State Street Eats: Pho Plus

A Culinary Adventure

THUMP THUMP THUMP

“Wake up!”

THUMP THUMP THUMP

“Let’s go!”

It’s noon and someone is pounding on my door, shouting like a lunatic. I open the door. It’s my attorney. He is disheveled, unshaven.

“Good, you’re awake. What’s your hourly rate?”

“My hourly rate? I’m salaried.”

He sighs, still in a state of agitation. He looks me up and down.

“We’ll just say it’s half of what mine is. Get in the car.”

I was about to break for lunch, so the timing works for me. We load up into his ‘81 Corolla hatchback. The rust around the wheel wells has recently been spray-painted brown in an attempt to match the rest of the car.

“Where are we going for lunch?”

“Lunch? You fool. You simpleton. This is not a social call. I need you for an emergency karaoke sesh.”

I give him the side eye.

“I know what you’re thinking, but don’t worry, it’s entirely billable.”

“Are we meeting one of your clients there? Another Japanese ‘businessman’?”

“No, I’ve got a big time mental block. I feel like I’m holding in a sneeze. I need to get this out of my head. Tell me, have you kept up on your Bone Thugs? Please be honest, it’s a perishable skill.”

He doesn’t wait for a response. He just starts singing.

“See you at the crossroads, crossroads, crossroads. See you at the crossroads, crossroads, crossroads.”

We pull up to the karaoke place. The sign on the tinted door reads “OPEN”.

We get out and I see that we’re next door to a pho restaurant. My stomach growls.

“Hey man, I really need something to eat if I’m going to get my Bizzy Bone on.”

He bounces on the balls of his feet, looking back and forth.

“Okay, I guess. But I probably can’t get my client to pay for it. He hates the Vietnamese.”

We go into the restaurant and are seated immediately. The dining room is mostly full. A pretty girl takes our order. We both ask for the large pho with beef.

“So, what’s really going on, man?”

“What do you mean?”

“You seem pretty agitated. Is work going okay?”

“Work? Yes, work is going great. I’m killing it at work.”

“Something else?”

He considers the question and my trustworthiness.

“It’s this plumber. He did some work for me on one of my properties a while back. Then last week I find out that he has placed a contractor’s lien on it. I’ve been back and forth with his attorney. The guy’s a real shark. He’s got me by the balls.”

“Didn’t you pay him for the work?”

“The check bounced. I had planned to move some funds to that account, but I got the timing wrong. It’s all very technical. Don’t concern yourself.”

As we discuss his circumstances and why his standard practice definitely is not check kiting, our food arrives.

Steam rises from the bowl of broth that covers a ball of white noodles topped with shaved beef. We add our bean sprouts and various sauces. I tuck in, slurping up the noodles.

“You know,” says my attorney, “it’s bad manners to do that. Just bite them off and let them drop back in the bowl.”

I keep eating. The waitress comes by three times during the meal to top off my Diet Coke.

“That was delicious,” I say.

“Yes, it really hit the spot.”

I stand.

“Okay, man. Karaoke time?”

“You know what. I think I’m okay. Maybe I was just hungry.”

We pay and head outside. My attorney looks at his Submariner, glinting gold in the sun.”

“Now that we have a bit of extra time, do you mind giving me a haircut?”

“No problem, man.”

We head back to my place.

Pho Plus is located at 908 S State Street in Orem.