Pho All Seasons ranks with D.M.'s best Asian restaurants

I'm seriously torn. It used to be that when I craved Southeast Asian cuisine, the decision was simple. I'd hit up A Dong, Des Moines' oldest Vietnamese restaurant. Now, that revered eatery has competition for my appetite from a smaller venue that offers equally vibrant dishes as well as some unique specials.

The place is Pho All Seasons, which closed shop years ago but reopened recently in a renovated fast food joint on East Euclid Avenue. It's a good spot that offers easy access from the road, off-street parking, and a nice big sign. You can't miss it.

Inside, the dining room is small and simply decorated with a smattering of booths and tables. There is a view to the kitchen if you want to peek at food being efficiently prepared by Thu Phan, the chef and matriarch of the family that runs Pho All Seasons.

But if you'd rather watch sports, it'll be playing on one of several flat screens bolted to the wall.

As the name suggests, the Vietnamese soup called pho (pronounced fuh) features prominently and it is tasty, with a rich broth, noodles, choice of meat, and fresh veggies and aromatic basil that makes the soup sing. The portion is huge and for the $7 to $10 cost, it might be the restaurant's best deal.

But pho is commonplace these days. What truly sets Pho All Seasons apart is its banh mi.

This iconic Asian sandwich started gaining traction in the U.S. over a decade ago when food trucks in Los Angeles starting selling them. An offspring of Vietnam's tropical ingredients and France's colonial cuisine, the vibrant hoagie is traditionally served on a piece of sliced baguette and comes filled with a smorgasbord of colorful ingredients that can vary from place to place.

Pho All Seasons' version for a bargain price of $3 includes cold cuts, grilled chicken or pork, pork pate, pickled carrot and radish, cucumber, cilantro, jalapeno slices, and mayonnaise laced with soy sauce. The sandwich tastes robust yet impeccably fresh. I could eat this sandwich every day, once I've picked out the fiery jalapeno slices, that is.

The banh mi should be plenty of reason to visit, but Pho All Seasons has more than soup and sandwiches. I enjoyed the appetizers as well. I especially relished the chicken wings ($4.95 for four wings), which are fried and glazed with a pungent hoisin sauce that makes them tasty, and I loved the fresh rice-paper wrapped four seasons rolls ($3.95 for two), in which — spoiler alert! — a smaller fried roll is hidden. It gave every bite a lovely crunch.

For more substantial fare, the menu also features fried rice and fried noodle dishes. A section called Hearty and Healthy features several salads as well as bun, called a spring bowl on the menu ($7.95). This is a popular dish throughout Vietnam and a staple of Vietnamese restaurants in the U.S. Pho All Season's bun includes vermicelli noodles — a hallmark of Southern Vietnam — mint, cilantro, peanuts, sliced green onions and sliced spring roll; not sure how healthy this is but it's delicious.

For something sweet, the eatery makes flavored bubble teas for $3.50 that are offered as beverages but "drink" like a thick shake. My avocado-flavored bubble tea was mildly sweet and brain-numbingly cold. The "bubbles" are bits of firm jelly and tapioca pearls at the bottom of the glass that you can suck up through an extra-wide straw.

For a proper dessert, consider the superb flan ($2.50), which is occasionally available and is creamy and richly flavored with caramel.

Review: Pho All Seasons (4 stars out of 5 — Highly Recommended)

Find it: 131 E. Euclid Ave.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily

Info: 515-330-1840; www.phoallseasons.com