Marz Bistro, which was bought by the Blacksmith's chef Gavin McMichael a couple of months ago, has been open for a few weeks now. I went in for lunch today and was stoked to see, among other lunch menu items, the elusive, beautiful creation known as Pho.
Shops serving the traditional Vietnamese soup are staples in any self-respecting city and the fact that it is in Bend makes me, and the rest of Pho-loving Source staffers, pretty damn excited. Marz's Pho, at a reasonable price of $5.95, was served traditionally, with rice noodles, sliced beef and a savory broth in a large bowl with basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, spicy sauce and jalepenos on the side.
While I would have loved more broth - the savory, slightly sweet broth is my favorite part about Pho - Marz's rendition was pretty close to the memories I have of eating pho from Vietnamese shops in New York's Chinatown. It's not quite the same, and Marz has put a bit of its own spin on the dish, but it's Pho. In Bend. Rejoice!
