In the spirit of slurping noodles, I finally had some really good Vietnamese food here in AZ...

[michael-in-phoenix]

...and I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

My wife and I went twice last week to a little storefront place in Scottsdale. A Vietnamese gentleman owns and operates the place, called Noodles Ranch, of all things.

Every bite was sensational. We were so pleased! We returned for dinner two nights later and ordered an inordinate amount of food for two people. Multiple appetizers, entrees, soup, sides, etc. The waiter playfully suggested we call some friends. It was so, so good, we RAN THE TABLE! There wasn't a bite left to take home.

I'm craving it now!

Michael

http://www.noodlesranch.com/index.html

 

[cactussue]

Thanks Michael - I'm so going there!

I live in N. Scottsdale - usually drive to Chandler for Vietnamese pho! (Cyclo Restaurant) This sounds great and really close. Thanks for the review!

 

[michael-in-phoenix]

One always takes a chance when recommending a restaurant. I hope my tastes aren't off!

 

[music-city-missy]

I'm glad to see DD & I aren't the only ones that over order....

the first time I took her to this hole in the wall place (and her first time with Thai food), she ordered about 1/2 the things on the menu. The waitress there still hasn't forgotten it over 5 years later. It's so good we ordered like 2 soups (BIG huge bowls that would easily serve two or three people as an entree) among the numerous noodle dishes, sides, salad, appetizers and such.

 

[michael-in-phoenix]

That's US! Woo Hoo!

 

[richard-in-cincy]

Sometimes you just get lucky in your own "hood" Michael. Treasures ARE to be found!

 

[michael-in-phoenix]

We enjoy finding new places, and like many foodies we gravitate towards the ...

...neighborhood mom-and-pop places.

I cook most meals at home, and with two large teenage children, eating out isn't as economical as it used to be. We usually only try new places on referral from someone we know and trust, or a trusted restaurant critic's write up.

There used to be a great restaurant reviewer here in Phoenix by the name of Elin Jeffords. (By "great" I mean, of course, that we shared common tastes, likes and dislikes!) We found so many little hole-in-the-wall places that cranked out such great food. We still go to a couple of them regularly (they survived), and she hasn't been publishing reviews since the early '90's.

Michael