Pho real: Vietnamese food reaches Boundary County

BONNERS FERRY — After hosting a busy soft opening, The Pho 9B Noodle Joint ironed out a few kinks before their grand opening on March 25. The newly remodeled building was steadily busy throughout the day as Boundary County residents stopped in to try the new restaurant.

One of the owners, Sandy Shannon, initially began cooking with friends who owned restaurants.

“They trained me when I was younger, and it started from there,” said Sandra Shannon, also called Sandy.

The Shannons moved from Oregon about a year ago to be closer to their grandchildren, who reside in Boundary County.

With more than 30 years experience, and about 25 years culinary experience in Greek, Mediterranean, Asian Fusion, and American Cuisine, they decided to bring their experience to the area and open a place for people to get a quick meal.

“We decided to sell our house and acreage in Oregon and buy a house here, and that is how I met Lori,” said Sandy Shannon. “She sold us our house.”

She and her husband, Jason Shannon, teamed up with Lori and Dave Allen to open up a restaurant offering a unique cuisine that was not served locally.

After some thought and discussion, the team came to the realization there was no place nearby that served Pho. They took the idea and ran with it, transforming the former Allen’s Property Management building into a functioning industrial kitchen.

“When we came up with the idea of Pho, we added the Yakisoba, it was a no brainer,” said Jason Shannon.

“When we came up with the idea for this restaurant, we were all sitting around watching a UFC fight on television,” said co-owner David Allen about how the group came together to produce the restaurant. “We just started talking about it.”

“We originally thought, maybe some Chinese cuisine,” said Sandy Shannon. “I still plan on running specials that include me serving homemade potstickers.”

The Shannons also own a food truck, currently located in Sandpoint, that they have been running over the past year, attending events and serving hungry customers on the go. They are considering bringing the food truck service to events in Boundary County.

“I went from managing a big restaurant and lounge, to saving up to get the food trailer, and then we went at it,” said Sandy Shannon.

“I would like to say to customers and potential customers, that we are making an Asian fusion, which is a Pho soup,” said Sandy Shannon. “We also do Yakisoba noodle bowls and teriyaki rice bowls.”

Everything that is served has been authentically cooked fresh in a Wok on site, hot and ready for consumption by the hungry.

“The Pho is naturally gluten free, as we use the naturally gluten free rice noodles,” said Sandy Shannon. “It is all hand prepared and fresh daily.”

The Noodle Joint not only brings the traditional Vietnamese food to the area, it brings a unique cuisine for residents and visitors to try.

“We make our own bone broth, vegetable broth, and we start off with the vegetable stock that we make ourselves and then we turn it into either a chicken or beef broth, or if it is a vegetable broth, we just leave it as it is with required seasoning,” said Sandy Shannon. “With the sprouts and fresh Basil in it, it is just wonderful.”

During their soft opening, it appeared to the chefs that they sold more Yakisoba bowls, but in the end, number crunches told the team they had sold more Pho noodle bowls.

“When we were preparing it, it seemed like there was a lot of the Yakisoba, but at the end of the two days, it was the Pho that won,” said Sandy Shannon.

The team had an overwhelming community response at their soft opening, and it assisted them in acknowledging shortcomings and finding a solution to them before their much anticipated grand opening.

Pho is considered the national dish of Vietnam. With its complex flavors, Pho brings a quickly served dish to those wishing to try it for the first time, on the go lunch or dinner, and for those looking for a quick healthy meal on the fly.

Pho consists of rice noodles, beef, chicken, or vegetable broth and a secret blend of spices with the option of the addition of bean sprouts, green onions, fresh Basil, and additional sauce options. It is traditionally called Vietnamese noodle soup or a noodle dish, as it is considered a main dish.

There is a wide variety of recipes used in each restaurant that serves Pho, with the likelihood of any two dishes tasting the same very low.

The history on the dish is unclear, as there is no written account of the recipes because the dish has been taught through the generations. The dish is thought to originate from when France colonized the region in the 1800s, making it a possible Vietnamese adaptation of a French soup called “Pot au feu.” The French term means “pot on the fire,” showcasing the hours of preparation required for the dish.

The Noodle Joint doesn’t only serve Pho, they also offer their popular Yakisoba noodle bowls. The bowls consist of wok stirred noodles with a vegetable and optional meat blend, mixed with their unique house made noodle sauce. They serve a teriyaki rice bowl with the options of chicken, beef, or the addition of vegetables, as well as the option for customers to add shrimp to any dish.

“All of our meat is sliced very thin and we marinate it overnight, everyday in our special marinade,” said Sandy Shannon. “It has a really great flavor to it.”

The secret ingredients to the dishes is unavailable to the public. However, they did spill the beans that they are non MSG and use garlic and ginger in their recipes.

Specials will vary and run throughout the summer as the team continues to plan for outdoor seating areas, encouraging customers to sit down and enjoy their food.

“We designed it for call-in orders mainly, but we gladly accept walk-in customers,” said Sandy Shannon. “We just want to be quick so that people on their lunch breaks and stuff can come and go, but at the same time, if we are super busy, there is no quickness. At that point, it is first come, first served.”

After the March 25 ribbon cutting ceremony, accompanied by members of the Chamber of Commerce, and the recent hiring another pair of hands, The Pho 9B Noodle Joint continues to iron out any kinks and provide the best food and service that they can for their customers.

The restaurant is located at 6397 Kootenai St., downtown Bonners Ferry, across from Mugsy’s Tavern and Grill. Their phone number is 208-267-2000 and they accept both call-in and walk-in orders. Their hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4-7 p.m.