Dong Phuong (14207 Chef Menteur Hwy, New Orleans, ph 504-254-0214 ), a favorite stop for cinnamon rolls, pork & jicama savory pies, coconut macaroons, hot french bread, and fresh bahn mi, is more than just a bakery.

The adjoining eponymous restaurant serves up a huge, $6.50 bowl of pho, redolent of star anise, cinnamon, ginger, and toasted onion.  Pho is all about the broth:  cheap versions taste mostly of salt & msg; hurried-along versions lack the velvety depth of slow-simmered stock; fast-food versions are too often watery and dull.  Dong Phuong’s pho is a standard-bearer.  If only it were closer to my house!