Battle 5, Pho All Seasons (Dragonfly Vietnamese Kitchen) vs Pho Nhat in Mesa (on Southern) (WuDeng Review)

Phở-enix Scorecard: Pho All Seasons vs Pho Nhat in Mesa (on Southern)

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The Pho 

    At Pho All Seasons, I ordered the Pho Tai, Chin Nac (with eye round steak and well-done brisket). At Pho Nhat (on Southern), I had the Pho Tai Nam (with rare beef and well-cooked beef). Essentially, I ordered the same bowl of pho at both Pho Nhat Tempe and Pho Nhat Mesa ... could one bowl be better than the other?

Broth

     The broth of the Pho All Seasons was ... it was .. well ... there was this pepper?! I am not sure I can honestly tell you what the broth tasted like, at least accurately, due to the amount of pepper sprinkled into the soup. I think (i.e., I am guessing) that the broth was of the lighter tradition, but with slightly more salty oils and fats than perhaps the refined broths of the top-tier shops. I also appreciated that this broth contained some green onion and chopped onion. It's lighter side and slightly veggie taste reminded me for a second of the Khai Hoan style broth. I remember having moments in which I sensed it was a rather nice home-made broth ... and then the pepper swooped in and destroyed all remaining taste. Here, I was really with a feeling of, "What if? What if there hadn't been all that pepper? Maybe one day we will know ... maybe one day."

     The broth of the Pho Nhat soup was the same broth served at Pho Nhat Tempe. It was not a thick broth, but it was oily and somewhat salty. However, it was not as salty as the Pho Nhat Tempe broth. Overall, I felt that the Pho Nhat Mesa broth was better balanced than the Pho Nhat Tempe broth. It is a nice, middle-of-the pack pho broth.

Noodle 

    The noodle at Pho All Seasons was relatively well-cooked, but perhaps a little overdone. There was a relatively large amount of noodle in this soup. In all honesty, though, I couldn't keep my mind off that pepper.

    The noodle at Pho Nhat Mesa was average. It started perhaps a little underdone, but was pleasantly cooked by the end of the meal. There was a large amount of noodle in the bowl.

Meats 

     The meats at Pho All Seasons were of slightly higher quality than the meats at Pho Nhat. However, I could be convinced that the rare beef was slightly better at Pho Nhat than at Pho All Seasons. I had a vague sense that Pho All Seasons served more meats in their soup than Pho Nhat.

     Overall, I might give the edge in meats to Pho All Seasons. However, the meats were relatively comparable. Again, I had a difficult time concentrating on soup elements at Pho All Seasons ..... concentrating through the pepper.

Herbs and Veg

      At Pho All Seasons, my fellow pho-natic and I were served a very large plate of fresh Thai basil, sprouts, jalapeno slices, and lime. The herbs were fresh and imparted the proper flavors to my soup. Unfortunately, none of them acted as natural pepper-scrubbers. 

     Like Pho Nhat Tempe, Pho Nhat Mesa serves a single plate with Thai basil, cilantro, bean sprout, jalapeno, and lime. The herbs were fresh and complimented the soup well.

Service and Ambiance

     The service at Pho All Seasons was decent. It was a bit slow and a little inattentive. However, the service did not bother me. Personally, I don't mind being left alone as long as the food arrives and my water and/or tea are re-filled. 

     The service at Pho Nhat was nearly non-existent. After my party ordered, we received our waters and eventually our food. The server never appeared again. My wife was very upset that her water was not re-filled, as she drinks a lot of liquids (especially in our desert home here in AZ). 

     In addition to the service, the ambiance at Pho All Seasons is better than at Pho Nhat. Pho All Seasons has a decent little spot in a predominantly Vietnamese and Korean shopping mall. The restaurant itself is not particularly note-worthy and a tad functional, but it is not a distraction. It is pleasant. I did appreciate that the restaurant had invited a musician to play some tunes for the diners. I also have to give points to Pho All Seasons for its proximity to The Streets, which serves the best milk tea and boba in Phx (period!). 

     Pho Nhat is a functional restaurant. It is bare, and may be a little dingy. Here, it is all about the soup.

Final Pho Sco' (1 -5)

     This final score comes with a caveat. The score reflects only the bowl of pho in this instance, and does not consider other factors. I am certain that the service and the vegetarian experience would change the result. I am also somewhat certain that removal of certain condiments would change this result.

Pho All Seasons           3.25

Pho Nhat                    3.25 - 3.5

It was ... it was ... the pepper! Pho All Seasons likely could have won this battle if were not for the use of an overpowering amount of pepper. The last-minute introduction of the over-zealous point guard from the bench lost the match.

If you can request that Pho All Seasons leave the pepper out of the pho, then you have yourself quite a nice bowl of soup (at least, I think so.). Moreover, I would return to Pho All Seasons over Pho Nhat (with the hope of limiting the pepper), because the service/ambiance and vegetarian experience tip the scales. At Pho All Seasons (sans pepper), I can eat a decent bowl of soup and take my lovely vegetarian wife for a good dinner (see veggie corner below). I just can't do this at Pho Nhat. But, in the context of the pho battle,  ....

Pho Nhat is winner Pho Dinner!

Vegetarian's Corner

Pho All Seasons...take your veggies!
My extremely lovely and attractive wife, who happens to be vegetarian, really enjoyed Pho All Seasons. She was presented with several nice options. Most importantly, though, she was able to order a vegetarian Vietnamese crepe. According to her, it was very tasty. You don't often find a restaurant that serves these crepes. This alone will bring us back.  

Pho Nhat...veggies stay away!

There are limited, mostly non-appetizing vegetarian options at Pho Nhat. My wife was limited to a pathetic plate of greasy fried rice. I felt guilty for taking her to Pho Nhat Mesa. 

Advise: Take your veggies to Pho All Seasons to try the Vietnamese crepe. 

Battle 4, Dong Phuong Saigon Bowl vs Noodles Ranch (WuDeng Review)

Phở-enix Scorecard: Dong Phuong Saigon Bowl vs Noodles Ranch

 

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The Pho

     At Dong Phuong Saigon Bowl, I ordered the Pho Tai Chin (with eye of round steak and well done flank) (P2 on the menu). At Noodles Ranch, I was able to order a Pho Tai Chin (with lean sirloin and brisket). I do like the option of brisket and the crunchy flank, wherever available.  

Broth

     The broth of the Dong Phoung soup was relatively thin, but was nevertheless rich. It contained noticeable oil and was quite salty. During the first quarter to half of the bowl, the broth did remind me of the Pho Nhat soup. It was less oily than the Pho Nhat broth, but saltier. I was concerned that these tastes would prevent the soup from picking up the more subtle flavors of the meats, herbs, and the lime. I was pleasantly surprised, though, when I noticed that, after ample "steeping time," the broth did pick up some of the herb and lime flavors. Overall, it is a pleasant broth that I would acquaint with a good "mom and pop" pho shop (It has a bit of a "comfort" taste imparted by the oil and the salt). 

      The broth of the Noodles Ranch soup was in the relatively "clean" tradition, but was pleasantly beefy as well. Thus, although it started somewhat clean, it was not overly light; it carried a nice beef flavor. It began somewhat round, with most flavor coming from the boiled bone and fats; I was able to taste the spices in the broth relatively well too. I was very pleased that it was not overpowered by salty or MSG-umami flavors. I got a very nice sense of the raw flavor of this broth. It then became more robust and piqued as it took on the herb flavors and the fats from the meats. Overall, this pho broth was a well-made, hand-crafted broth. I enjoyed the basic, clean flavor, as well as the more robust flavor as it continually took on flavor throughout the meal. 
Noodle

     The Dong Phuong folks pack their bowls of pho full with meats and noodles, particularly the noodles. I received a full bowl with heaps of noodles. I registered more noodle than meats in my bowl of soup. The noodles were cooked rather well. They did not become over done until I could see the bottom of the bowl. 

       The Noodles Ranch bowl contained plenty of quality noodle. Moreover, the noodles were cooked just right. They were not underdone, and they were not mushy by the time I reached the bottom of my soup. 

Meats

     The meats in the Dong Phuong soup were of moderate to good quality. I did enjoy both cuts, and I could distinguish between the two cuts with taste. I would rate the round steak and the well done flank slightly above average. I received a satisfactory amount of each cut in the bowl. 

     The meats in the Noodle Ranch soup were of moderate to good quality. I could taste the difference between the lean sirloin and the brisket. I do think that the brisket was a slightly lower quality cut than the brisket I have had at some other top-tier shops, though. The quantity of meats was sufficient. Herbs and Veg

    At Dong Phuong, my fellow Pho-natic and I each received our one plate of herbs. We were served fresh Thai basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, and a lime wedge. Wait a minute ... no pepper slices! The absence of pepper slices for my pho is a definite strike against Dong Phuong. The herbs I was given were relatively fresh. As I enjoy lots of herbs in my soup, I appreciated the basil and cilantro. I will note, though, that I also enjoy a subtle mint of some variety in my pho.

     At Noodles Ranch, we were served a plate of herbs with fresh Thai basil, bean sprouts, jalapeno slices, and lime. The herbs were fresh, and there was plenty for all. 

Service and Ambiance

     The Dong Phuong Saigon Bowl is a very friendly, family run shop. The decor and tables are simple. There is not much of an "ambiance" to discuss ... it is a rather plain, family-run pho shop ... nothing wrong with that. 

     The Noodles Ranch is a rather pleasantly decorated shop in a strip mall on Scottsdale Road. It can be a busy place. The large number of customers seemed to overwhelm the staff slightly. It took some time for our order to be taken, and the service was a little wonky. Nevertheless, service was very nice. I don't have a problem waiting for some tasty pho, especially when the owners and servers are doing well!

Final Pho Sco' (1 -5)

    Dong Phuong Saigon Bowl      3 - 3.25

    Noodles Ranch                     4 - 4.25

Vegetarian's Corner

Dong Phoung .... likely avoid

The vegetarian offerings at Dong Phuong are limited to Chinese (or Chinese-inspired) dishes, and do not include Vietnamese dishes (no soup for you!). My vegetarian wife had to order a Buddha's Delight, which was rather oily and not all-together pleasant.  

Noodles Ranch...worth a try if your veggie likes tofu in coconut curry

Noodles Ranch offers only three vegetarian dishes on their menu. The most hearty of the dishes, and the one I suspect most vegetarians would gravitate towards, is the wok-fried tofu in coconut curry sauce. Unfortunately, no one in our party ordered the dish. If this dish suites your veggie friends and loved ones, I say give the Ranch a try.

Battle 5, Pho All Seaons versus Pho Nhat II (Mesa)...

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.

Midtown Throwdown Regional, Round 1 Complete! Updated Bracket

      With the Midtown Throwdown Regional Round 1 in the books, let's take a moment to update the full bracket. If I could seed this region going into Round 2, I would place Pho Ao Sen as the #1 seed and Khai Hoan as the #2 seed. Looking at the bracket, we see that these pho heavy weights have to square off in Round 2. I predict a barn-burner, and perhaps some upset critics and readers.

Round 1 Midtown Region quick summary by jswatts (8/18)

We wrapped up the first round of the midtown region this weekend. Eight pho shops, has us one-quarter of the way through the first round. Here's some brief observations:

There seems to be only a couple of basic pho philosophies - with maybe 3/4 restaurants adopting some variation on a light, somewhat salty beef broth, which varies quite a lot in how much oil or fat is present. I think most, but not all of these incorporate MSG into the recipe. The remaining restaurants go for a darker, beefier broth. Both variants can be done very well, but given the current sample of restaurants, the darker phos (Pho Ao Sen & Noodles Ranch) really stood out. 

My top tier from this region includes Pho Ao Sen (top?), Khai Hoan, and Noodles Ranch.

The middle tier: Pho House, Dong Phuong, Pho Nhat. 

Bottom tier includes Pho Cao, Rice Paper (bottom?).


Winners advancing to the Sweet Sixteen: Pho Ao Sen vs Khai Hoan; Pho House vs Noodles Ranch. 

Looking forward to Round 2, but we're planning to complete the first round in the other regions before revisiting these restaurants. 

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...) 

Battle 3, Rice Paper vs Pho House (WuDeng Review)

Phở-enix Scorecard: Rice Paper vs Pho House

                                                                   

                                                                                                                                 

                  

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The Pho
    Neither Rice Paper or Pho House offer a great deal of pho options. At Rice Paper, I was forced to order Pho Tai (Pho with slices of rare beef); there were no other options for a traditional beef-based pho. At Pho House, I did have a few more options than Rice Paper, but not as much as some other establishments. I had the Pho Tai Bo Vien (with rare sliced beef and meat balls). 

    I have to include a note on price in this battle. These two combatants present the largest difference in price thus far in the competition. Rice Paper charges $9.00, while Pho House charges $5.50. As judgement, I will only say that I left Rice Paper hungry, while I left Pho House with a full belly. 

Broth

     The Rice Paper pho was subtle, paper-thin subtle. It held only a few flavors, and almost none of those rich umami flavors. I could taste passing hints of the delicious oils, fats, and salts that are central elements to a good pho broth, but those faint hints suggested that the bones were not boiled and steeped long enough. Also, if you look at the photo of the soup, you can see that the broth included almost no other green herbs or veggies. I could taste a few of the other spices, such as anice, in this light broth. However, the soup had to steep for most of the meal before it picked up the flavors of the fresh herbs, lime, and rare beef. 

     The Pho House soup had a rich broth aligned with the oily and salty tradition of pho creation. You cannot label this broth subtle; on the contrary, you might be able to call it fatty. In fact, you can even see the oils rising to the surface of the broth in the photo. That deep yellow brown color doesn't lie! I would also note that this rich broth was sweeter to the taste than the other oily, salty broths we have reviewed. Perhaps the rich, salty, and sweet flavor of this broth is due to our old friend MSG? No matter ... it is still a tasty broth. In addition to the savory flavor, this broth still managed to grab the flavors of the fresh herb and lime after some time steeping. 

Noodle

     The Rice Paper soup contained a decent amount of noodle. I would have appreciated a little more for my money, though. I have to admit that I don't really recall the flavor or the consistency of these noodles. Overall, I conclude that the noodles were not memorable. 

     The Pho House soup contained a sizeable amount of noodles. At soup's beginning, the noodles were probably slightly undercooked. By soup's middle and end, they were perfectly done.     

Meats

     The Rice Paper soup contained a fair amount of the sliced beef. It was high-quality meat, and was well prepared. Overall, I did thoroughly enjoy the meat in my soup. However, the rare beef did take some time to cook in the soup, because Rice Paper did not serve their Pho hot. 

     The Pho House soup contained a fair to large amount of meat. The slices of rare beef were decent quality, while the meatballs were somewhat poor quality. I rarely order the meatball in my pho; thus, I will try to reserve judgement. 

   Rice Paper does have the edge in quality of meats. However, Pho House does offer more meats (and more variety of meats) in their soup.

Herbs and Veg

     Rice Paper served their pho with well-presented, individual plates of herbs and veg. They offered a large sprig of fresh Thai basil, bean sprouts, slices of jalapeno, bean sprouts, and lime. I appreciated the two wedges of lime (because lime is absolutely, completely, totally essential). 

     Pho House served my fellow Pho-natic and I a large heap of fresh herb and veg on a shared plate. They offered large sprigs of Thai basil, cilantro, jalapeno slices, bean sprouts, and lime. All were fresh and recently washed.

Service and Ambiance

    Rice paper is a half chic/half hipster noshing spot. Thus far, this restaurant is the chicest spot we have reviewed. We enjoyed some microbrew and fancy cocktails while waiting for a table. We sat on white, elevated seats at a long, simple, finished wood table. We even had ambient lighting. Rice paper .... focus a little less on your atmosphere, and a little more on the flavors in your soup!

    Pho House is the ambiance-opposite of Rice paper. It is a bit of a dingy joint in a sketchy shopping center. You sit in old-school booths, on basic benches, and you eat your soup. But, hey, these folks know that their job is to serve you tasty soup. 

Final Pho Sco' (1 - 5)

    The winner, on sheer robustness of flavor (and all around value for my dollar), is Pho House.

    Rice Paper     2.75 - 3

    Pho House     3.5 

Atmosphere means nothing without savory pho. That is why .....

Pho House Winner Pho Dinner!


Vegetarian's Corner
     At Rice Paper, our vegetarian friends and loved-ones have plenty of options. The online menu contains a well-marked veggie section, although the print menu at the restaurant does not. Moreover, Rice Paper even offers a veggie pho! Despite these options, my wife was disappointed in her curry tofu. It was too spicy (My wife loves very spicy food!) for a full entree, and it was rather dry for a curry. I have heard, though, that Rice Paper is the place for veggie spring rolls.
     Unless your veggie friends and family want to eat some desert while you eat some rich soup, they should not accompany you to Pho House. There are no options here!

      Advice: Perhaps take your veggie significant-other to Rice Paper for a spring roll app, cocktails, and atmosphere. Otherwise, plan a night out with some meaty Pho friends and head to Pho House.