Rochester, NYVietnamese

A small counter on Lyell Avenue, on Rochester's west side, handed the title Best place to pho-get your troubles in CITY Magazine's Best of Rochester staff picks. Abby Quatro rests the whole case on the broth: clear as glass, she writes, but with layers so complex you will feel like you are chasing ghosts. There is no social-media polish to any of it, which is part of the appeal. Order a bowl of pho; the broth is the reason to come.

The Jefferson Road sister to SEA, out by RIT, run by head chef Nalee Phommachanh with owner and sister-in-law Vilay Sysavath. In 585 Magazine, Sarah Killip reports the broth is made in a pot Phommachanh says runs three quarters the size of her body, twenty quarts simmering almost twenty-four hours with cinnamon, cardamom and rock sugar. Killip called her seafood pho, ordered with the richer chicken broth, absolutely incredible, and named the fried combo of shrimp and squid with bell pepper, jalapeno and scallions her favorite dish. Order the seafood pho with chicken broth and the angel wings.

The newest room from the SEA family, on Mount Hope Avenue, and the one that skips pho on purpose. 585 Magazine's Naz Banu found a heartier, nontraditional banh mi built on housemade rolls with a lightly crisp exterior and a chewy interior rather than the usual crustier baguette, at eight or nine dollars. Every one arrives with pickled carrot and daikon, cilantro, mayonnaise and pate. Order the house banh mi with pork belly and cha lua, or the tofu version with housemade mushroom pate, and add the rice porridge.