Cramped quarters and long waits part of Pho Pasteur's signature style

There are about a thousand places to eat in Harvard Square. If you are willing to be a bit risky, Pho Pasteur is a good place to try. Located in The Garage, this Vietnamese eatery offers authentic cuisine at fair prices. But there are some things to consider before making this place your evening-opener:

If you arrive after 8 p.m., plan on waiting 20 minutes. A good way to kill the time is to head around the corner and down JFK street to Urban Outfitters or one of the other shops just around the corner. But be forewarned: When you go back after the 20 minutes, you'll be told to wait another ten or so. Maybe instead of Urban Outfitters, you should go to Finagle-a-Bagel to grab a quick snack. That way, you won't be starving and ready to pounce when you are told that you have longer to wait.

Speaking of waiting, even when you are seated, you won't get to order for yet another 20 minutes. We walked in to see this small restaurant, probably about the size of the lounge in most of the smaller Tufts dorms, and got just about the worst table in the house _ next to the bar, squeezed between two poles, and right by the door and the cash register.

Despite the small atmosphere and even smaller personal space _ we were about a foot from the people next to us _ perhaps a better table would make for a more pleasant experience. There are multiple levels to the restaurant as you get farther away from the bar, and the higher you go, the more personal space is available. At least the people up there seemed to be more comfortable.

Another perk to getting a table up high is that the noise level seems to be reduced. The problem, though, is that those few, elite tables are only for groups of four or more. This means that if you are planning on a nice evening with that special someone or trying to impress that person you have been waiting forever to go out with, you'll be hard pressed to come out with the result you desire. It is near impossible to have a personal conversation if you don't get one of the group tables, and if you're on a date, there's no where to sit but in the super-loud section.

So, even if after all this you keep the faith and stay to eat (we nearly left, until finally we were asked for our orders after a total of 50 minutes since first putting our name in with the host), the food is not as bad as the atmosphere. The white rice is fantastic, as far as the quality of sticky white rice goes. It is usually served with the meal, but you can ask to get it right away, so that after waiting nearly an hour you can whet your appetite.

Though we were new to Vietnamese food, we found our meals pleasant. The appetizer was summer rolls, a cold appetizer consisting of lettuce, shrimp (and pork if you desire) with bean sprouts all wrapped in a thin piece of rice paper served with a spicy peanut sauce. This appetizer was very refreshing and hit the spot.

For entr?©es, we ordered Grilled Shrimp served on vermicelli noodles ($6.95) and the Bo Beef Steak (at $17.95, the most expensive item on the menu). The Grilled Shrimp served on Vermicelli is exactly what it sounds like. Vermicelli is it is thin rice noodles, and they were served mixed with bean sprouts topped with the deliciously spiced and grilled shrimp (about five in the serving). To give the noodles more flavor, the dish was served with something resembling sweet and sour sauce (nuoc cham). And for even more flavor there are hot and sweet sauces already prepared and ready at the table. This dish was very tasty until the shrimp ran out, but then it became more monotonous.

As for the Bo Beef Steak, it is described as a sirloin steak, Vietnamese style. When it arrived it was not one steak, but two smaller steaks (each one was about six ounces). They are seared and then saut?©ed in garlic, black pepper, soy sauce and red wine. The steaks were basically small versions filet mignon. They were surprisingly tender and full of flavor.

The soy sauce and red wine combination makes for an excellent flavor _ it is like nothing you have tasted ever before. The dish is also served with slices of fresh cucumber and thin strips of celery and carrot.

As for the dessert menu, well, let's just say that it is a blessing that Ben and Jerry's is about 40 feet from Pho Pasteur (go for the "Sweet Cream & Cookies").

All in all, Pho Pasteur might be alright for lunch once in a long while, but only if the service really picks up and the waiting time to be seated, the hidden extra waiting time to be seated, and then the waiting time to order are eliminated. The only thing that was good about the service was the host and hostess are friendly and the water is refilled the second that your empty glass hits the under-sized table at which you are seated.

If you are planning on going to Pho Pasteur, make sure you have a lot of time and are with at least three other people so your chances of getting seated at one of the more desirable tables are improved. Otherwise, your time is better spent searching for another Vietnamese restaurant.