Sprout’s Spring Roll & Pho: Adam Richman Takes ‘Man vs. Food Nation’ to Sprout’s Five Pound Super Pho Challenge

Sprout’s Spring Roll & Pho in Arlington’s Lincoln Square Shopping Center took center stage on ‘Man vs. Food Nation’ (Travel Channel) as Adam Richman had a local ‘food avenger’ take Sprout’s ‘Five Pound Super Pho Soup Challenge’. The episode aired Wed, 8/18 and the food avenger downed the 5 lbs in 8 1/2 minutes.  Can you eat five pounds of pho in 30 minutes or less?  Try it yourself at Sprout’s in Lincoln Square.

Spout’s Spring Roll & Pho
Lincoln Square Arlington (next to Bed, Bath & Beyond)
780 E. Road to Six Flags
Hours: Mon-Sat 10:30am-9pm; Sun 10:30am-5pm
(817) 860-7655
www.sproutsspringroll.com

Adam Richman of ‘Man vs. Food Nation’ on The Travel Channel visited Sprout’s Spring Roll & Pho during Season 4, episode 13. His goal (and your mission, if you should choose to accept it) was to get his local ‘food avenger’ to consumer 5 pounds of delicious Pho in 30 minutes or less. What’s Pho, you ask? Pho is a hearty Vietnamese soup loaded with noodles, meats and broth with sides of bean sprouts, basil leaves, lim and slice jalapenos.
By the way, if you missed the episode which aired on Wednesday, August 17th, the guy ate the 5 lbs of Pho in only 8 1/2 minutes.

 

Family owned and offering on the freshest ingredients, Sprout’s SpringRoll Pho (and Boba Tea!) brings creativity and delicious flavor to traditional Vietnamese recipes. Whether you’re just stopping-in for a fruit smoothie or tea fusion — or maybe grabbing some specialty spring rolls to-go — enjoy this healthy & fresh dining option. If you conquer the Pho challenge, you win a free Pho-Killa t-shirt.

My first trip to Sprout’s came as a result of nice write-up of the restaurant in Ft Worth Weekly. All my subsequent trips have been for the Spring Rolls and Shaken Beef Salad. Oh yeah, the Pho (noodle soup), too.

Once inside the restaurant, I was surprised by the nice décor. A combo of green & brown and tasteful wall hangings, this place is nicer than some overpriced fusion restaurants I’ve visited in Dallas. And knowing this a family-run business, not a chain restaurant, is important, too. They use no MSG and only fresh vegetables.

Some folks stop in just for the Boba Tea, and that’s great. The fruit smoothies and swirls are $3.99 The milk teas (8 choices, some day I’ll try to almond milk tea) are $3.50. The tea fusions are $3.50 (mango/green; passion fruit/black, green apple/black; peach/green; mango/black, strawberry/green) The specialties are $4.25 (orange frost; strawberry avalanche, peppermint mocha, oreo snow, cappuccino dream, green tea shake, to list a few).

But the folks who only stop for Boba Tea are missing out on delicious food.

If you’re unfamiliar with Vietnamese dishes, you can go to Sprout’s Web site and see pictures of the entrees. Here’s the link if you want to take a look: http://sproutsspringroll.com/foodmenu.html

Spring Rolls are $3.99 and the specialty spring rolls are a dollar more ($3.99). Among the specialty choices are: Crunchy Chicken, Grilled Tilapia; and Duck Mango.

The Pho (noodle soups) come in three sizes: regular bowl ($5.99 to $6.99); large bowl ($6.99 to 7.99); or the Super Bowl ($15.99). If you can finish a Super Bowl, you’ll win a Pho-Killa t-shirt.

Of the rice dishes (10 choices), the Korean BBQ Short Ribs ($8.99) were very good. I haven’t tried their basil chicken rice dish, but plan to on the next visit.

As for salads (4 choices), the most expensive is the Shaken Beef Salad ($10.99) which has cubes of filet mignon in a spicy marinate sautéed with sweet onion. A nice combination of flavor.

The Rice Vermicelli dishes (8 choices) are very reasonably prices ($7.99 to $8.99). Go for the House (combo of shrimp/pork/beef) or the Sesame Beef Vermicelli.

There’s also a Children’s Menu ($3.99 to $4.99): chicken nuggets & fries; chicken fried rice; or vermicelli.

Easy to find, Sprouts is located in the Lincoln Square Shopping Center at 780 E. Road to Six Flags, just west of Collins St. You’ll find the restaurant between Bed Bath & Beyond and Marble Slab. Sprout’s is on the south side of Road to Six Flags, facing north (across the street from Birraporetti’s). Click here for map/directions: http://www.mapquest.com/maps?address=780%20Road%20to%20Six%20Flags%20St%20E&city=Arlington&state=TX&zipcode=76011-8402

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Pappadeaux’s Seafood Kitchen

Fresh seafood, Cajun-style cookin’ from the bayou. That’s why Pappadeaux’s continues to be a popular go-to spot in the heart of Arlington’s Entertainment District. Large portions, good service, drink specials and delicious desserts (cheesecake slices weigh 1 lb) are part of the experience. Even the salad dressing is made fresh each day.

Pappadeaux’s Seafood Kitchen
1304 Copeland Road (along feeder road to I-30, just east of Collins St.)
Hours: Sun-Thurs 11am-10pm; Fri & Sat 11am-11pm
(817) 543-0544 (Reservations accepted)
http://pappadeaux.com/location/?id=20

If you enjoy seafood, especially spicy Cajun seafood, I’m sure you’ve already tried Pappadeaux’s. If you haven’t….what’s wrong with you? This is some really good stuff. Is it cheap? No. You’re paying for the freshness, and this is not a cheap night out. Even the least expensive item on the appetizer menu is $6.95 for boudin (okay, onion rings are $3.95, but that’s not Cajun or seafood). The smallest Shrimp Cocktail will set you back $7.95. If you love crab cakes, they’re really good here; but just one costs $12.95. A cup of Gumbo or Bisque starts at $6.95.

Entrees range from $9.95 (chicken tenderloins) to $39.95 (Alaskan King Crab, large, with a side of pasta). You can also order lobster by the pound. Yes, there’s a big lobster tank so you can see what you’re getting.

You can order your fish “naked” with your choice of specialty toppings (lemon caper, lemon & herb, olive oil, garlic butter, scampi style), or you can go for something like the Catfish Opelousas (w/oysters, shrimp, crabmeat in lemon garlic butter sauce), or the Salmon Yvette (w/shrimp, crawfish, mushrooms & spinach in Monterey Jack cheese sauce), or the Costa Rican Snapper Pontchartrain (w/crabmeat & shrimp in brown butter wine sauce).

If you can’t decide if you want fried shrimp or fried oysters or fried fish or crab or fried crawfish, you can go for the Seafood Platter ($22.95) with fried shrimp, fried tilapia, crab cake, stuffed shrimp and stuffed crab. The Pappadeaux Platter ($26.95) is the Seafood Platter plus extra shrimp, tilapia, and crawfish.

To get an idea of the full menu plus the prices, click here: http://pappaspizza.net/images/dyn/menus/menu_776.pdf

The LUNCH MENU is available 7 days a week from 11am-3pm. If your age 62 or older, you can order off the lunch menu anytime. I recommend that because: it’s cheaper; and the lunch portions are large enough to satisfy a dinner appetite.

Here’s a sample of LUNCH items: Louisiana Gumbo & Garden Salad ($8.95); Louisiana Gumbo & Half-Po Boy ($10.95); Full size Po Boy (catfish or shrimp) ($10.95); Fried Shrimp ($11.95); Sampler Platter ($14.95); Crawfish Combo (etoufee and fried crawfish; $15.95); Ginger Salmon ($14.95); Tilapia Lafayette ($15.95); Mixed Grill ($12.95); Pasa Mardi Grad ($14.95); Seafood Cobb Salad with Jumbo Lump Crab Meat & Shrimp ($11.95 medium, $18.95 large); Grilled Shrimp or Chicken Caesar Salas ($12.95); Lobster & Shrimp Salad ($17.95).

There is a KIDS MENU for ages 12 & under which includes milk/juice/soda. The fried items include French fries. The selections include: Fried Shrimp ($5.95), Fried Tilapia ($5.95), Combo Platter ($7.95), Mac n Cheese ($4.95), and Chicken Tenderloins ($5.95).

As for dessert, each pecan pie is made with two full cups of pecans. The cheesecake slices each weigh 1 lb.

Because Pappadeaux’s is such a popular place (particularly on weekends as well as evenings when there is a Rangers or Cowboys game), I recommend making a reservation. There is a large outdoor patio where people can wait for a table to open up, but with the summer heat it’s easier to just call ahead and reserve a table.

You can also call-in with a To-Go order. The phone number is (817) 543-0545. Click here for the To-Go menu: http://pappaspizza.net/images/dyn/menus/menu_778.pdf

If you’re looking for BANQUET ROOMS for your special event, there are two private dining rooms at this location. The Red Room can accommodate up to 50 people; the Wine Room up to 30. They’ll work with you on menu, even for non-seafood eaters. For more info, call the event coordination department at (817) 543-0544,

Pappadeaux’s is located along I-30 feeder road (south side of I-30), between Collins Road and Legends Way. The address is 1304 Copeland Road (Copeland is the same as the feeder road along that stretch of I-30). Click here for a map: http://pappadeaux.com/location-map/

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