However, when all is said and done, I think the food at Thai Flavor might have been superior. Kao Thai certainly draws a large lunch crowd, but the missus and I were only ambivalent about the food. There were several lunch specials from which to choose, but every dish except one contained chicken. There were no veggie options on the daily lunch specials; there was one fish dish.
This missus did order this one. It was some kind of a fried salmon dish with rice and a spring roll, that left my better half pretty disappointed. She said the spring roll was the best thing on the plate. I will say the however, the dish photographs well.
I opted to order something other than one of the daily specials - meaning I lost out on a spring roll. I ordered the Dragon Noodles Jae. It was tasty, but nothing to get excited about. It was supposed to be spicy, but it wasn't. I also could have done with a bit more fried tofu and broccoli. They were pretty stingy on both counts. It was a filling lunch, but I'd give it a 6 out of 10. I think the next time we do Thai in the 'hood for lunch we'll head over to Charm Thai. When we walk to Thai for dinner, my legs know to take me straight to our old favorite Thai Derm. And I know, there are better Thai places around, but it is a sentimental favorite for us.
A few other items to note. What's up with Highland Coffee? The windows have been papered over for at least two weeks. There are no signs on the place to indicate what is happening and I saw
nothing on line. Anyone have a clue?No changes yet across the street from Highland at Fresh Start. The chairs are still stacked on the tables and it appears they are no closer to reopening. I spotted some of the old retirees who used to hit FS for coffee in the morning at Kefa. Cafe I felt kinda bad. I like Kefa and all, but it most certainly has a different vibe than FS. These guys didn't look all too comfortable there.
And across Silver Spring Ave from FS, the Krazy Claws truck still sits in the County lot. That thing has not moved since my return. So much for me walking to get a lobster roll. I guess I'll have to wait till I am back in Maine. Not sure about their business plan!
Just west and north of this intersection, Society Lounge is still struggling to open. The last post on their Facebook page is from Jan. 25. Every time I walk by an opening seems imminent, but it has not yet happened. This worries me about the long-term staying power of this place -- assuming one day it will open its doors. We shall see.
12 comments:
Fresh Starts has a new display sign sitting inside it that says "New Management ..." didn't catch the rest since I was on a bus going by it, but at least it's kind of an explanation of why it closed suddenly.
Saw the owner of Society standing in front of it the other day. Didn't ask him what's up, but figure they're waiting on a final OK from the county which, unfortunately, always seems to push back the opening of any restaurant around here.
A few of us ordered delivery from Kao Thai a few weeks ago. When we called (a drizzly Saturday night), they did tell us they were busy, but quoted the delivery time at about an hour.
Over two hours later, our food finally arrived- we had called to check on it at about the 1.5 hour mark and there was no apology- just "it's on it's way", no offer to comp anything etc.
The food itself was "meh", nothing amazing, nothing terrible. I probably will just order from Charm Thai next time.
Sietsma says to be sure the owner--a woman--is in the kitchen if you're going to eat at Kao Thai. Apparently truly good cooking is done by women in Thailand, and she's the real deal. I haven't been yet, but have heard that takeout doesn't do it justice.
I was unimpressed by a couple of takeout trips to Charm Thai: everything was perfectly fine, but there wasn't anything to sway me from Thai Derm, whose warmly spicy Chicken Panang hits the spot every time. Plus Thai Derm will make pretty much any Thai dish you've ever had anywhere else, if they have the ingredients. I recently realized that they don't even have Panang on their regular menu, but they always make it for me without batting an eye. And I've asked about pad voon sen before and they've whipped up a nice version with a good variety of veggies and a lovely sauce.
Thai Charm is our favortie Thai restaurant in DTSS, and that's not only because they offer vegetarian versions of just about all their dishes. The quality of the food is simply superior to that of their competitors. And they've really stepped up the heat on their dishes. Tom Sietsema criticized their papaya salad as being bland, which is what I thought when I first ate there. Now, it's fiery hot (ped mak, which I love.
It would be better if they served hard liquor, but they do have Singha and Chang beer, so it's still fine.
Wait wait, vegetarians are revewing thai food and complaining about it?
You guys are aware that tofu is not a standard issue right? Maybe there should be a disclaimer on this site.
Re-read the letter. I was praising Thai Charm.
If you're talking about criticism of the the papaya salad, then you should know Mr. Sietsama is devoutly omnivorous.
And having been to numerous Thai restaurants, including plenty in Thailand, I can assure you that tofu is always featured on the menus. The Thai have a long tradition of vegetarian cuisine.
Charm Thai is our favorite in DTSS -- hands down the best restaurant addition to DTSS for 2011. I love their noodle dishes -- particularly mai pha. My partner loves their curries. It quickly replaced thai flavor as tops in thai here, imho. The staff is always friendly, carryout is always quick, the place is clean, and the happy hour & lunch specials are very moderately priced.
I second the comments of SR. There are numerous Thai recipes where veg/tofu can be substituted for the meat and one can still judge the quality of the dish. And while I did not eat red/white meat and poultry for many, many years, I actually do now.
I would love to sink my teeth into some lemongrass chicken or Thai-style pork. But until most restaurants can offer diners non-industrially raised meat dishes, I'll be sticking with tofu and veg.
re your longings for lobster: if you're willing to ride the Red Line to Gallery Place, check out Luke's Lobster. www.lukeslobster.com.
An excerpt from the Post's Going Out Guide review:
"At your service: The interior of Luke's Lobster looks like a New England seafood shack. Customers order at one shingle-framed window and pick up at another, and the lines move briskly. The entire staff seems to be friendly, efficient and young.
Bottom line: Compared with a Corner Bakery salad, $18 isn't a exactly a cheap lunch, even with chips and soda included. But when the craving for a shellfish sandwich strikes, Luke's is one of the best in the area."
Krazy Claws parks in the lot under OFF hours and I believe they go back on the road in April.... I can't wait!!
This is cool!
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