The Bloomfield Curse?

Republic

39 Jerome Ave.

Bloomfield, CT 

Republic is the latest tenant of an ill-fated building on Jerome Avenue in the center of Bloomfield. In our lifetimes, the building has housed, among others, a Saybrook Fish House and a W. B. Cody's before burning down in its penultimate incarnation as the mediocre Mediterranean grill Mavi. Culinarily speaking, Bloomfield, like the building on Jerome Ave., is a bit of a grab bag. There are a lot of mainstream national-chain restaurants (think Ruby Tuesday's), but you can also find some gems like Ginza for reliably tasty sushi and hibachi, Pasticceria Italia for delicious cannoli, and some small mom-and-pop ventures that come and go. When we found out about Republic, which calls itself a "gastropub," we thought it was worth a trip. Could it be a worthy competitor in the Hartford County restaurant race? Could it actually draw diners away from the juggernaut of West Hartford Center? Could it beat the curse of Jerome Avenue?

In short: we think yes. 

Republic's parent company, The Mill on the River Restaurant Group, has totally recreated the interior to reflect that "industrial farmhouse" aesthetic currently in vogue with the youngish, stylish set: exposed ductwork and brick, wooden beams, hardwood floors, chalkboard walls, right down to the dishtowel napkins.

Urbanized rural.

The effect doesn't feel contrived or overly trendy, however. When we arrived on a Monday night before the 4th of July, the convivial chatter of the small crowd in the bar, along with the low lighting and warm wood accents, made the place seem cozy and welcoming. As reluctant yuppies, we felt right at home.

The menu was also intriguing. We both had trouble deciding what to order because it all sounded good. There were the dishes that you'd expect to find in a pub--hamburgers, mac and cheese--but also some unexpected details, like Catalonian pan con tomate, Vietnamese banh mi, and a Kobe beef burger.

Upscale international comfort food.

We finally settled on mushroom and fennel crostini, grilled skirt steak with chimichurri and the apple-glazed pork confit. The crostini was unremarkable, and completely overshadowed by the fresh-from-the-oven, still-steaming focaccia that was served with grassy green olive oil. The skirt steak was cooked perfectly and served with a vinegary, herby, totally decent chimichurri, three crispy fingerling potatoes, and an avocado salad that did not skimp on the avocado. The pork confit must have been delicious because one of us licked the plate clean without sharing with the other.

 Almost as good as going to Argentina for steak and chimichurri.

Pork confit and creamy polenta.

We washed down this very tasty meal with some of the house special drinks--something called an "1880" that featured rye and bourbon, and a "Cold Toddy" made of bourbon and cinnamon--and a glass of jammy Malbec. The drinks were stiff but not cheap at $9, while the wine list was varied and economical with glasses running between $7.50 and $9. We noted the well-chosen microbrews on tap and in bottles on the beer list, though we didn't try any of them. We weren't impressed by the dessert menu (tapioca soup? no chocolate? really?) and skipped that course. 

The portion sizes may be a point against Republic. We both cleaned our plates and were full, but those who have large appetites or like to take home a doggie bag may not find Republic to be a good value. For three drinks, a shared appetizer and two dinners with no leftovers, we paid just under $100. However, the menu does have a variety of price points; we ordered entrees in the $20-$25 range, but there is plenty on offer for $10-$15, like sandwiches and small plates.

The service was a little slow, but otherwise attentive and friendly. We waited a bit for the hostess to seat us and for our drinks and food; that may have been inevitable as a new staff irons out the kinks, or due to the fact that we were sitting upstairs, far from the kitchen. The manager stopped by our table to ask how we liked our food and also sent us off with a cheerful farewell. Our waitress was friendly and willing to answer our questions, and knowledgeable about the menu even though the restaurant had only been open for a couple of weeks.

The verdict? We're going back, and we hope you do too. Maybe Republic will finally break the Jerome Avenue restaurant curse.

Peruvian throwdown

Cora Cora
162 Shield St.
West Hartford
 
Tonight, it's a Peruvian throwdown: Cora Cora, the middle-class homecoming queen, faces Piolin, the scruffy cousin from the wrong side of the tracks. See our previous blog post about Piolin.

Cora Cora's exterior is pretty blah--it looks like it was the former home of a fast-food franchise--but the interior is warm and clean, with flatteringly dim lighting, tablecloths and cloth napkins. The walls of Cora Cora are decorated, predictably, with woven Peruvian tapestries and posters depicting (presumably) classic Peruvian scenes and landscapes. Families and couples chatted in English and Spanish as pop music played in the background. You could bring a date or your parents to Cora Cora. In comparison, they might be a bit disconcerted by Piolin's plain tables, fluorescent lighting and blaring Spanish-language TV. But we suburbanite Hartfoodieans like a bit of grittiness (style-wise, not in the food) to make us feel like urban pioneers.

The menus of both restaurants are quite similar. Both offer plenty of traditional Peruvian dishes with beef, seafood and of course roast chicken, which is our favorite offering. To ensure a true comparison, we ordered the ceviche mixto and the medio pollo a la brasa just as we did at Piolin. We also ordered something new: arroz chaufa or Peruvian-style fried rice with beef, which was colorful and tasty and better than any other fried rice we've tried.

Arroz chaufa. Tastes much better than it looks here.

The roast half chicken, served with crisp tostones (double-fried green plantain chips), is just as good at Cora Cora as it is at Piolin--tender, juicy and flavorful, it's enough to make an amateur cook despair of producing anything half as delicious at home.

How do the Peruvians get their chicken so perfect?

The ceviche impressed us less, especially in comparison to the entrées and to Piolin's version. While the marinade had a nice balance of acidity from lemons and limes, and freshness from green herbs, we felt that the red onion overpowered the delicate flavor of the fish, calamari and octopus, and that there were not enough shrimp or mussels (only one mussel!) given the otherwise generous portion size.

Ceviche hiding under an onion blanket.

We washed it all down with a Corona--sadly lacking a lime--and a Cuzqueña, a Peruvian pilsner that complemented the food nicely. We were almost completely satisfied with our meal, except for one glaring omission: the green sauce! At Piolin, we poured this addictive sauce (whose main ingredient we have since been informed is huacatay, a green herb--thanks, Sergio) all over our dinners and still couldn't get enough. Here at Cora Cora, we were served a thick yellow sauce with our fat fried corn kernels that just didn't have the same fresh, spicy, creamy taste of Piolin's.

Service was attentive, friendly and prompt. When our bill came, we noticed a bit of a difference in price as compared to Piolin: tonight's meal came to $45 plus tip, while a comparable meal at Piolin cost $36 plus tip. Although Cora Cora serves delicious food at a reasonable price, we consider Piolin the winner of the Peruvian throwdown.

An Elmwood institution

Quaker Diner

319 Park Road, West Hartford

The Quaker Diner is a quintessential coffee shop. You know it already: walls covered in memorabilia, the staff that's been there for as long as you can remember, the sound of a metal spatula scraping pancakes off the griddle. You can sit at one of the booths or on a swivelly stool at the long counter facing the griddle and watch the short-order cook make eggs, bacon, toast, home fries, French toast and pancakes. Plus, you can always find an inspirational message on the blackboard, where daily one of the employees posts words of wisdom from "Life's Little Instruction Book." Part of the charm of a place like the Quaker Diner is its familiarity and the routine that you build around it. On Saturdays or Sundays, we head to the diner mainly for the Belgian waffles, which are crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and redolent of vanilla. During the Terrible Winter of 2011 we also walked to Quaker Diner in two feet of snow just for these waffles. Alas, that was when we learned that the waffles are only served on weekends. However, on that occasion, a griddled muffin almost satisfied the craving. 

Besides the waffles and the ambience, a good coffee shop also has to have good coffee (obviously), good eggs and good home fries. The Quaker Diner does all three very well. The coffee is delicious. Their omelets are huge and tasty and filled with high-quality ingredients. And the home fries are just as they should be--well-spiced, with a nice combination of chewy potato skin and soft potato flesh. The menu is typical diner fare--eggs, meat, potatoes--but has some nice surprises as well: a delicious Greek-style omelet special with high-quality feta, Sriracha hot sauce for your eggs, and turkey sausage nearly as flavorful and savory as its pork counterpart.

We typically order an egg dish each and split a Belgian waffle. We're partial to the egg sandwich and the turkey special omelet.

Before:

 Ham, egg and cheese on a hard roll and a Belgian waffle

 Turkey special omelet, home fries, rye toast and the aforementioned waffle

The Quaker Diner, of course, is an outstanding value. For three breakfast dishes, unlimited coffee, and orange juice, we paid $18 plus tax and tip. Warning: this place is packed on weekends and the wait can take 20 minutes--you could be awkwardly staring at someone while they eat and you wait. If you choose to eat at the counter, the wait is much shorter. Luckily, the service is fast and has always been friendly every time we've gone. 

After:

 Clean Plate Club

A little Peru on New Britain Avenue

Piolín
417 New Britain Ave.
Hartford

After a dark, cold, snowy and otherwise brutal winter, Hartfoodie has finally emerged from hibernation as the massive snow piles melt. (Yes, Hartfoodie fans, we have heard your pleas for more pithy restaurant reviews; we cannot ignore our adoring audience.) Seeing as we poor teachers can't afford a real trip south to Peru for spring break, we decided that an excursion to Piolín in Frog Hollow (Behind the Rocks?) was the next best thing.

In terms of ambience, Piolín has little to recommend it if you're looking for chic and trendy. However, if you're willing to put aside your granite-countertop-and-stainless-steel-appliance sensibilities in favor of embracing a friendly urban neighborhood bodega, then Piolín is for you. The exterior is unprepossessing--it's hard to miss (let's leave it at that) and there's little off-street parking. However, what it lacks in sophistication it makes up for in charm.

Inside, we were immediately greeted with a smiling "Hola" from a waiter and directed to a table that was, unfortunately, next to an immense TV tuned to CNN en español at top volume. On a Friday night at 7:00, the restaurant was almost full of presumably Peruvian families--lots of children, babies bouncing in fathers' laps, tíos and abuelos grinning at their younger descendants. Many of them appeared to know the servers personally. This seems to be truly a neighborhood eatery, a place where the local Peruvian community gathers. As non-Hispanic outsiders, though, we still were welcomed with warm smiles.

Inside, it's clear that the owners take pride in their restaurant. Decor is basic, but the walls are painted in cheery colors and adorned with sufficiently "native"-looking paintings and the obligatory mural of Machu Picchu. In our experience, the TV at Piolín is always on. In the past it has been tuned to Hispanic music channels; on this night we were bombarded with news in Spanish.

The menu is bilingual, and so is the staff. The default seems to be Spanish but we've never had problems communicating with our servers. Peruvian cuisine has lately been touted for setting trends in the fusion of Latin American and Asian foods. A sampling of the menu items included several varieties of fried rice, pasta, steak, roasted chicken, and of course ceviche. We've eaten at Piolín several times and have always ordered the same thing, without regrets: Ceviche Piolín, an enormous plate of the classic Peruvian dish (raw shrimp, mussels, calamari, octopus and white fish marinated in citrus and spices), garnished with fried calamari, and the roast chicken platter. The ceviche in itself is enough to come back to Piolín for again and again. The seafood always tastes fresh, and we adore the variety of flavors on the plate--sweet and succulent shellfish, tangy citrus, savory and creamy corn and sweet potato, crispy calamari--all with just enough spice to intensify the flavors without overwhelming them. The roast chicken is some of the best we've ever had (and we know, because we've eaten a lot of roast chicken). It's moist and savory and tender and incredibly flavorful. Plus, it looks great, especially on a king-sized bed of french fries.

This is a meal best washed down with a Corona. Nothing else will do.

Also, we must mention the green sauce. This sauce deserves its own paragraph. The waitress said that the proper name for it is ají verde. We have no idea what's in it, and we don't care. It tastes damn good on everything. We ate it on bread, we put on ceviche, we dipped our fried calamari and french fries in it, we poured it on our salad, and we smothered our chicken in it. (Then we just took shots of it.) It's creamy, light, tangy, slightly spicy, and fresh-tasting. It seems like cilantro should be a main ingredient, but we're sure there's some special Peruvian element that we can't begin to fathom that makes it so incredibly delicious. Did we mention that it goes with everything?

Service was a little lacking this evening; it wasn't always prompt. We waited for our Coronas for longer than we wanted to, as we ate the complimentary bread and fried corn and wished for something to wash them down with. The chicken was served before the ceviche appetizer--a definite faux pas which has never happened before in the other three or four times that we've eaten here. After we'd finished eating, we had to flag down the server to take away our plates. To be fair, the restaurant was busier than we've ever seen it, with almost all the tables full and a constant stream of takeout orders.

This is not a white-tablecloth type of establishment, and we're okay with that, because the service is friendly, the food is fantastic, and it's a tremendous value. The ceviche, at $13.99, is a meal in itself. The two of us have never been able to finish the whole plate. The whole roasted chicken platter, complete with french fries and salad, was more than enough for two, and also cost only $13.99. We brought home with us a lump of ceviche, a quarter chicken, and enough french fries to feed us for a week. Our bill came to only $36.00, not including tip. It's good to know that even in the doldrums of winter, it's only a short drive away to authentic South American cuisine.

A "smack" in the wallet

BESITO
46 S. Main St. (Blue Back Square)
West Hartford

As an upscale Mexican franchise, Besito is a restaurant not entirely in keeping with the spirit of this blog. Our aim has been to discuss restaurants that are off the beaten path, and Besito, newish, trendy and almost always crowded at its West Hartford Center location, certainly isn't that. However, the opportunity arose for us to go, and we decided to appease our public's clamoring for a new post. (Wink, wink.)

The bar at Besito

Although neither of us had been very impressed by previous experiences at Besito, we tried to approach this most recent visit with an open mind. And walking in the front door is indeed pleasing: the simple white walls, heavy iron chandeliers, and flickering candlelight are classy. At around 8 pm on a Saturday night, both the bar and the restaurant were bustling with a well-dressed clientele whose ages appeared to range from mid-twenties to early sixties. Besito is easy on the eyes, for sure. However, we were then immediately put off by the service staff greeting us with "Hola" and heavily pronouncing the h. It's probably worth mentioning that one of us is fluent in Spanish and something of a professional appreciator of Hispanic cultures. We're trying hard not too be snobby about this, but we think we're justified in saying that this cutesy and phonetically dubious welcome didn't reflect the rustic elegance of the restaurant itself. The music--Caribbean salsa and bachata, not the classical guitar one might expect given the ambience or indeed Besito's website--also struck an off-note. Then, once we were seated at our table, our waiter continued the pseudo-Hispanic shtick, addressing one of our party as "señorita" and asking for her ID when she was obviously the most senior of all present. Nor did we appreciate his transparent attempts to upsell us by recommending the costlier items on the menu, before he asked us what we actually wanted. This superficially unctuous service grated on our nerves for most of the evening, particularly because we felt that more important details were overlooked. We were ready to order our dinner within five minutes of being seated, but we were made to wait twenty minutes to actually place the orders, trying to find space on the table to put our huge menus. The division of service among staff was also strangely rigid: the ingratiating waiter was apparently there to take our order (though not in a timely fashion) and annoy us, while a second, rather saturnine server made guacamole tableside, another brought us our drinks, still another brought out our dinners, yet another brought our second round of drinks (but did not clear the empty glasses), and a sixth person bussed our empty dishes. The result was many interruptions and odd lapses in service that could have been avoided with a smaller but better-trained service staff.

Blue corn and crab-crusted grouper

The food was good enough to prevent the mediocre service from infecting our otherwise enjoyable evening. Besito's menu is kind of nouveau Mexican: fresh guacamole made tableside, tamales, enchiladas and tacos are all given a makeover, and the ingredients, from what we could taste, are fresh and high-quality. We felt that the menu was superbly balanced; there was a variety of new and unusual (for Connecticut) dishes that would tempt adventurous eaters, but also enough familiar dishes on offer to make most diners feel comfortable. The guacamole was delicious (grumpy masher aside), and a tamale de elote (corn tamale with seared shrimp) was a mouth-watering combination of sweet, succulent shrimp and savory, creamy corn. The enormous house salad was surprisingly good--the blood orange vinaigrette and crunchy jicama saved it from being ordinary--and fed three of us. For dinner, we chose a lobster enchilada in a delicately sweet tomato cream sauce; tacos of beef short ribs; and the star of the three dishes, blue corn and crab-crusted grouper with both a corn sauce and a pumpkin seed sauce. The portions were generous and the flavor combinations were very good--creamy, savory, sweet and spicy were well-balanced in all of the dishes that we tried. Besito's drink menu is worthy of mention as well: standouts were a house Patron margarita with pomegranate and tangerine juice, a tequila mojito, and a lager cocktail with tabasco, worcestershire sauce and lime juice. We were too full to order dessert, but our cravings for sweet to end the meal were satisfied by churros (fried dough sticks with sugar and cinnamon) served with the check and on the house.

$12 guacamole

And about that check. This meal for three people, with three appetizers, two rounds of drinks and three entrees, came to $178 before tip, or about $60 per person. We at Hartfoodie don't balk at paying triple digits for an excellent meal; however, was Besito that meal? The guacamole was excellent, but was it $12 worth of excellent? We feel that, in the end, Besito doesn't offer good value. The food was very good--but if you have a craving for good Mexican food, you could head down Farmington Avenue to Monte Albán and spend a less than a third of what we spent at Besito. We feel that most people, when they spend nearly $200 on dinner, expect a near-transcendent culinary experience, with exceptional, professional service and outstanding food that should be remembered long after the evening is over. Our dinner, though enjoyable, was not that experience. 

Shish-ful thinking

Shish Kebab House of Afghanistan
36 LaSalle Rd., West Hartford

We keep forgetting to bring our camera 

with us--pics are from a cell phone. Sorry.

I dimly remember going to the Shish Kebab House of Afghanistan in West Hartford on a high school field trip. My overwhelming impression of that first encounter with this restaurant was one of utter embarrassment as my classmates behaved like animals. I have no memory of the food, and had even forgotten that the restaurant existed until it was suggested that we go there for dinner. And even though this Afghan restaurant has been on LaSalle Road in West Hartford Center since 1988, and we've walked by it hundreds of times, it had never occurred to us to eat there and no one we know had ever said, "Hey, let's go get Afghan food." So we figured that, given its longevity, maybe the Shish Kebab House was a gem hidden in plain sight.

When you first walk in to the restaurant, you have to go up a flight of stairs to get to the bar area, which is pleasant in its way, with high ceilings, ornate chandeliers and atmospheric sitar music. The main dining area is set well away from the bar (the space is deceptively large and multi-leveled). The decor, while dated and not particularly chic, is muted enough to be inoffensive, and the many rugs on the floors, seating areas and walls give the expected "exotic" air. (Are they Persian rugs? We don't know. We do food.) We were amused, in the way that only over-educated people can be, by a plaque announcing Hartford Magazine's "Best of Hartford" award to the restaurant in the category of "Ethnic (Other)."

The menu promises much. The drink list is impressive. We appreciated the unusual martini and mixed drink list featuring exotic-sounding homemade syrups, and we were surprised to find wines like Malbec, Carmenere, Blanc de Blanc and even sake on the menu. The dinner menu also gave us much to think about. We were tempted by the descriptions of spice-perfumed meats and herb-laced vegetables, but a little disconcerted by the offerings of salmon and swordfish on a "traditional" Afghan menu... isn't Afghanistan a land-locked country? We can't speak with much confidence about anything Afghan, but we can say with almost total certainty that salmon is not a food native to the culture. After much debate, we decided to sample pretty much everything that caught our eye: pea soup, ashak (spinach and onion dumpling covered with chopped beef, yellow lentils, tomato and yogurt), beef shammi kebab, leg of lamb kebab with brown rice and spinach, and a vegetable platter of pureed pumpkin, potato in tomato sauce, eggplant with yogurt and mint, and spinach rice.

As we waited for our food and drinks to arrive, we munched on a flat bread--again, we don't know what this is called--that had a naan-like texture and a tang reminiscent of sourdough. Our drinks disappointed slightly: the Dark and Stormy was mostly dark and not enough stormy, and the homemade cardamom syrup featured in the voluptuously named Scarlett Johanssen was overpowered by sweet pomegranate juice. The appetizers were very generously portioned--probably their most redeeming attribute. The pea soup was vaguely tomato-y and insipid, and the unfortunate-looking shammi kebab, although it did come with a fresh-tasting sauce, had a sinewy texture. The ashak was arguably the best of the three due to its unique combination of flavors: a savory spinach filling contrasted nicely with a bright, tangy yogurt, complemented by the slight sourness of dry mint.

Ashak

Shammi kebab--hard to see, because it was dark,

but it kinda looked like a turd.

Our entrees were also hit-and-miss. The lamb kebab was nicely seared and full of lamb flavor, but we felt it needed more spice or marinade to kick it up a notch; the spinach that we ordered with it looked and tasted like it came out of a can. On the vegetable platter, the pumpkin puree was too sweet and not savory enough, while the eggplant was cooked to near-mush and the potato was completely forgettable. However, the spinach rice was delicious, with a tender, moist texture. The brown rice was similarly textured but somewhat less flavorful.

Up until this point, we hadn't paid much attention to the service, which usually means that the waitstaff are doing their jobs adequately. But as we waited for over 15 minutes for a server to clear our plates, we reflected on other, smaller oversights--a tardy welcome at the host station; a waitress forgetting to clear our appetizer plates before attempting to serve our entrees; an obtrusive filling of water glasses; the noticeable absence and, later, apparent disappearance of our main server. By the time she brought our check, we were anxious to leave.

Perhaps our hopes were too high. But between inattentive service, mediocre food and questionable value (we paid almost $100 for this meal), we are left wondering why the Shish Kebab House of Afghanistan is still in business--especially in a city where so many other great restaurants can be found.

Pho sho

PHO 206
206 Park Rd., West Hartford

On an idyllic late summer evening, one of us had a craving for pho, the Vietnamese meat and noodle soup. (We should say right here that we are not experts in pho, or in anything else food-related; we just like food. So if we're not accurate in our descriptions, and it bothers you, um, too bad. Write your own blog. Or just refer to Wikipedia for a more detailed definition of pho.) So we went to Pho 206, knowing nothing about it except that it was the closest Vietnamese restaurant in the area.

Walking into Pho 206 is kind of like walking into someone's living room--wood paneling, dated carpet, lots of plants (cacti, bamboo), melon-colored accent paint, and a small fish tank in the back where enormous fish fight each other for food. We should point out that we found none of this off-putting. It looks exactly as a neighborhood pho shop should look: comfortable, unpretentious, and homey.

And the food--oh, the food! We ordered shrimp fresh rolls, wrapped in cool rice paper with basil and sprouts. The accompanying spicy, smooth peanut sauce gave them heat and a delicate savory-ness that complemented the sweet freshness of the rolls. Next, we ordered beef pho, one regular and one spicy, which arrived with the usual plate of condiments: basil, sprouts, chili pepper, and lime. We added hoisin and sriracha from the tray of sauces already on the table (which included fish sauce and soy sauce as well), but the pho really needed nothing to boost its flavor. The broth was fragrant with ginger and basil, light and perfect on a cool summer evening; the tender beef and deeper notes of umami in the broth, rich, satisfying and almost indescribable, had us both thinking that this would also be the perfect dinner on a cold, dark winter night. The spicy version of this pho had all the same virtues with more intense heat that cleared our sinuses and left our noses running (in the most pleasant way possible). Next to these harmonious flavors, we almost didn't notice the rice noodles, which were perfectly cooked and added structure to the brothy mix--even though they did cause a little chopstick trouble for one of us. We were so excited about the pho that we didn't remember to take a picture of it until we were almost done with it... so, no visual aid here, sorry.

We were so enthralled with the pho that we almost forgot about our next course, but the waitress was kind enough to wrap our leftover pho for us so we could move on to our grilled pork noodle and Vietnamese chicken pancake. The pork was the star of the first dish: tender, marinated to perfection, and hitting all the right notes of salty, sweet and hot. Next to the pork, the rice vermicelli, basil, lettuce and peanuts seemed a little uninspiring, but we remedied this by adding a sweet carrot sauce, hoisin, and sriracha.

Grilled pork noodle

The pancake seemed more like a fritter than the crepe we were expecting, but was quite satisfying nonetheless, filled with seasoned chicken, sprouts, and onions. The pancake's crispy outer layer added a new dimension of texture to the meal and absorbed the carrot sauce without losing its crunch. Needless to say, we ate it all.

Chicken pancake

The restaurant is small and quiet: at one point, the only noises we heard were slurps, sniffs and low moans of pleasure from the few other diners as they enjoyed their pho. The meal was an incredible bargain, coming in at less than $40, not including tip, for five generously-portioned dishes. The service was swift and polite--our server was gracious but not servile or overbearing, and the food came out of the kitchen quickly. Given its value and convenience (safe and abundant on-street parking is also free), we'll definitely be coming back to Pho 206 soon... pho sho!