41797 Nicole Ln
I was looking for an elusive restaurant the GPS said was around. I saw the Panera's sign and drove into the parking lot. Then I spotted Phonomenon 80 yards away. Corporate Panera's or independent Phonomenon? It was a no brainer. Support the local restaurants and more apt to offer non-cookie cutter foods.
Phonomenon's decor is uncharacteristically upscale, a shock from the typical divey utilitarian Vietnamese restaurants. In fact, it's more upscale than most restaurants I visit.
Grilled Pork Banh Mi. Phonomenon's banh mi skews from traditional with a long slender baguette truer to the traditional French baguette rather than the compact squat baguette. Even their use of coarse ground mild mustard as a condiment sets it apart. Good but different. It works to give the sandwich a sweet, mildly spicy, and savory oomph. The grilled pork fell short of the intensely char-grilled flavor I anticipated and it leaned toward the sweet rather than savory side. Overall it was a good banh mi if more Westernized version.
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