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| - JD Invades AZ Day 3:
I know what you all are thinking: you flew over 600-miles just to eat Pho? Well ordinarily you're right--I would never go to AZ to eat Pho in 90-degree heat, especially since we have World Class Pho back home in San Jose. However, my good Yelp bud, Laz C, had never had Pho before and as the unofficial Pho-King of Yelp, it was my duty--nay! Privilege to take his Pho-Cherry away. So, we did our research and Da Vàng (DV) was the most convenient Pho spot to Laz's work. So we hooked up on a sunny and warm Phoenix Spring Day. Here are our chronicles:
48: Goi Cuon Tom Thit (Spring Rolls)- I was not too impressed with DV's Spring Rolls; the Rice Paper was too thick and sticky and the spring rolls themselves weren't as fresh as I'm used to. Also, instead of Peanut Sauce they served them up with a cup of Hoisin Sauce sprinkled with Peanuts. I'm not sure if that's customary in certain types of Vietnam, or what, but that's not the way we roll in SJ. 2.5*
1B: Pho Da Vàng Xe Lua (Pho sliced beef, brisket, tendon, tripe, and beef meatballs):
Broth- I was surprised how good DV's broth was because, to be honest, I was expecting some fake wanna-be Pho out here in the Desert where most people don't know any better. It didn't have some of the nice subtle complexity that Pho broth can have, but the beefy flavor was on point. 3.75*
Noodles- Standard Pho noodles and they hook you up pretty good with the amount. Now, if they had fresh noodles I would've been way impressed, but alas you can't get everything. 3*
Meat- The meat was pretty good, but they weren't very generous with it. I was too engrossed in our conversation to remember to order the steak raw on the side-- Pho-Jester is more like it. 3*
44: Com Ga Nuong (Steamed Rice with BBQ Chicken)- I ordered this for my 3-year-old and was surprised he ate the tomatoes and most of the chicken. He's pretty picky so I'll have to rate it based on his discerning palate. 4* (Lance rating)
Service & Ambiance- Pretty standard Pho service in that you get the minimum number of visits to your table, but at least they were friendly and didn't grunt at us. DV is located in a pretty suspect Phoenix neighborhood; I wasn't 100% sure, but Laz confirmed it as I guess he used to live close by once upon a time. With that being said, it wasn't super-ghetto, but ghetto enough to add to the charm. 3.5*-service/4*-ambiance
Value- I was surprised how cheap the Pho prices are here compared to SJ; where a bowl of Pho is averaging around $8, DV's average price is around $5. Great value for what it is. 5*
I'd like to thank Laz again for letting me be his guide into the world of Pho and for being a fantastic dining companion. As for DV, I'd say they deserve an overall 3.5-star but I'll give them the 4-star bump because I was pleasantly surprised for AZ and they have a tremendous value.
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