CAFE BLVD & BAR - I'M YOUR PUSHERMAN
I am an Asian food junkie. If I go more than a week without my fix, I suffer from the DTs until I can get a hit. Then I am straight for a few days. Luckily, Amarillo has its share of dealers for me to sample their wares and keep myself right. I dabble in a dose of Mee-Ka-Tee at Ly’s or partake of a shot of Sushi at Sushi House. I’ll jump from Thai to Chinese to Laotian to Japanese just to keep my taste buds interested. Because of my addiction, I am constantly chasing that new high. Always looking for the next thing to jumpstart my dopamine levels.
Because of my addiction, enablers in my life will try to introduce me to new Joints and dishes. One of the most common tactics is to push Pho on me. On about 6 occasions, I have tried Pho in Amarillo and have never gotten the big deal. I won’t name the places, but it has always seemed overly bland to me. Just a bowl of hot broth-ish water with some mushy meat in it. The only way for me to enjoy it has been to doctor it so much, I have ruined whatever the cook intended. I didn’t hate it, I just didn’t get it. Until Cafe Blvd & Bar came into my life.
THE JOINT EXPERIENCE
On my first visit to Cafe Blvd, my hopes were set reasonably for a newly opened restaurant. Open less than one month, I expected some good food based on the location and look of the place. In my experience, new restaurants are trying to find their way in the first few months. I always set my expectations fairly low when visiting a newly opened restaurant.
Upon asking for a recommendation from our waiter, I was presented with Pho. Oh, here we go again. In my head, I hear “You gotta try the Pho. Have you had Pho? I love Pho. How can you not love Pho?” But, always heeding my advice to ask for a recommendation and following it, Combo Pho was ordered along with the Saigon Wings and Egg Rolls. The wings were very good, and I expect them to only get better as the restaurant rolls along. The Egg Rolls are from-scratch, honest to goodness delicious.
Warning! Complete Tangential Rant Ahead: Restaurant Owners, Chefs, Menu Developers, Anyone; for the love of God, would you please put appetizers in groups of 4? Invariably when an appetizer is delivered, there are 3 or 5. Stop doing that! I can’t remember the last time I had a meal at a table of 5. Four of them get eaten and everyone is too polite to take the last one. We just stare at it thinking “Is anyone gonna take that last chicken wing/egg roll/crab cake/shrimp?” Then it ends up getting massacred into 4 bites so no one feels cheated. Cafe Blvd delivered 8 egg rolls. Perfect for 2, 4 or 8 people. I hope it starts a trend. Rant over.
Then the Pho arrived. We could smell it coming. It looked different. It smelled different. And my god, did it taste different. Chocked full of steak, brisket, meatballs, noodles, onions and green onions I couldn’t wait to dig in, but my brain restrained me. I had to enjoy the experience to its fullest. The aroma from the bowl reminded me slightly of Fall. There is some spice in there in the allspice or cinnamon family that is unexpected and enticing. After my first taste, I finally got it. I finally saw the appeal. The meat is delicious and tender and the noodles are excellent, but the broth is the star. The broth is so complex and so balanced, I was shocked. The only word I can use is Full. It tasted full. I am sure there is a better word, but I can’t find it. It is the perfect bowl of soup. You are presented a plate of Thai basil, sprouts, limes and jalapenos for fine tuning to your taste, but in my opinion, it is the perfect bowl of soup just the way it is.
In the past, because of my lackluster Pho experiences I have always elected to go for Ramen, when presented the option. After Cafe Blvd’s Pho, I finally understand the appeal of both independently. Pho is the perfect comfort food, where Ramen’s quest is to jam as much flavor into one bowl as humanly possible. Pho is a house concert by Sting; Ramen is a Metallica concert in an arena. I like them both and each has its place. Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t.
If someone asks me for a Joint recommendation, I try to gauge their adventure level. If they are easily freaked-out by unfamiliar surroundings or a largely unpronounceable menu, I try to steer them to more comfortable Joints. Making a leap from Abuelo’s to Pollo Sinaloa is like a Trans-Atlantic voyage for some. Frequently this hesitance prevents them from experiencing the off-the-beaten path gems. This is not the case with Cafe Blvd. It is roadblock free. The entire location has been completely renovated. From a new concrete parking lot, to replacing the interior walls, floor, ceiling and bar, it has been refurbished stem to stern. No one, and I mean no one, should be hesitant to visit Cafe Blvd. If you are averse to trying new adventures due to environment and atmosphere, Cafe Blvd is a baby step in the right direction.
Someday my friends and family might stage an intervention for me. I just hope I had Cafe Blvd's Pho that day before going to rehab.
5316 E Amarillo Blvd
Amarillo, TX 79107
