403866 Mon May 21 22:27:47 -0700 2007 4 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 2590562 Thanks to those who responded to my post earlier today. http://www.chowhound.com/topics/403678 My friend and I ended up at Turtle Tower. We shared two items. The rare beef pho was really excellent. Fresh rice noodles really made a huge difference, not to mention the delicious broth (gingery, beefy, tasted like something my grandma would make). The beef was rare and tender. They brought us two small bowls to easily share the soup which was nice. I would definitely come back here for pho. We also ordered a rice plate with the beef stew in wine sauce and we both found this really disappointing. We barely made a dent in it. The beef was tender, reminded me of brisket, but the sauce was a bit too sweet and tasted like cheap red wine...it was also pretty gloopy, tasted like it had been sitting around all day, and was bright red from the food coloring. Perhaps it's a matter of taste that we didn't like this (maybe other people love this dish this way?), but rarely have I ever had such a contrast of wonderful and bad when ordering two dishes in the same restaurant. The fresh lemonade was good. As we were leaving, we saw the table next to us had cha ca, a north vietnamese dish that was served in a pot over a flame. Served with peanuts, special broth and shrimp taste. These neighbors (I vaguely suspected they were fellow chowhounds?) gave me a taste, and this was another winner. I would definitely return to Turtle Tower and try this dish out for real. I'd definitely return to Turtle Tower sometime....it is definitely the best beef pho broth I've had in the city. Turtle Tower 631 Larkin Street (between Eddy St & Ellis St) San Francisco, CA 94109 (415) 409-3333 Dave MP P.S. Despite not eating much of the beef dish, we were pretty full after sharing the large pho. We went to Lee's across the street for a small dessert. We shared some black sesame mochi, which I expected to be filled with black sesame, but instead they were made with black sesame dough and filled with red bean. Better than I expected them to be, $1.50 for 4 of them. Unfortunately, we then witnessed a huge commotion inside of Lee's that involved a woman who was possibly shoplifting and definitely pretty crazy...lots of really loud screaming, swearing, throwing of cookies, and eventually, the arrival of the police. The Tenderloin may not be everyone's cup of tea, but the food is so good that it makes it worth it. Mon May 21 22:27:47 -0700 2007 21930 Dave MP 1 2590587 Do give the cha ca va bun a try. Can't find the original thread on it, but here's a post that quotes from it and provides more background on the dish. http://www.chowhound.com/topics/293945#1610601 Mon May 21 22:46:35 -0700 2007 2590562 10039 Melanie Wong 1 2590624 Some vietnamese stew dishes actually call for annato (achiote seeds) as a natural food coloring. It can be quite red, but still authentic. Some recipes call for oil to be colored with annato seeds that are removed before the oil is added to the dish. Mon May 21 23:10:53 -0700 2007 2590562 40489 P. Punko 1 2592390 I love TT for pho ga, but haven't been much impressed with any of the rice plates. Also, I find the quality to be a bit better in the morning/afternoon than at night. Tue May 22 12:16:00 -0700 2007 2590562 19097 pane 1 2597518 There is also a Turtle Tower on Geary and 22nd or 23rd. Don't know whether the quality is as good as the Lakin's. Wed May 23 23:29:45 -0700 2007 2590562 13188 maoliu