Archived Article By Tom Fitzmorris Originally published April , 2006 Click here for the current edition Pho Tau Bay Reopens In Gretna Pho Tau Bay, almost certainly the most popular local cafe for the eating of the great Vietnamese noodle soup called pho, took a hard hit in the hurricane. All three of its locations were damaged too much to reopen quickly. The newest of them, on North Carrollton Avenue near Canal, had six feet of standing water for a couple of weeks, and will likely be a long time in reopening. Shortly after the storm, the family that owned the restaurants decamped for Cleveland, but said as they left that they would be back. That's a story I told to several hundred people who called, e-mailed, or checked this web site's FAQ page for news about Pho Tau Bay. The tone of many of the letters was that life would not be the same until at least one of these minimal cafes (but most particularly the original location on the West Bank) opened again. Well, it has opened again. Last week, Pho Tau Bay in Gretna, complete with original owners, reopened on an only slightly limited schedule (they close at 8:30 p.m.). And now the pho, and the grilled beef anc chicken and shrimp with cold noodles, and the other Vietnamese dishes are once again available. It certainly says much about the Vietnamese community, which has reopened restaurants in parts of town (New Orleans East, most notably) that I would not have guessed would be back in action for many months. And that makes 600 restaurants now open in the New Orleans area. The milestones keep on coming. 113 C West Bank Expy. 368-9846. © 2006 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com