Battle 4, Dong Phuong Saigon Bowl versus Noodles Ranch (jswatts review, 8/4 and 8/17)

The fourth and final round-one battle of the Midtown region focused on two very different restaurants in south Scottsdale: Dong Phuong Saigon Bowl at the corner of Hayden and Roosevelt, and Noodles Ranch on Scottsdale and Thomas. Both pho shops were new to me - being in a part of town I don't frequently visit. Dong Phuong is a modest, no frills little neighborhood outfit in a drab strip mall. That's opposed to Noodles Ranch - which is a rather nice (if small) operation in a newer strip mall and definitely having more of a "Scottsdale" scene to it (clean, nicely decorated, oriented toward somewhat-more-upscale patron). 

Slightly better competition in this battle than most of the previous midtown battles. Ended up with pho tai chin (rare, thinly sliced beef and beef brisket) at both places. While Dong Phuong served up a perfectly respectable bowl of pho - bottom line is that the Noodles Ranch pho was *really* quite good. SO, advancing from this battle is some good stuff from Noodles Ranch. Interestingly enough, this is the first battle where the pictures don't clearly indicate a winner. usually, so far, a good looking pho corresponds to a good tasting pho. Both looked good this time... in fact Dong Phuong may even have a slight edge. But still, we're not judging looks - there's just been a strong correlation between looks and taste up to this point. 


Now for the quick reviews. Dong Phuong sorta reminded me a lot of Pho Nhat (see Battle 2). A smooth, moderately fatty, fairly salty broth. Maybe has the MSG flavor - though I really just don't trust my instincts well enough to ID that with great confidence. Good meats. Good serving size, good veggies. Overall, good stuff - just not great or extraordinary in any way. Like I said, similar to Pho Nhat, with maybe a slightly better overall result. 

Had to wait a few minutes on a Friday night to get a table at Noodles Ranch - the place was hopping. And the service was... discombobulated. I get the sense that if the place was half full, they'd have run a very tight ship. But with a full house, their rhythm was off and mistakes were made. No biggie, just sayin'... BUT nonetheless, the pho was fantastic. Top tier stuff all around,  perhaps reminiscent of one of our top performers in the midtown region (Pho Ao Sen). Beefy broth! not salty or MSG-ish at all. Really, a unique and very good broth recipe. Tasty meats, veggies, & just-right noodles. This was a high-dollar pho, around $9, but totally worth it. Nice work in the kitchen, Noodles Ranch! (watch out for parking lot antics by the throngs trying to get into Lo-Lo's Chicken & Waffles a couple doors down...)