My wife and I set out to run some errands in Willi and then get some fast food, but as we approached those familiar arches the sense of impending dread in our souls welled up like an overflowing sewer. "Let's drive down main street and see what's open," my wife chimed, so off we went. A few minutes later we quickly spotted Pho Delight, circled around to park, and headed on in. The friendly staff greeted and seated up immediately. Their dining room and bar areas were tidy and comfortable with about a dozen tables, and they were doing a pretty decent business for a cold and rainy Wednesday night. The menu had a familiar mix of Thai dishes, along with a section of soups and various kinds of pho. We decided to keep things familiar for a first visit, ordering appetizers of spring rolls and coconut shrimp, and for entrees a bowl of beef pho and yellow chicken curry, all to share.

The appetizers came out quickly and piping hot straight from the fryer. Spring rolls were crunchy with a fresh veggie filling, accompanied by the usual sweet-and-fishy dipping sauce. Coconut shrimp really smelled and tasted like fresh coconut and were also perfectly cooked with a clean shrimpiness; their dipping sauce was a sriracha-infused mayo. The pho was a generous bowl of broth, noodles, scallions, cilantro, and beef slices, with the customary accompaniments of basil, bean sprouts, sliced hot peppers, and a lime wedge. The yellow curry was a rich coconut-milk based sauce swimming with slices of chicken, onions, carrots, and potatoes, along with a side of jasmine rice. Both entrees were simply terrific, executed and seasoned perfectly with a clean, clear mouth feel.

Chatting with our server we learned that the restaurant had been here for a few years, but very recently was sold to a new owner who redecorated the dining room and redesigned the menu. That owner, a young man named Sitta, introduced himself and told us of his upbringing in southern Thailand and subsequent graduate studies in China (he speaks English well, along with Mandarin and his native Thai). When I mentioned that it seemed out of place for a Thai restaurant to serve pho, he reassured us that pho is common street food in Thailand, and that their Thai version is generally simpler and has fewer ingredients than Vietnamese pho. I guess you learn something new every day -- in any case, the pho here is delicious and can compete with any similar soup I've ever had.

All in all a great experience and we're going to have to dine here again and explore the menu more deeply. Highly recommended... I just hope that success doesn't overwhelm and spoil this little gem.