what the pho?

A-Dong Restaurant
Des Moines, Iowa

pho (beef noodle soup) with fresh fixins! sprouts, peppers, mint, cilantro, and basil; plus red chile sauce.

Fun fact (or "phuong fact", as I'd say to my Vietnamese friend): a "dong" is defined as "the basic unit of money in Vietnam" (among other things). I asked what the restaurant's name means and that wasn't it, though (I forget what it is exactly but I would've remembered that).
Anyway, After some wandering on the east coast, I finally found myself back in the heartland. Because I came back hungry and didn't have any food at my place on account of my trip, I headed to A-Dong for some pho, a quintessentially Vietnamese dish that consists of beef (and, depending on the exact variety you get, some combination of tendon, stomach, and the like), onions, and lots of fresh herbs served on the side. The pho that day was good, but not amazing. The meat and fixins were fine but I found the broth to be a little plain. The chile sauce livened it up, but still, I was not blown away. I've been a few other times and, again, good but not great. I'll definitely keep hunting for other spots in town that might be further from downtown and a little more authentic . . . (teaser for future post)