PHO FAVORITES
TWO SISTERS VIETNAMESE KITCHEN STOKES PITTSBURGH’S PHO CRAVINGS
Two Sisters Vietnamese Kitchen sits in a prime location in East Liberty. This 50seat lunch and dinner place has been drawing a line for its efficient service, fair prices, greatest-hits-style Vietnamese fare and a very good rendition of pho.
The new place has been in the works for a while: The “coming soon” sign was posted on the door last spring, but it took until late January for the space to finally open. Its debut, combined with a second location of Porked opening in August in the space next door, fills a corner of North Highland that’s been quiet since the closing of Union Pig and Chicken in fall of 2016.
While Porked from Tony Molnar and Natalie Bobak of Lincoln Place has moved into the city limits, Two Sisters comes from out-of-towners Trinh Phan and Trang Somphonphakdy, who moved here from Atlantic City, N.J. They were drawn to the area through their nieces Kellie and Tuyen Trong, who run Banh Mi and Ti in Lawrenceville. While the Lawrenceville place has focused on a half-dozen variations on the Vietnamese baguette sandwich, this spot allows for a more leisurely meal.
It’s cheerful albeit austere in the dining room, outfitted with two- and four-tops and formidable communal tables. Shipping crates add texture to a wall, while outdoor lights align the ceiling overhead. The space is often full of diners, here for the bright overstuffed spring and summer rolls, rice noodle bowls, dishes like shaking beef, and, of course, variations on pho.
And what better time for hot soup than a cold day? But unlike ramen, a trend that picked up steam in 2010 or so, pho has been drawing local fans for decades, with places like Tram’s Kitchen in Bloomfield since the late-’90s, Pho Minh debuting in Garfield in 2001 and Pho Van opening in the Strip in 2010.
Two Sisters also joins a handful of newer Vietnamese restaurants, including Ineffable Ca-Phe at 3920 Penn Ave. that opened in August, serving Vietnamese drip coffee, breakfast items, pho and banh mi in a breezy stylish space in Lower Lawrenceville. In addition, a second location of the Squirrel Hill-based Tan Lac Vien
opened last year in Oakland, while Banhmilicious from Hoa Le has set up shop at Smallman Galley in the Strip District.
While those establishments all have something to offer, I am loving Two Sisters because it’s serving my favorite pho in the area. Although it’s not the most varied menu of soup, which is fine — there’s beef, a trio of brisket, ribeye and meatballs ($14), chicken, seafood ($15) and vegan options — this place delivers a winning stock: fragrant with coriander and cloves, infused with savory-sweetness from charred onions and ginger, and laced with a whiff of fish sauce. Meats tuck into a nest of rice noodles, dressed with cilantro, scallions, onion and jalapeno. There’s chile oil for dipping meats on the side.
On one visit, as I was waiting for a friend, a couple I had never met, seated behind me at the window, shared the wine they’d brought to celebrate an anniversary. Like me they’d had the pork and shrimp summer rolls, a sleeve of rice paper with vermicelli noodles wrapped in basil. If that sounds too healthy, you can get them fried (all rolls, $6).
They were also here for the pho — it was their second time they’d been here since it opened.
But they hadn’t yet tried the shaking beef: wok-seared steak marinated in soy. The dish is called thit bo luc lac, which refers to how you shake the pan, says Andrea Nguyen, who has authored great Vietnamese cookbooks such as “Into the Vietnamese Kitchen,” and the new “Vietnamese Food Any Day: Simple Recipes for True, Fresh Flavors.” She says it’s not necessarily an everyday dish but is often reserved for a celebration. Here at Two Sisters, greens and herbs add a pleasing contrast to the savory beef served with rice. It’s a satisfying share plate or a heaping serving for one, and at $16, it’s reasonably priced.
Listed among other rice dishes, there’s also grilled and shredded pork, served with a Vietnamese meatloaf topped with a fried egg ($16) that’s like a hearty variation on breakfast. Or there’s the more lean chicken thigh with lemongrass, also over rice ($14) that is perfectly seasoned if a little underwhelming, with modest seasoning.
Let’s talk about the service, which is warm and businesslike and, I’m certain, one of the reasons the restaurant is drawing a wait. Yes, it’s a simple menu of good food. But for me, after a stretch of hitting up places like hotels that charge way more and can’t get it together when it comes to service, it’s a joy to come to a place that’s both hospitable and, frankly, transactional. It’s clear that the servers — often family — care about diners’ experience, yet they recognize they don’t have to chit-chat and pretend to be diners’ new best friends. What a relief! It’s how a casual restaurant’s service should be.
Only a few things left me wanting more: For one, I am wishing and hoping Two Sisters will have special dinners or dishes that aren’t always on the menu: I’m a big Vietnamese food fan and would look forward to seeing a wider range of cooking from Ms. Phan and Ms. Somphonphakdy. (When I talked to family members before the restaurant opened they said it’s a possibility.)
Two, I wish Two Sisters had che ba ba listed on the menu, a tapioca and coconut dessert that is sweet but not too sweet, a lovely texture and an unusual dish.
It wasn’t available over my several visits. Maybe next time.