Spicy Veggie Pho—called Phở Chay in Vietnamese—topped with a healthy amount of Sriracha. (Taken at Saigon Noodles restaurant, Escondido, CA)

Psssst… did I mention I just joined Pinterest? Username srirachabook!

My first exposure to the wonderful world of Sriracha was at my friend Phi’s house. His mom offered it with her amazing Vietnamese fried rice (cơm chiên) and I fell in love. It wasn’t long before Phi took me to Phở Số 1, and it was there that I had my first bowl of heavenly phở, topped with a handful of exciting green herbs I barely recognized and a healthy drizzling of Sriracha. I was hooked.

Phi and I have been great friends for 12 years now, and it was this July that I was able to accompany him to Vietnam and see what phở was really all about. We’ve definitely taken some liberties with it here, but I really like what phở has become here in the ol’ U.S. of A. But there is plenty of bad phở out there. To help steer you clear of faux phở, the OCWeekly just recently posted this list: Five Signs of a Good Pho Restaurant. I think it’s pretty spot on, and I wanted to share it with you.

I thought #2 on the list was especially apropos. Seriously, if you don’t even see a bottle of Sriracha on the table, you’re in the wrong place. True that you won’t find it on phở in Vietnam, but here in the States, phở and Sriracha are like peas and carrots, baby.

2. Chile Choice
[O]n every table will be a carousel of various sauces. Sriracha (rooster sauce) is a given, but look for hoisin sauce and other chile preparations: chile paste and dried chiles in “red oil”. The more chile preparations on the table, the more likely it is to cater to a Vietnamese clientele, and the more likely you are to have good phở.

Five Signs of a Good Pho Restaurant (via OCWeekly)
Photo: Phở Accoutrements, from Flickr user jon|k