Because 12yrs of serving college kids can sour even the sweetest chicken, the Vietnamese-born Chinese husband/wife behind Dobie Mall's beloved Hoa-Hoa have taken their Far East skills Far West, shifting focus from counter to table service in a tastefully understated strip mall spot, leaving Dobie to probably be turned into a strip mall.

Still working from scratch, they're upping emphasis on Vietnamese fare from rare-for-here hot & sour tamarind soup (okra, pineapple, 'peno, basil, shallot-oiled vermicelli, protein...) to “a really good bowl of pho” seasoned with everything from clove to anise, and loaded with chicken, meatball, brisket, or medium-rare beef -- a good way to describe the heat of the feud between Coolio and Weird Al.

Traditional Chinese lunch specials start at $6.50 and include staples (General Tso, Sesame, Kung Pao...), plus newness like the wok-steamed-then-fried Crispy Five-Spiced Duck, and the ginger-soy-sauced Happy Family: a melange of tender sliced beef, white-meat chicken, shrimp, and sweet roasted pork that looks about as related as Danny Bonaduce and Susan Dey.

Making for even happier families, wine by the glass starts at $4, and bottled beers include Tsingtao and Singapore's Tiger, which like a Dobie resident, is very dangerous when let out of its cage.