aimed to please a more American palate — and both establishments are new to the local scene.
Step into Pho D’Lite, however, and you’ll immediately notice a radically different design philosophy. In stark contrast to Pho Thom’s slightly cramped, modern sports bar sensibilities, Pho D’Lite opts for a far subtler and more considerate aesthetic.
The furniture is tastefully modern but not avant-garde or pretentious enough to distract. The restaurant goes for a vague tropical mood with moderate use of straw, rope and rice paddy hats. The dining area is wide and open, with plenty of room to move about. Noise is also kept lower here, without Pho Thom’s space constraints and noisy TV set.
The open kitchen in Pho D’Lite is actually functional. You’re offered a good view into the well-organized and clean cooking space, especially if you choose to sit at the restaurant’s tiny bar.
On the whole, Pho D’Lite is a much nicer place at which to eat at than its more cramped counterpart. But if you strip away the polished exterior, you’ll find that both restaurants largely serve food of the same caliber.
Pho D’Lite’s take on pho comes in a large, immensely cool saucer bowl. It is offered with the same accoutrements expected at any self-respecting pho operation: Thai basil, lime, bean sprouts, hot sauce and hoisin sauce.
Presentation here is far above Pho Thom’s sloppy offerings, but the broth ends up being virtually identical. The soup is potent, to be sure. Hot, savory and rich, this stuff will instantly warm you up. Yet it never rises above adequate. The secret to the best pho — an almost indescribable etherealness or umami — is sorely missing. And the meat, while generally portioned and paired properly, is a little on the tough side.
Moving on to Pho D’Lite’s other menu items, the same level of execution remains near constant. The vermicelli bowls present a playful twist on a typical rice bowl but end up being a little too heavy in flavor. The sweetness of the provided sauce drowns out nearly every other note in the bowl, resulting in a largely monochromatic heap of charred beef and skimpy portions of shrimp.
The appetizers are standard Southeastern Asian fare, cooked well if not perfectly. The chicken wings have enough substance to be satisfying but aren’t quite crunchy enough. The summer roll and the egg roll are a little texturally bland. Aside from the crispy wrap, the egg roll is disarmingly mushy, while the summer roll doesn’t have enough crunchy lettuce or basil to counter the soft vermicelli and wrapper.
Prices are reasonable for fairly good portions, but Pho D’Lite doesn’t do enough to distinguish itself from Pho Thom. The heart of any restaurant ultimately lays in the food it serves, and Pho D’Lite’s pretty cover can’t hide how humdrum its book really is.
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