Tibet Pho (Woodstock) — Restaurant in Town of Woodstock

Longtime Woodstockers will remember MarLee Wang as, the indomitably accommodating face of Little Bear who, for decades, greeted you with a quick turn on her heels at the door. No such person exists at the current incarnation Tibet Pho, as the curious mulled about the entryway, bunched together as we all kept eyeball tabs on who was next. We were afloat.

Eventually seated at the downstairs area overlooking the stream, already fully packed just before 6:00 with customers checking out Woodstock’s newest restaurant, voices ricocheted like zinging bullets. Tidbits of gossip, political opinions, and info blurts reached our table from others due to the excitement and lack of any material—floor, ceiling, walls—to soak up any sounds. I’d eaten plenty of times in the past here at the Little Bear and sotto voce was always a doable. This time shouting for a hotdog at a ballgame between me and my partner was de rigueur. Hubbub of the new? Perhaps.

Two overworked servers kept their cool among the dozen plus tables they had to manage. While streams of just-out-of-the-package small Tibetan prayer flags festooned the dining area, a decorative touch meant to evoke Asian authenticity, whose ability to keep focus among the din, and being clearly short-staffed, was amazing. (Vietnam and Tibet are over 2,600 mile apart, so the restaurant's name and dishes it serves remains a meaningless but benign conundrum.)

Restaurants are of course about two things: first the staging, second the food. Spring rolls were light, tasty, and the sauce truly fine. A bowl of Porkchop Pho was also tasty, but with these reservations. A definite paucity of sprouts, just a meagre tossing. These are elemental to texture, taste, and a vegetal counterbalance to the meat. The meat, I’m used to traditional heaps of flat, thin strips visible at the surface which darken before your eyes in the steaming hot broth. These were thick, short, and chewy. The order of Tibet Pho Special was definitely yum, the pork tender, the vermicilli nicely done. Sauces here were great.

The plus of this restaurant is that it is a welcome step away from the shameless bougie eating establishments that now litter the town for people who, to filch from Steely Dan “wouldn’t even know a diamond if you held it in your hand,” highly priced joints designed for folks who are more than willing to unhand their money for half-baked goods. This place was light on the wallet, and I was happy to leave a decent tip. Plus, having lived in town for over half my life already, I was also happy to recognize and know at least half the patrons, all of us stopping in to check out one of our old haunts. As my partner and I were leaving, one of the two servers was jarringly screaming at the top of her lungs about a take-out order into the kitchen. Whoa, check that too, too human fury! Right now, the place is a bit of a creaky ship, and a very loud one at that, and we shall see if it hires the additional staff it sorely needs, and becomes a local haven for the...

I really love the atmosphere here—it’s warm and inviting—and the service is always excellent. The food itself is tasty, but I was disappointed by the lack of options for specialty diets. All of the dipping sauces for the spring and summer rolls contain gluten, and the only one that doesn’t has fish sauce, so it isn’t vegan. That meant my summer rolls ended up a bit dry and not very enjoyable.

It would make a big difference if they offered at least one gluten-free vegan sauce—something as simple as tamari, which tastes similar to soy sauce, would open the menu to a much wider audience, including those with gluten allergies.

Aside from that, the dishes I tried were great, and the atmosphere really can’t be beat. I would come here much more often if there were more gluten-free vegan options, but since there aren’t, I only stop by...

My husband and I went on a Sunday evening. The four shrimp summer rolls lacked sprouts and crunch. The peanut sauce reminded me of peanut butter. Everything fell apart as we tried dipping into this sauce. The grilled lemon grass chicken vermiceli lacked any flavor. The only greens were cut salad. No carrots, cucumber, or sprouts. We were offered a chili or ginger carrot sauce. The latter was the best. I missed the traditional sweet vinegar sauce. My husband ordered a Tsingtao. He received the bottle: no glass. Upon request, the server offered him a small jam jar. He also had to ask for a fork as he was not comfortable with chop sticks. The setting, next to the stream is beautiful. Service was prompt and friendly. The restaurant does charge an extra 3% for credit cards. We were...