Fee, fi, Pho Bac!

I’ll be frank. I have a hard time driving down Stockton Boulevard. Especially when I’m hungry. There are just too many places to stop. Pho Bac Hoa Viet, featuring Vietnamese and Chinese food, is one of them. There actually are four Pho Bac Hoa Viets—three in Sacto and one in Stockton. Technically that makes it a chain, but as far as I can tell, even though the three here use the same voluminous menu, there seems to be a certain independence as to how particular dishes are prepared at each place. The Pho Bac on Stockton Boulevard serves beef stew with soft noodles in a huge bowl that reminds us we should never eat anything bigger than our heads, and it’s loaded with hunks of beef, noodles and as much fresh kale, basil, bean sprouts and sliced chilies as you care to throw in. It was just what I needed on a rainy day, with the boulevard awaiting …