DaLat Pho Restaurant Review - Might be my new pho place!

Vegetable Pho with accouterments 

I buy a lot of "deal" vouchers. I get email from Daily Candy, Voice Daily Deals, Living Social, at least two Groupon cities at any one time, KGB deals, Amazon Deals, and a site called Yipit sends a recap email daily of all the deals in categories I already selected. This is besides all the emails I get from businesses.

For the most part I use the deals, there have only been a few, maybe two that I ever forgot to use. And yes, I know, I can probably go back and get at least what I paid and use it towards a visit, but really, if I couldn't make it in when the deal was going on, what makes me think I am going...ever?! My mom recently was giving me a hard time for NOT using the deals I buy, I just bought a deal for a place in Austin and forgot to use it when I was there. Since then I have made a concerted effort to find my deals and USE them!

Today was a special day, I used TWO deals! I bought the Starbucks Deal off Living Social earlier this week. It was $10 worth of Starbucks. That was a no brainer. I bought it, loaded the value onto my Starbucks card and enjoyed a latte and smoothie. Fifty percent off at Starbucks is ALWAYS good.

I also used my DaLat voucher I got a few weeks ago on Voice Daily Deals. It was $10 for $20 worth of Pho. DaLat is a cute place, well lit and has plenty of seating, even two areas to sit outside. My friend and I sat in the patio area along the side. We ordered shrimp spring rolls as an appetizer and two vegetable pho.

Khanh, the owner has a condiment bar set up inside so you get get as much, or as little of the typical pho accouterments; basil, cilantro, jalapeno's, bean sprouts, lime, hot sauce and a few new ones, pickled red onions and one other I can't think remember. (I went back for more bean sprouts.)

The food was good. Spring rolls looked like spring rolls and came with a nice smooth peanut sauce. Pho broth had good flavor and there were adequate amount of noodles in the soup. The vegetable pho came with tofu, which maybe I should have known but since I didn't I had to pick it off. Not really a big deal, but next time I will definitely say no tofu so they don't have to waste it.

The vegetables appeared to be baby bok choy, carrots and green onions. I would have liked some broccoli and/or mushrooms. I usually ask for extra vegetables when I get pho. I specifically didn't this time to see their regular portion; I think for my taste I will ask for extra vegetables in the future.

Tangmosa with Pho! 

Khanh even offered us a Tangmosa on the house. (He might have seen me posting about his restaurant on facebook and foursquare.) :) What is a Tangmosa? It is champagne and Tang. Yes, that's right, they serve Tang. Sadly I didn't grow up on Tang so I am not a fan. The drink tasted like Tang and champagne; if you like Tang, this would probably please you. I am more interested to try their White Rabbit shot which apparently tastes like fruit loops.

I definitely will be going back. If you need a good pho place and live in Dallas, I suggest driving by and trying some pho. They are open from 11 am - 2 am so there is plenty of time to get your pho on!

Review of the Crofton Handheld Steam Cleaner

Aldi has a handheld steam cleaner on sale for $19.99 this week. I just had to get one! The idea of being able to clean all the tiny little nooks and crannies for just $20 was too exciting! I have seen lots of infomercials on other handheld steamers and just love how you can clean and sanitize all with steam. I already own the Shark steam mop and tried to use it once on the couch, it was awkward and it didn't work well; I don't suggest this. lol Today was the first day the Crofton Handheld Steamer was available and I went as soon as I could and snagged two, one for me and one for my parents. I can't wait to show them how easy it will be to clean the oven and stove!

Here is what you get for $19.99.

There is the basic steamer unit, a long hose attachment, jet nozzle, a floor nozzle, window cleaning nozzle, round brush, corner nozzle, beaker, funnel and a micro fiber floor nozzle cloth. Oh, and instructions. The attachments appear to be solid, of good construction and thick plastic, must be required to withstand the heat and steam.

It is pretty easy to use, fill it with water, plug it in, press the button, clean stuff. I did skim the instructions but like most instructions for inexpensive items, they don't spend lots of money on staff that writes detailed or well written instructions. Not to worry, if you get this, you can figure it out.

To fill it you push the top in and turn; it has a clear arrow that says "open" to tell you which way to turn it. Put the funnel in the steamer base and fill the beaker with water. I used filtered water. The instructions do say that if you have hard water you should use distilled water. I did read one of the challenges with steamers is deposits corroding the inside, using clean, distilled or at the very least filtered water should prevent or prolong this issue.

Indicator light on, waiting for it to get hot.

I poured the water in, secure the top and plugged the steamer in. There is a light indicator that comes one when you plug the steamer in and goes off when it is ready to steam. I attached the jet nozzle, the cone shaped one. It is as simple as push in and twist. There are two markings, one is a single dash and one is  double dash. You push it in with the single dash up and twist to the double dash.

And then press the button and steam!

Here are some videos of me cleaning things. These were taken after using the steamer for less than 5 minutes. (Meaning it is easy to figure out and use.)

Cleaning the faucet and drain of the bathroom sink.

Cleaning the edge of the front loading washer.

Cleaning the top edge of the washing machine.

I steam cleaned more things than this. I steamed the couch cushions, the oven/stove, the dishwasher and the back door that looked nasty and grimy. I used a microfiber rag to clean up the water and dirt particles the steamer blew out or dissolved. You do need to kind of steam and wipe, two hands are necessary for a smooth cleaning process.

I used the floor nozzle with the microfiber pad to clean the couch cushions, it worked like a charm! The cushions have those little lines in them like carpet that gets professionally cleaned; they look brand new!

I used the corner nozzle to get some of the grime in the bathroom sink. And I used the hose and tested steaming something like a mattress. I like just the jet nozzle the best, it is attached directly to the steamer base so you only really need one hand to get it to steam, verses the hose where you need one had to hold the hose and one to push the bottom on the steamer. Either way though, it seems to work.

The steamer doesn't hold that much water, about 8 oz. You have to refill it a lot, it only lasts about 15 minutes. This might seem annoying to some but I figure the base unit might be larger and heavier if there was a larger water tank and I prefer something that isn't going to give me a muscle cramps using it for 15 or 20 minutes. This steamer is perfect. It is the perfect size and weight. It also has a nice long cord so you can move around with it.

I have a whole list of things I plan on steaming before company comes Friday night. I can't wait!


If you are looking for a handheld steamer, this one is a good one that works and won't break the bank.

Not sure why you would want a steam cleaner? Here is a list of seven reasons to clean with steam.