1st time to a Thai restaurant

Suggestions needed for a 1st visit to a Thai restaurant:
Appetizers, soups, main course.
 
I can take a little bit on heat in my food & my husband likes a LOT of heat. 
 
Thanks in advance for the help.

Thai egg rolls (no meat in them)
Mee Crob with shrimp
Pad Thai with pork (a noodle dish)
Pad See U with chicken and broccoil ( wider noodle dish)
Chicken and Pork Sate (Skewered chicken and pork wiht a wonderful coconut-curry marinade) served with a peanut dipping sauce
Curry Fried Rice - Excellent!  And I don't normally like curries
Thai salad - Very good!
Fresh lemonade - Just their thing
Try the chopped peanuts and the hot sauces on your dishes..They are terrific
Above is what all the non Asians might order....You won't go wrong with any of these.  Sorry about the spelling

Hey, try their duck and some more adventuresome dishes.  
Check out the beautiful plate decorations made with radishes, carrots, etc.  Thai people are so incredibly polite and they run wonderful restaurant operations.  Never ever caught an attitude at a Thai restaurant.  They are genuinely happy to serve you.  They really are.
Still like Cantonese Chinese food better though....
 
Enjoy

Thai food is a welcome change from Chinese and Japanese food once in a while.
My favorite dish at "Royal Thai" in Dallas is a (special) Thai curry dish called chicken (or beef) in Mussamun sauce. A creamy curry sauce with potatoes, onions and peanut. Not every Thai restaurant has it on their menu. But, ask if they can do it.

The first thing about Thai food is that no place can agree on the correct pronunciation into English, and the more unusual the ingredients the better it is. Mint, peanut, lemon grass, cilantro make appearances. Like many places that serve spicy foods, you can ask for it to be toned down. ....usually.

For starters try Tom Ka Gai. A mild coconut chicken soup
I love Tod Mun., fishcakes served with sweet cucumber and peanuts
Larb is a good spicy salad of ground, chicken, beef or pork. I recommend you ask for it mild. I do.

Pad Thai is the 'go to' item for most neophytes. I have never seen it with pork, though I would order it. Chicken and shrimp are the usual offerings.
Baah Ben mentions Mee Grob. I've seen it spelled Mee Krob in some of my Thai cookbooks. I wish I could find it at more restaurants.

mark

I agree with the recommendations of Thai egg roll and Pud Thai (sometimes you will see a version with tofu also) and coconut chicken soup.  There is generally a shrimp version of the same soup.  In Atlanta, at least one place serves a dish of salmon in panang curry.  Strictly speaking I guess this is Thai style and not Thai, but it is very good.  I say Thai style because I don't believe there is a salmon run in Siam. 
 
A slightly more adventuresome item would be the Thai style hot and sour soups. 
 
I suggest you stick to the mild and your husband to no more than the medium until you establish your tolerance for peppers.  Some places offer mild, medium, hot, and "Thai" as their seasoning choices and the top one can be fierce.  Ask for chili sauce and sliced peppers if you want to add heat.  On request most Thai places will bring a rack with two kinds of chili sauce or red pepper and sliced jalapenos or similar in a sauce.  Your husband will be able to season any dish to his taste.  and I like fish cakes, but it can be a highly seasoned item here, and I've never been asked how I wanted it seasoned. 
 
Fried catfish in a spicy stew is a more adventuresome item.  I like it a lot.  Also, you will often see lamb dishes.  Some Thai people are Muslim.
 
Lemonade and salted lemonade, of offered, are good drinks.  Lemonade made from salted lemons is a more substantial drink than plain lemonade - same as adding salt to a cooked dish enhances the flavor.  Also, Thai ice tea or Thai ice coffee isa treat - sweetened condensed miklk is added to tea or coffee and it is like drinking candy.  If you order a curry dish, I'd recommend plain rice and not fried rice.  That way you can taste the curry without something else getting in the way.
 
The fisrt dessert to try is cocnut icecream.  You are likely to see various other oriental flavors of icecream.  One local place serves an excellent coconut cake.
 
Hope you enjoy and hope you will post a report.

Born In OKC - Tamarind Thai is pretty good in Atlanta.  Have you been there?

We just heard a new place opened in our town.  Right near Friday's on the beach.  They said the name was Thai One On.. Friends said it was very good.  I think they were kidding about the name though.

Will try it and report back.

Baah Ben-

Tamarind is one of the ranking Thai places in Atlanta and we have been there several times.  IMO Tamarind has the best stir fry dishes I have had.  The chef there is a lady named Nan (probably abbreviated from a longer Thai word) and one time, when I asked for plain fish sauce as a condiment, she came out and asked how long I'd lived in Thailand to be asking for that!

I had to tell her I'd never even visited her homeland but that the first Thai restaurant I frequented had it on the table as amatter of course and I enjoyed it.
 
I'm glad you asked about Tamarind.  Your question gave me an excuse to mention "basil rolls" as an item which first time visitors like "claracamille" might enjoy.  For her benefit, a "basil roll," and it may have other names consists of cooked shrimp, rice noodles, shredded raw vegetables and basil leaves wrapped in a rice paper wrapper that is semi transparent.  It can be thought of as a sort of pasta salad and is served with a dipping sauce whose use is optional but rewarding.  You can see the contents through the skin and they are pretty on the plate. 

The following links are to Tamarind and its menu.  "Steamed Basil rolls" are further described in the menu under appe3tizers.

http://tamarindseed.com/bio.html

Menu

http://tamarindseed.com/menu.html

Baah Ben


Born In OKC - Tamarind Thai is pretty good in Atlanta.  Have you been there?

We just heard a new place opened in our town.  Right near Friday's on the beach.  They said the name was Thai One On.. Friends said it was very good.  I think they were kidding about the name though.

Will try it and report back.

There's a good Thai place in Jackson, WY called "Thai Me Up", so "Thai One On" is probably legit....

Thanks for all the Thai suggestions.  I am in Indianapolis & Thai restuarants seem to be popping up everywhere.  There are about 5-6 within a 10 mile radius form myhome.

Born - We liked Tamarind Thai....Not the best we've been to, but pretty good.  

Anyone ever heard of Lotus of Siam in Vegas?  In a small shopping center near I think was the Rivera?  The food was too hot to actually consume.  But, it looked and smelled fantastic!   We had to leave it all! 
 
The owner came over (Thai people are the most polite people I have every met) and asked what was wrong.  I ordered #4 strength out of 10.  I should have ordered #1!  I remember they had these pork stuffed chicken wings..Never
had seen that dish before at any other Thai place at that point.  This was many years ago. 

Pancho..That's great.  Hey, don't they also have a second location in Dallas called Thai Me Down?

Baah Ben


Born - We liked Tamarind Thai....Not the best we've been to, but pretty good.  

Anyone ever heard of Lotus of Siam in Vegas?  In a small shopping center near I think was the Rivera?  The food was too hot to actually consume.  But, it looked and smelled fantastic!   We had to leave it all! 
 
The owner came over (Thai people are the most polite people I have every met) and asked what was wrong.  I ordered #4 strength out of 10.  I should have ordered #1!  I remember they had these pork stuffed chicken wings..Never
had seen that dish before at any other Thai place at that point.  This was many years ago. 

Pancho..That's great.  Hey, don't they also have a second location in Dallas called Thai Me Down?

Yes! One in Houston called "Thai Die" as well. For some reason business is dead in that location.

   I'm seconding the Larb-Laab salad ,love the roasted rice powder that goes in it. I always get a side of sticky rice and extra lettuce leaves and it becomes a meal...  and Oh, yeah if you like coconut try the Tom Kha gai soup with an order of dried beef. Mmmmm I've made myself hungry!!   Have fun!! You'll LOVE it!     Dawn

claracamille


Thanks for all the Thai suggestions.  I am in Indianapolis & Thai restuarants seem to be popping up everywhere.  There are about 5-6 within a 10 mile radius form myhome.

How about Vietnamese or Korean restaurants there?

V - pho, clay pot items, crispy rolls-use lettuce they bring with it to hold them

K-Bulgogi

T - Panang, Things described as being in garlic pepper sauce, mango and sticky rice

Go to an authentic Thai Restaurant. A sit down one not a place that serves combos. A drive to Dayton Ohio will result in an excellent place called Thai 9.  Ilove Thai Food and Thai 9 is my favorite in Ohio.

http://www.thai9restaurant.com/Main.html

Menuhttp://www.thai9restaurant.com/Main_files/menu-2.pdf

My Daughter has been to this place and she is still talking about it. She said it was top notch!
 Thai Cafe
1041 Broad Ripple Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46220
 
(317) 308-7693
http://www.indythaicafe.com/
Menu
http://www.indythaicafe.com/ThaiCafeMenu.pdf
 
...Russ

Lotus of Siam is terrific. I am not a fish person but the salmon in pannang curry was simply awesome. I could have bathed in that sauce. In fact Lotus of Siam has been reviewed as one of the top Thai restaraunts in the United States.
 
My wife and I are big Thai food fans and we get it whenever we get the chance. On the way to the Cub's game last night we stopped off at Ruby of Siam for a quick bowl of Tom Yum and Lard Nar.
 
Chicago has a number of terrific spot for Thai food. In fact there are a few (e.g. Spoon Thai) that have a Thai only menu that are translated on LTH Forum. Some of my favorites are Spoon Thai and Tac Quick. In fact we stopped off at TAC Quick after a Cub's game a few weeks ago and had a salad called Cripsy Ong Choy. This may have been one of the top 10 items that I will eat all year. Ong Choy (water spinach) coated in a tempura batter on a salad with ground chicken, shrimp, mint and sweet, spicy, salty dressing (awesome).
 
There is also a spot called Sticky Rice on Western (near Spoon Thai) that serves amongst other traditonal items, bugs. You can get an ant omelet, worms fried in a Thai Style (chilies, lemongrass, etc). I cannot wait to stop to try one of these dishes.
 
BTW (for the newbie) - If sticky rice with mango is available for dessert give it a try.
 
 

A Panang, or just a basic curry is a good first entree choice, it's basically a stew.  With a coconut milk base, vegetables and usually your choice of meat it makes a very savory dish.  My favorite place here does a mango curry that is awesome.

It's also tasty across a wide heat range.  Some dishes don't seem to be as good when they're really spiced up.

BaahBen, I think the real name is Thai Eriwan. went by there the other day
they did a review in the DBNJ a couple weeks ago, said it was good.
Thai one on is close enough. 

Pancho...That's great....

Mousec - Just wondering when were you at Lotus of Siam?

SK - The place is called "Thai A Little Tenderness"

 

If it was my first time with Thai food I would go with hot and sour soup and chicken or mussel Pad Thai.  I like mine HOT HOT HOT with extra nuts, bean sprouts and scallions.
 
Andrea

Good stuff guys.  I shall stop by a Thai restaurant next time I plan on going to sushi.

AndreaB


If it was my first time with Thai food I would go with hot and sour soup and chicken or mussel Pad Thai.  I like mine HOT HOT HOT with extra nuts, bean sprouts and scallions.
 
Andrea

What are your fave Thai places in your neck of the woods?  I love pad thai but am always disappointed with the dish at Thai restaurants because it is sweeter than I like.

I find my favorite pad thai at a couple of Chinese restaurants, where it is spicy and flavorful.  And NOT sweet.

Most Thai restaurants serve, fried corn patties. It's a, must have appetizer!

Appetizer: Fresh rolls--like an unfried egg roll. It's stuffed with chicken or shrimp, lettuce, carrots, rice noodles and fresh basil. It's  served with a sweet sauce sprinkled with peanuts.
Soup: Tom-ka soup--coconut soup. Our local Thai spot offers this with your choice of chicken or shrimp if you like.
Entree: Pad Thai is a good place to start  if you are new to Thai. . Most places will adjust the spice to your taste.
If you want to try a curry, try the Panang. It's less spicy than green or red curry and  very flavorful.
Our local place has a wonderful papaya salad with chili lime dressing. If I just want something light I get this.
Have fun with this wonderful cuisine. I've come to like Thai more than other Asian cuisines. And it's easy to prepare at home.

Hi,

I've only had the Thai egg rolls as far as appetizers go and I thoroughly enjoyed them.

I like trying different things, but my favorite is chicken pad thai...peanut sauce is delicious. My boyfriend enjoys the jungle beef...I dont really recall everything that is in it, but I believe it included scallions and eggplant and beef of course.

O yeah, and make sure you get a glass of thai iced tea!!

Thai "fresh rolls".  They're like a mini salad in a rice flour wrapper.  Usually a nice peanut based dipping sauce.

"Angel wings" - deboned chicken wings stuffed with spiced ground pork, deep fried.
 
Crab asperagus soup.  Savory, sour, seafood, tender crisp fresh asperagus.  It's amazing.

Thai BBQ chicken.  Grilled really, but wonderfull sweet honey/chili flavor.

I love having the deep-fried tofu appetizer that appears on most Thai menus, usually with a peanut or sweet-and-sour dipping sauce.
 
I always enjoy duck prepared in a Thai restaurant, too. 

claracamille,
          I have never been disappointed at any Thai restaurant.

What I’ve often done is order a salad, soup and 4 or 5 appetizers and my date and I would share the table full of fabulous flavors.
 
If your husband loves HOT sauce he can ask them for real Thai hot sauce, not the toned down Americanized sauce. He will be surprised. It is wild.
 
I became acquainted with the real Thai hot sauce in Vietnam. I first sampled it at Fire Base North Star. The Thai artillerymen would share their food with me and they and I would laugh at my reaction to the insanely hot food that they prepared. They gave me fish sauce to use as a substitute flavoring for my rice.
 
Oops, a memory just popped up - kluah is how you say salt in Thai. (Kind of like glue–uh)
 
I hope that you and your husband enjoy your first foray into this great cuisine.

Wonderfully informative post, my friends.I am new to Thai food and we are going to dinner with in laws at a Thai place this weekend.Thanks for all the info!!

There seem to be several cities with a restaurant called "Thai One On", including Seattle, Towson MD, and a chain of three of them in Toronto. 

Once upon a time, about 15 years ago, my husband worked in Springfield, VA, and we lived in Parkville, MD. Every Friday night we ordered Thai food from House of Siam, two doors down from his place of work, and we'd drive an hour and a half back to Parkville (north of Baltimore) smelling the food in the car. An hour and a half of smelling crab fried rice and not being able to pick at it (as it was in one of those foil trays rather than a carton) was pure torture. But well worth it once we got it home.

Their food is delicious, and while it's a very casual place in a big strip-mall, they have real Thai magazines to thumb through. The writing is so . . . pretty! lol  At one point, I had to ask the waiter about an ad I saw. (One of the few that didn't involve breast enlargement.)  There appeared to be a parade going on, with some folks in traditional costumes, confetti and banners, and the guy in front holding up in the air . . . a cat in a cage.  In the corner of the page was a small picture of a dishwasher rack full of dishes.  Now, I had to know.  Turns out, it's a spring ritual to carry a cat through the streets. Brings the spring rains or somesuch, and this particular dish soap makes your dishes spring fresh. Who knew?