Story Archive

Dragon Attack

A new restaurant “coming soon” in Keene, N.H., promises “Creative Vietnamese Cuisine”. Pho (pronounced “fuh”), a popular noodle soup in Vietnam, is also a major American fad. Owner Isabelle Jolie put up a sign in the window with her chosen name, as noted on the lease signed last April: “Pho Keene Great”. Not so fast, says City Manager Elizabeth Dragon: not only does the name sound like a profanity, Jolie didn’t have city permission for a sign. “They were informed the name would be problematic” before Jolie signed the lease, Dragon said — effectively the restaurant’s landlord as it’s housed in the same city-owned building as city hall. Jolie, who says the name is not a problem if pho is pronounced properly, has removed the sign, but the city and owner are still at a stalemate over the name: “We plan on opening the business and not changing our name,” Jolie says, but Dragon says Jolie has postponed a meeting with her. (RC/Keene Sentinel) ...Jolie’s delay is due to coming down with a pho cough.