Thanks again for dropping by mmm-yoso!!!, food blog. Kirk is catching up at work, Ed (from Yuma) is catching up at home and today Cathy is catching up with a post of many visits to the same place. {Admittedly this was because it is air conditioned and this summer was brutal}
Go to the top left corner of this blog. In the box under the words "Site Search", fill in Phuong Trang. There are more than 170 results: we've written about it a lot.
Phoung Trang is the place where The Mister and/or I take people who are new to Vietnamese food. Kirk has called the food here 'middle of the road' and not offensive. The selections are multiple, food is good, prices are fair, the restaurant is clean and almost every table orders the wings. 
The signage is new, as Kirk mentioned in this August post.
The interior has not changed and is kept very clean. 
The Mister and I order hot tea with every meal; 75¢ per person, made with loose leaves. The jasmine flavor is brisk and bright. Once you order, the proper tableware is brought out.
Pho ($6.50) comes with the usual sides. That sauce is for my whole fish (2nd photo below).
The broth has a light anise flavor, the meats are plenty, flavorful, tender. Noodles are usually not in a clump and a regular/small bowl is filling.
The whole fish here is reasonable ($8.95), fried properly with seasoning, quite large and meaty.
Mi Dac Biet ($8.50) is the House Special Noodle Soup (in this case, mi-egg noodle instead of rice noodle). A wonderful chicken broth and filled with calamari, shrimp, ground and cha siu pork, imitation crab and chicken. It's served in the extra large bowl and can be a meal to share. 
Banh Uot Dac Biet ($8.75), steamed rice noodles with steamed bean sprouts, shredded cucumber, carmelized onion, garlic slices and fish sauce with the 'Dac Biet' meat combination of Vietnamese ham, salami, shredded pork and char grilled pork. This is very refreshing and a nice change from Bun dishes, with a different noodle and served on a plate without lettuces under the noodle.
The Bo Bia ($4.75) can be a meal. Chinese sausage and fried egg with lettuce, carrots, dried shrimp, jicama, basil, crushed peanuts and chili sauce wrapped in rice paper is a much more interesting selection than some of the other rolls here or anywhere.
One recent order was Mi Xao Ga (chicken and vegetables with crispy noodle) ($8.25), which has become a new craving.
One summer resolution has been trying Bo Tai Chanh (lemon beef salad) ($10.50) whenever I see it on a menu. The version here is served over lettuce, is different than other versions and was, in comparison, kind of dull. The vegetables were fresh, there was a definite lemon flavor to the thinly sliced beef, but I wouldn't order it from here again.
Finally in September we succumbed to every table around us and ordered the Canh Ga Chien Bo (garlic chicken wings with butter)…but just a half order ($5.75). These were crispy and had good flavor with a good meat to skin ratio.
Because we enjoy the crispy noodles, here's a photo of Mi Xao Bo (crispy noodle with beef and vegetables) (also $8.25). It's just as good with any of the meats…because, you know…fried noodle.
The newest discovery made here was from the appetizer menu- Cha Dum (steamed meatloaf) ($7.25) served with shrimp chips, the steamed seasoned ground beef mixed with glass noodles, peanuts and peas is a wonderful combination of flavor and texture.
It's been fun to try out new to us menu items. I hope your week is going well.
Phuong Trang 4170 Convoy Street 92111 (858) 565-6750 Website
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