Battle 5, Pho All Seasons versus Pho Nhat II [Mesa] (jswatts review, 8/23 and 8/30)
Battle 5 takes us into the Dobson region, the first battle of MANY scheduled in the East Valley. Two unassuming restaurants in in west Mesa stepped up to dinner: Pho All Seasons on Southern near Mesa Community College, and Pho Nhat on Southern & Dobson Near Mesa Community College. Yeah, they're right down the street from one another. Both pho shops were new to me - being in a part of town I don't frequently visit. That said, we have already visited (and eliminated) Pho Nhat's other location in Tempe. Both restaurants were keeping things low key & casual... Pho Nhat is located in an ancient, iconic Taco Bell building.
Overall, none of this stuff really impressed me. I mean, sure, good enough - but that's pretty much it. No heavy hitters here. It's like a well-matched game between crappy football teams. Sure it's a good game, competitive, and perhaps fun to watch. But in the back of your mind you know neither would stand a fighting chance against a really strong team. SO declaring a winner here is kinda like that. And Pho Nhat gets my vote for the win, almost more because Pho All Seasons gave it away. See the reviews below...
Pho All Seasons (formerly Dragonfly Cafe) - Basically, all I can remember from this bowl of soup was BLACK PEPPER. WTF? I mean, I like a good peppery soup... and when I make a chicken vegetable soup at home I always overdo the pepper. That's just how I do it. But bascially, that's what this pho tasted like. Which just ain't right for pho. No idea if the underlying broth would hold up on its own. See the dark spot in the middle of the picture below? That's the pepper I'm talking about. Weird! Otherwise, might have been a contender. Guess we may never know. Everything else was well executed.... Nonetheless, the place had some curious (sorta perfect) goofy live music, just a guy & his casio keyboard singing cheesy cover songs.
Pho Nhat in Mesa - Same basic deal as the ASU Pho Nhat - but somewhat better execution. (See Battle 2). Not quite so salty as the other place. I'd call this a 'pretty good' staple pho, good enough to win this particular battle. Grand scheme of things, it's pretty middle-of the pack. yum, but not YUM! Note that I forgot to take a picture of the menu for the location on Southern, so grabbed the old pic for the spot near ASU. If you're in the mood for Pho Nhat, I'd pick the one on Southern - at least from my limited experience.
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