CombatCritic's TravelValue™: curry

Showing posts with label curry. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Phoenix, AZ: Pho Good Food, Smaller Portions, And Great Service, This Place Is A Pearl

Pho Saigon Pearl

3134 W. Carefree Hwy, Suite 6

Phoenix, AZ 85086

Website: azphosaigon.wordpress.com

Phone number: (623) 466-0005

Prices: $$$$

I love Vietnamese food and Pho Saigon Pearl does an excellent job. The first thing I look for when hunting for true Vietnamese are the crispy pork egg rolls (Chả Giò) that come with large leaves of green lettuce, fresh cilantro, mint leaves, and shaved, pickled carrots and cucumber in fish sauce. You wrap the egg rolls in a lettuce leaf, toss in some cilantro, mint, and shaved carrots/cucumber, wrap it all up like a burrito, and dip it in the sauce before devouring these delectable treats ... HOOAH!

The Pearl's chả giò ($6.50) are delicious, but on the small side when compared to some of the best I have had. Normally, you get four rolls about the size of a small hot dog, but these were less than half the size. Someone I know, who shall remain nameless, could pop an entire roll in her mouth, along with all the fixings, but two small bites is about all your going to get here. There were hardly any carrots or cucumber and zero mint leaves, but they were tasty nonetheless.

The Vietnamese Curry ($9) was also very good, a soupy yellow curry with big chunks (key word "big") of potato and carrot, and a smattering of chicken breast chunks. It was also scrummy, the curry itself very good, but the potato, carrot, and chicken chunks were too big to fit in my mouth, making it difficult to eat without a knife to cut them into manageable pieces. Cutting them up into smaller pieces before serving would make this dish nearly perfect, adding a little more chicken breast would complete the job.

On my second visit, I ordered the Mongolian Beef Hot Plate Special ($12) because the photo of the plate on their specials menu looked spectacular, but what arrived was less than half the size of that in the photo with much less beef. If you put a photo of something on the menu, it had better come out of the kitchen looking very much like the photo. Despite my surprise, the small skillet of beef strips and white and green onion cooked in a spicy Mongolian sauce was very tasty. I am not sure I would order it again at $12 a pop, but maybe at $9 or $10 max I would.

You get the standard mound of white rice with pretty much all of the entrees and specials. They also have a small selection of bottled beers, but they are all lagers and nothing with the hoppiness that equals happiness in my book. The service is very good and they make you feel welcome in their simple, but comfortable dining room.

I was leaning toward a higher score before I started writing and noting the faults, but the cons turned out to be too many, hence, my rating ...

CombatCritic Gives Pho Saigon Pearl 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Shits & Grins"

* Everybody wants a 5-star rating (9 or 10 Bombs), but I rate based on value, bang-for-the-buck, comparing restaurants using quality, price, ambiance, and service to other restaurants of similar cuisine, taking into account the cost of living in that location. Only the top 5% are going to get 5-stars, and, unfortunately, Pho Saigon Pearl did not reach that standard. The reviewers that throw around 5's like they are candy make to more objective and discerning reviewers like myself look like ogres ... c'est la vie!

Monday, October 7, 2019

Bend, OR: Spork Calling Orson, Come In Orson ... Get Me The Hell Out Of This Line!

Spork

937 NW Newport Avenue, Suite 120

Bend, OR 97701

Website: sporkbend.com

Phone number: (541) 390-0946
Prices: $$$$

I was enthused when I saw the diversity of cuisine on their online menu before arriving, but as we stood in line for 30 minutes waiting to order, I became somewhat disillusioned. The carnitas tacos ($3/ea) sounded good, but when I saw an order of the fish tacos pass by while in line, I quickly revisited the menu for a suitable alternative.

Spicy Fried Chicken ($13)

Dying for some chow after 30 minutes in line, I decided on the Spicy Fried Chicken ($13), small chunks of boneless chicken breast breaded and fried in a spicy Korean barbecue sauce. The small steel platter, about the size of my hand, contained a small order of kimchi on one side and the chicken on the other, atop a thin bed of jasmine rice. The chicken was absolutely delicious, spicy, crispy, and perfectly cooked. The kimchi was also quite tasty with just the right amount of chili. Unfortunately, there just was not enough chicken, rice, or kimchi to justify a $13 price tag. At most restaurants I have been to (in Korea and elsewhere), a similar dish with identical ingredients would come with the jasmine rice in one bowl, kimchee in another, and the chicken in a dish the size of the one I received tonight. I would hate to tell you the price of that same dish in Korea, but I can tell you that it would cost a fraction of the $13 I paid.

Rice Bowl with Tofu ($11)

My wife ordered the Rice Bowl with Tofu ($11), palm sugar peanuts, sweet soy reduction, and shredded green onion sitting upon a similar serving of jasmine rice to mine. It also came with a cucumber salad. Her dish was very dry and bland except for the very spicy peanuts sprinkled liberally on top. There were no mention of "chili" or "spicy" on the menu, but we would never have guessed that the "palm sugar peanuts" were actually quite spicy given the fact that my wife cannot tolerate spicy dishes.

I really cannot comment too much on the service because interaction with staff was minimal at best. The young lady taking our order was all business, zero pleasantries, and the only other staff we saw quickly dropped off our orders with nary a word. They even ask you to bus your own table before departure, but "recommend" a 15% tip on the computer screen they ask you to utilize when paying. Throw $5 in the jar for staff? You betcha! But, expecting a 15% tip at a self-service restaurant is out of line in my book.

Spicy Pork Noodles ($13)

Fortunately, for their rating, my son absolutely loved his Spicy Pork Noodles ($13) and his partner was equally enthralled with her Peanut Tomato Curry ($13), which I tasted and it was very good. So, they got one additional star (2 Bombs) over what I would have given them if my wife and I had been on our own. Not bad, not great, some people will be very happy at Spork and others will not as was the case at our table.

Peanut Tomato Curry ($13)

To end on a positive note, the space emits a warm vibe with deep red walls, lots of wood, and playful lighting. They are obviously doing something right based on all the people queueing up to eat there, so maybe I am missing something ... and maybe not.

CombatCritic Gives Spork A Very Average 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Continue Mission"

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Portland, OR: Decent Thai, But Where's The Beef?

Cha Ba Thai
3024 NE Alberta Street
Portland, OR 97211
Cuisine: Thai (Obviously)
Phone number: (503) 719-6917
Website: chabathaipdx.com
Prices: $$$$

The Alberta Arts District is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Portland due to its' eclectic, Bohemian feel, great restaurants, and art/music/theatre scene. We deployed to the area of operations to see a Little Shop of Horrors charity extravaganza at the Alberta Rose Theatre just a couple of doors west of Cha Ba Thai.

Not surprisingly, the large dining room was virtually empty at 5pm when we arrived, so we were guided to a four-top next to the window. The room is simple and tastefully decorated with a full bar on one side and tables on the other. There is also a large outdoor seating area with several picnic tables, so feel free to enjoy your meal al fresco if you so desire. We were promptly greeted when we entered and, after being seated, our drink/appetizer orders were promptly taken.

I ordered a Ninkasa IPA ($5.50) for me and the Chicken Satay ($9.50) and Egg Rolls ($6) for the both of us to share. Each of the four satay sticks had a large serving of grilled chicken served with a tasty peanut sauce, my favorite, and some chunks of onion and cucumber in a mildly sweet sauce. The satay was very good, but I am not sure it was worth the extra $3 or $4 when compared to satay prices at most Thai restaurants I have been to. The egg rolls were small and somewhat bland, also being a buck or two more expensive to similar dishes elsewhere.

My wife decided on the Pad See Ew (Tofu - $11.50), wide noodles and broccoli florets stir fried in a mild, slightly sweet soy sauce. She was very happy with the dish although I found it somewhat tasteless as well. I tend to favor the spicier and more savory Thai curry dishes, so I went with the Massaman Curry w/ Jasmine Rice ($13). The curry sauce was delicious, but not quite as thick as many I have had and the vegetables (carrot, potato, and onion) fresh, but there was a paltry amount of sliced beef on top when it arrived. Again, the prices for our entrees were each a few bucks too high in my opinion.

The service was excellent, fast, friendly and efficient, and the food came out post haste. Overall, we were well satiated and happy with our meal, but the prices were a tad high in comparison to other Thai restaurants we have visited and the less than abundant beef content of my curry was disappointing, so "where's the beef?"

CombatCritic Gives Cha Ba Thai 6 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!