TaffyAnne

You are the coolest. Why don’t you write?

Love,

Forsaken in NY

You must learn to appreciate the abuse.

This is like a compressed version of NYC. I love it. You walk in, you give the number of people in your party, the host glances around at a sea of potential seats, barks a table number at you, waves in some nebulous direction—and then you damn well better find it. Once seated, you have all of 1.5 minutes to figure out what you’re having, because the waiter will suddenly appear at your table, bearing spongey little creampuffs, and basil and limes and beansprouts. And if you miss your opportunity to speak, you’re screwed.

Be decisive. Feeling pressured? Go for a small or medium #2. DO NOTHESITATE. Do not ask: “Is the pho tai nam better than the Chin Nam?” Or make extraneous comments: “Wow, I’ve never tried tripe before.” Just don’t do it. You will lose that server and sit there in Soup Purgatory, watching bowl after steaming bowl parade past you, for a good twenty minutes.

These people appreciate decisions. And this soup is worth it.

The new Ballard location just isn’t nearly as good as the Capitol Hill or University Village location. You don’t get nearly as much abuse and I think the soup suffers for it.

Great music. Always a good playlist. I’m not a huge record store fan, but they hooked me. It’s tres hipster, but overlooking that, it’s an institution and I like their coffee. And their servers are always nice, if a bit perfunctory in that diner-sort-of-way and you really wouldn’t want it any other way, would you?