In case folks missed it, our own Thai Derm was highlighted in Wednesday's Washington Post Good to Go column. On the whole, the review was positive. The review highlights the curries, lemon grass soup and the Spicy Seafood entree. However, the writer does diss Thai Derm's noodle dishes. But I probably agree with her assessment of the noodle dishes - they are not the restaurant's main draw. In my opinion, it seems the noodle dishes have gone down in quality over the last couple years. I remember a few years back when dining at TD ordering noodle dishes a majority of the time.
But more recently I have been leaning toward their rice dishes and soups. In particular, 3 soups I love are the Gai Tom Kha (with shrimp instead of chicken) - a great starter, also Guew Teow Thai Derm and Yen Toa Foh (without the pork) are both terrific entrees. On the rice side, the Gang Gai and the Ma Muang Himpan (subbing tofu for chicken) are also really good.
On the fish side, my wife is a huge fan of TD's salmon dishes, and they will cook it to order - ordering medium or medium-rare usually come out nicely done. And if you dine on a Friday, check out the whole deep-fried fish. It's a bit of work, but I've always been happy when ordering it.
So if you haven't been to TD, head on over for some take-out or dine in. The folks are extremely friendly and you don't need to worry about dropping a large sum of money given their reasonable prices. Hope to see you there. Happy new year.
7 comments:
I found this restaurant to be very dirty inside. The atmosphere is depressing as well. My wife and I went there this summer and saw a roach on the floor.
James - sorry about your experience. And while the decor is nothing to write home about, I think the food, friendliness and the prices more than make up for that. Given the number of times I have eaten at TD, I would say your experience with cleanliness is the exception. Maybe you can give them one more try?
The wife and I tried Thai Derm a few years back with very poor results. She absolutely loves curry dishes, whereas I'm the type that likes to sample the the real adventurous stuff like Phad Thai with tofu. Because of this split, we can often differ considerably on how much we like a restaurant. However, we both were pretty adamant that we never wanted to return to TD.
The food was terrible: bland, mushy, and "tasted of the can," as I like to say. If they make their dishes fresh, I'd be terribly surprised.
That being said, I have no quibble with giving them another chance, but the missus doesn't seem quite as forgiving. That must have been one bad green curry. . .
Nava Thai reopened in Wheaton - best Thai eats in the D.C. area hands down :)
The pad thai and the curries are stellar there - Thai Derm can't compete (although decent - I'm willing to drive the 5 additional miles to Wheaton). Try some of the more ethnic dishes like the Floating Market Noodles, and the Chicken and Sticky rice. Their crispy duck is also outstanding.
A lot of Silver Spring's most beloved restaurants are dirty and depressing and, in some cases, also serve bad food. But people prefer them to the "sterile" chains and the places that totally gut "historic" buildings to bring them "up to date." I've seen roaches in various places myself -- but have been asked, "So, you PREFER to eat at places like Red Lobster and give your money to people outside the community?" This is just part of living in SS -- you either adjust, or you get out. And the more who get out, the less pressure there is for change in a community that despises change.
I have to say this last comment is unfortunate. It's a bit ridiculous to say our community is so rigid that we drive people out if they don't toe the line. If people want to eat at Red Lobster or Macaroni Grill that's fine by me. I would only hope they would also try other places in the hood such as Mandalay or Olazzo. And I for one still would like to see a lot of change in SS. I am hopeful when the credit markets loosen, we'll see some new investments in retail, commercial and residential.
Fabulous article. It's already been sent to many of my friends.
Derm Caps
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