This ainít no Cyclo
By CRYSTAL PETROCELLI
Get Out

Wait: We walked in at 8 p.m. on a Wednesday and were seated in the nearly empty restaurant seconds later.

Service: With all those empty tables, why put us at the one where the menu had dropped onto the far-from-new carpet? And if you do, at least grab a menu off another table. Gosh! We didn’t get any hot tips from our server as we perused the subtle differences in the 80-plus menu items. Once decided, we waited ... and waited until we realized our waiter was the type who needed a closed-menu signal that we were ready to order.

What we liked: The lemon grass chicken (tender, thin strips of chicken, red and green bell peppers and white onions coated in a chili pepper sauce with a hint of citrus) was so good my husband scraped the last red pepper flake off the plate. The mi/hu tieu hoang thanh xa xiu (wonton soup) was stacked with wontons, pork and veggies. Somehow it stayed steaming hot throughout our meal.

Scene: Nothing about Pho Mesa screams Vietnamese: light pink and murky-dark pink walls, ugly acoustic off-white ceiling panels, cheesy plastic wood paneling, tacky thrift store-style glass lighting, wall-length mirror and thin, forest green carpet. Beyond a tall row of plants near the entry, Pho Mesa has zero visual appeal.

Bathroom break: Spacious, private men’s and women’s restrooms. A little beat-up but clean.

Tab for two: $38 with tax and tip for pho bo vien ($5.25), mi/hu tieu hoanh thanh xa xiu ($5.95), bun tom heo nuong ($6.95), lemon grass chicken ($7.95), one soda ($1.50) and a Thai iced tea ($2.50).

If work weren’t buying: If you’re into Vietnamese, this place is worth a shot but be forewarned: It’s no Cyclo.

Reviewer quieted by not-so-memorable Vietnamese lunch
By CHRIS PAGE
Get Out

Wait: We arrived at 2 p.m. on a Saturday and were seated immediately in the empty dining room.

Service: Silence is golden at Pho Mesa, apparently, as our server played mute while we ordered — no help with daily specials or menu recommendations. He was expeditious (and quiet) as items became ready in the kitchen one by one, but we had to wait 15 minutes after finishing our meals before we were given our check.

What we liked: With a wide menu and reasonable prices, we were able to pick across favorites (a xao ga, or stir- fried chicken and egg noodles, with chunks of medium-quality chicken; an appetizer plate of spring rolls, shrimp wraps and eggrolls — all tasty but standard fare) while also trying more adventuresome foodstuffs, such as the canh chua dau ca, a hot-and-sour fish soup served in a Sterno-heated tureen. My companion — not the Anthony Bourdain type — wasn’t hip to floating chunks of fish still with skin and bone, but I was rewarded with a soup that was more supple than hot and sour, and entirely hearty. I was pleased with the pho tai sach, a beef noodle soup with rare steak and tripe, whose hot spiciness gave way to a subtle sweetness.

Scene: Come for the food, not for the strip-mall aesthetic.

Bathroom break: The men’s bathroom on our visit was in need of a quick cleaning job and was threateningly low on soap.

Tab for two: $43 for beef noodle soup with steak and tripe ($5), stir-fry with chicken ($7), appetizer special ($7) and hot and sour fish soup ($15).

If work weren’t buying: I agree with my buddy Crystal —Cyclo in Chandler is a surer bet, but if you're looking for Vietnamese comfort food matched with a few more adventuresome items, Pho Mesa is an option.

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