Plenty pho everyone

Here, pho lies at the heart of the menu, and for good reason. The owner, Sumon Suwan, has been cooking pho for a long time; his last restaurant, in Woburn, was named Pho #1. Pho 'n Rice has 16 versions of pho on the menu, swimming with chicken, beef, duck, seafood, and vegetables.

Pho is a perfect recession meal: Most large bowls of the soup seem bottomless, big enough for two meals, and even the most expensive, duck noodle soup ($8.95, below), is still a bargain. The soup arrives with a large leg of tender duck, and the broth is dark and pungent. Chicken pho ($7.95, large) is also stellar and like all versions, comes with bean sprouts and basil on the side. The menu is vast, with many versions of bun, vermicelli mixed with vegetables or meat, and other noodle dishes. Basil fried rice ($7.95) is a surprise hit.

Suwan is Vietnamese but he was born in Thailand, and his restaurant reflects that mixed heritage. Although Vietnamese dishes dominate, some Thai specialties make an appearance, including a pad Thai ($7.95) that runs sweet. Suwan is often buzzing around the restaurant, smiling, asking customers how they like their meal, throwing in a free soda with a takeout lunch. Every order over $30 triggers a free spring roll. Although it was more than a week between our two visits, the waitresses remember us, and greet us warmly.

There are some missteps. Tofu with peanut sauce ($8.95) is lukewarm and uninspiring. Chao tom ($7.95), a traditional Vietnamese delicacy of ground shrimp and sugar cane, according to the menu, is shunned by the adults at our table. It tastes rubbery and not particularly shrimplike, more like imitation chicken fingers - which is to say, our 3-year-old loves it. Summer rolls ($3.95) are uninspiring on one visit, mostly lettuce and vermicelli, with rare sightings of shrimp and tofu. But another night, they are perfectly proportioned. Chim chut ro ti ($8.95), roasted quail dripping with a garlicky, five-spice marinade, is so good that it leaves us intent on nibbling every little bit of meat from the tiny carcass. Somehow we don't finish them but the next night, cold from the fridge, they're still delicious.