Bret M.
Yelp
I was in town to see my daughter take part in a school event. She was eating with her group and I was left to fend for myself on Valentine's Day. The first restaurant I tried made it clear I would be an imposition, so I moved on to Pho Nouveau. There was no blood sausage, otherwise everything was great as far as the food. (The Bun Bo Hue was perfectly spiced, not watered down, but also designed for eating and not just to show off how tolerant of heat you could be.)
I'm writing this review because it is extremely rare in my experience to receive service of the quality I received. There were two servers, both good, but mine, Alyssa, was incredible!
Alyssa was polite, efficient and welcoming. She noticed me instantly when I walked in and told me to sit wherever I liked. She was there in seconds to answer questions and take my order. Though she was fast, she did not make me feel rushed. At first I didn't take any more notice than this, but since I was by myself I was in a good position to see what was going on. First of all, Alyssa noticed and greeted every customer who entered almost instantly.
Secondly after delivering my order (very quickly by the way, especially considering how busy it was), she checked back after a minute or so to ensure that the order was correct and that I had everything I needed. I told her it was, but that from the first sip of my Stella draft I knew I would need a second before I left. She said "great" or something similar and I didn't think about it further, but later as I was finishing my Stella, no sooner had I put my glass down, she was there with another. This is what excellent service should be but rarely is: you're not really aware the server is even there, but somehow when you start having the thought "maybe I need a refill" the server is there, giving you a refill. And that was what this felt like.
I knew it was busy, so when I was finishing up I started thinking that I should ask for the check. I looked up and saw Alyssa across the room holding a check as she ambled by the tables, looking at each one as she went by. Did she not know who had asked her for their check? And then she got to me and I realized the check was for me! She was looking at the other tables so she could be anticipating their needs as well for them as she had done for me!
The other server was also very good: polite and efficient; but it was busy, and I could sense that he was feeling the pressure that that very busy-ness creates. Alyssa, on the other hand, had half the tables and seemed to be handling all of the to go business (which was more than the in person business) and yet she gave the impression she had all the time in the world!
When a neighboring couple wanted to memorialize their Valentine's day with a photo, Alyssa was happy to oblige, and then showed it to them with an offer of a retake if they liked!
I'm not likely to be back in Boise anytime soon, but with world class service like this, the least I can do is to call it out so that the locals who haven't been there can learn what they're missing, so that they'll make the decision to support a special local business!
Thank you, Alyssa, for a memorable experience!