unPhogettable
Mekong Plaza
66 S. Dobson Road
Mesa 85202
There are as many styles of the ubiquitous Vietnamese dish pho (pronounced PHA) as there are people that eat it, and of course, everyone has their favorite. Having eaten pho from one end of this country to the other, this is my favorite place to eat this wonderful dish.
We were seated immediately, and our drink order was taken. This isn’t a fancy restaurant, but you wouldn’t know it by the attentive service and spotless tables.
Companion and I started out with the Goi Cuon ($3.45), which are soft spring rolls filled with shrimp, pork and veggies and served with a delightful peanut sauce. If it were not for the fact that we were there for dinner, I’d probably have made it a double order and had just that, they were so good. Being made with soft rice paper brought a whole new texture to the party, and I loved the peanut sauce with it.
For main courses, companion ordered Pho Dac Bjet Bo Vien ($8.25) which is a soup tureen sized bowl of wonderful broth, filled with noodles, rare steak slices, flank, brisket, tendon, tripe, and beef meatballs, and asked for the tripe to be left out, since companion isn’t fond of it. It was no problem for the kitchen to prepare it the way companion wanted it.
I ordered the same thing but with extra tendon ($3.00), since I love the texture of this item.
In making their broth, it is simmered for a minimum of 24 hours, which results in a hugely flavorful base for the pho. For those that don’t care to have some of the more esoteric ingredients in their pho, there are many choices on the menu including a pho made with chicken breast and another one that is vegetarian. The pho is served with a plate of fresh Thai basil, bean sprouts, lime, and jalapeno’s for those that like to add to the bowl. I always add some fish sauce which is on the table because I love the flavor of it.
It’s hard to describe a bowl of pho except to say it is a meal in a bowl that is huge! If I eat this for lunch, my meals for the day are taken care of, since it is so big. (Yes, they will provide a take out for the rest if you need one.)
For those that prefer something other than pho (there are 16 varieties of pho), there are also15 other types of soup on the menu, as well as 11 types of salads, 6 vegetarian selections, and a number of steamed rice items as well. Kids are welcome and have their own selections.
Restrooms have always been clean when I have been there, and service is so friendly you feel almost like your eating in a friends house.
I give them 4 stars for service, quality of food, and cleanliness. (And a big YUM for flavor!)
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Garlic & Shots - CLOSED
Garlic & Shots
909 E. Elliot
Tempe, 85284
I arrived by myself around 6:45 p.m. While the restaurant was somewhat busy, I counted 5 empty tables. The hostess wanted me to wait for 10 minutes, though I can’t for the life of me figure out why, when 5, clean tables were empty. About 3 minutes later she came back with the excuse that the people who wanted the table weren’t interested any more. What people? There were 5 open tables. She then went back to her perch on a stool with a laissez-faire attitude.
Fortunately, my waitress was a lot better. She arrived promptly and didn’t keep trying to push liquor on me, instead graciously accepting my order for diet Coke.
After giving me some time to look over the menu, my waitress took my order. I asked for the 8th Street Mussels ($10), Caprese Salad (?), and the Pork Chop ($10 I think)(not overdone) along with Pomme Frites.
While the web menu lists Lobster Bisque ($6), it was nowhere to be found on the menu at the restaurant. Shame, because I love a good Lobster Bisque especially when served with a bit of sherry. In fact, many of the things listed on the web menu are not to be found on the regular menu. This is not good for the person who likes to look at menus in advance and plan their dinner.
In a reasonable amount of time, my waitress brought the Mussels. They were tender and succulent and swimming in a very nice broth. No taste of garlic was present, but the flavor, was none the less excellent. It was served with a side of crusty bread covered in melted cheese. The bread was very good, but the cheese suffered from lack of flavor, and did not pair well with the mussels. The same bread served with some garlic butter on it would have been dynamite.
Unfortunately, the waitress brought out the Caprese Salad at the same time as the mussels. She took it back, but just put it in the refrigerator instead of throwing it out and making a new one a la minute. The result was a terrible tasting and looking Caprese Salad that I sent back. The cheese had fully absorbed the balsamic and discolored, and the chiffonade of basil was wilted and dried out.
Bussing was not a strong point, and I had to wait quite some time before my plate was removed.
Next was the main course, the Pork Chop. I must admit it was excellent. Cooked to perfection, covered in nicely sautéed onions and well seasoned. I had ordered Pomme Frites, but it came out with Garlic Sweet Potatoes, which were very tasty. They were quickly replaced with the restaurants version of Pomme Frites, which while nothing like the French or Belgian versions, was very tasty and arguably one of the highlights of the dinner. Served with a sweet chile sauce, they were absolutely divine. On the weak side, was the yellow squash which was flaccid and without seasoning. Yet the broccoli which was served with it was terrific, not being overcooked and nicely bright green. Obviously, the kitchen needs some consistency.
A live band was playing in the lounge, and thankfully, they were not trying to overpower the conversations in the restaurant as so many others do. I consider this a plus.
The restroom could certainly use a bit of cleaning up, as the trash can was overflowing and the sink had dirty towels in it.
The restaurant is wheelchair accessible, and most of the staff if very friendly.
Keeping in mind that this is a fairly new place, at this time I would give them 3 stars with the possibility of moving to 4 stars in the future as they become more settled in the menu and service.
909 E. Elliot
Tempe, 85284
I arrived by myself around 6:45 p.m. While the restaurant was somewhat busy, I counted 5 empty tables. The hostess wanted me to wait for 10 minutes, though I can’t for the life of me figure out why, when 5, clean tables were empty. About 3 minutes later she came back with the excuse that the people who wanted the table weren’t interested any more. What people? There were 5 open tables. She then went back to her perch on a stool with a laissez-faire attitude.
Fortunately, my waitress was a lot better. She arrived promptly and didn’t keep trying to push liquor on me, instead graciously accepting my order for diet Coke.
After giving me some time to look over the menu, my waitress took my order. I asked for the 8th Street Mussels ($10), Caprese Salad (?), and the Pork Chop ($10 I think)(not overdone) along with Pomme Frites.
While the web menu lists Lobster Bisque ($6), it was nowhere to be found on the menu at the restaurant. Shame, because I love a good Lobster Bisque especially when served with a bit of sherry. In fact, many of the things listed on the web menu are not to be found on the regular menu. This is not good for the person who likes to look at menus in advance and plan their dinner.
In a reasonable amount of time, my waitress brought the Mussels. They were tender and succulent and swimming in a very nice broth. No taste of garlic was present, but the flavor, was none the less excellent. It was served with a side of crusty bread covered in melted cheese. The bread was very good, but the cheese suffered from lack of flavor, and did not pair well with the mussels. The same bread served with some garlic butter on it would have been dynamite.
Unfortunately, the waitress brought out the Caprese Salad at the same time as the mussels. She took it back, but just put it in the refrigerator instead of throwing it out and making a new one a la minute. The result was a terrible tasting and looking Caprese Salad that I sent back. The cheese had fully absorbed the balsamic and discolored, and the chiffonade of basil was wilted and dried out.
Bussing was not a strong point, and I had to wait quite some time before my plate was removed.
Next was the main course, the Pork Chop. I must admit it was excellent. Cooked to perfection, covered in nicely sautéed onions and well seasoned. I had ordered Pomme Frites, but it came out with Garlic Sweet Potatoes, which were very tasty. They were quickly replaced with the restaurants version of Pomme Frites, which while nothing like the French or Belgian versions, was very tasty and arguably one of the highlights of the dinner. Served with a sweet chile sauce, they were absolutely divine. On the weak side, was the yellow squash which was flaccid and without seasoning. Yet the broccoli which was served with it was terrific, not being overcooked and nicely bright green. Obviously, the kitchen needs some consistency.
A live band was playing in the lounge, and thankfully, they were not trying to overpower the conversations in the restaurant as so many others do. I consider this a plus.
The restroom could certainly use a bit of cleaning up, as the trash can was overflowing and the sink had dirty towels in it.
The restaurant is wheelchair accessible, and most of the staff if very friendly.
Keeping in mind that this is a fairly new place, at this time I would give them 3 stars with the possibility of moving to 4 stars in the future as they become more settled in the menu and service.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
