1st time to a Thai restaurant

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (Georgieporgie)

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 10:43:29 GMT

I always go to the Pad Thai with tofu, but every place does it different, think peanutty lime...
Thai red curry is delicious, and if you gat a chance for some curried duck, go for it! Yum!

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (Conlon)

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 08:32:22 GMT

Drunken Noodles are my favourite Thai dish.

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (MontrealMagic)

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 06:11:31 GMT

i like thai basil beef, or any shrimp dish with coconut milk.

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (1bbqboy)

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 21:19:37 GMT

stuffed chicken wings-superb

and Whole Crispy Fish

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (stricken_detective)

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 21:02:35 GMT

Bangkok Noodles is what I get every time. My friend who is Laotian gets the beef salad. We share the deep fried squid & spring rolls. I usually get a bubble tea with raspberry & coconut so it tastes like a zinger. I have enjoyed the red & green curries as well as the pad thai, too. Can't think of anything else right now, but would LOVE some Thai iced coffee for tomorrow morning. I hate livin in the burbs. Cup Jai means thank you. It is the only Thai I speak.

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (danimal15)

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 14:36:24 GMT

doggydaddy

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

Tom Ka Kai is a great suggestion!

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (the ancient mariner)

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:04:40 GMT

First ---I see names that I haven't seen lately----I hope everyone is just very busy.

In 1993 or 4 I had tickets for a show playing down in Greenwich Village.

My wife heard about this Thai Restaurant close to the Village gate---
so we went. It was tiny, but the food was very good. Then my wife asked for the Ladies Room. Our little waitress bowed and motioned
___Follow me----they went through the kitchen where #1 Chef
(A THAI GUY) and his helper----bowed, smiled and said "--allo Lady" ---my
wife entered a little room with one toilet and one sink and one door with one hook------used by all---and not meeting Board of health Standards.

She waited a few minutes then came out and said to me----I'll hold it till we get to the theater.
It was

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (TastyEats2010)

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 10:40:36 GMT

The first time I tried Thai food I was astonished. You sure can't go wrong with Thai Beef ya hear. Every Thai restaurant I have been to has the splendid Thai Beef or Chicken. I never have any complaints. YUMM.

______________________________________________________________
North Quincy High School Honor Roll yummmm rolls especially buttered rolls.
Jenna Mcauliffe, Brenna Mcgoff, Jason Mei, Melissa Mullaney, Julie Ni, Amanda McEvilly, Mary McGough, Emily Mei, Devin Mei, Emily Melendy and Oscar Grant.

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (carlton pierre)

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:32:25 GMT

claracamille

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.

My first trip to a Thai restaurant came about 20 years ago in Cincinnati, I bumped into a friend of mine who said he had just been to a Thai restaurant. I asked him about it and he described it to me and when I asked him what it was, so I could order it when I went, he said, "I don't know, it was just #36 on the menu."

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (pimple2)

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 01:00:01 GMT

Hi CC.

Did you enjoy your first time at a Thai restaurant? You never wrote back, and I worried how it went!!

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (Jennie)

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:26:24 GMT

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?

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (ann peeples)

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:02:21 GMT

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!!

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (Food_Fan)

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:13:15 GMT

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.

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (rumaki)

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:30:05 GMT

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.

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (WarToad)

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:15:56 GMT

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.

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (Erica1649)

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:05:56 GMT

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!!

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (allyk)

Thu, 28 May 2009 20:22:30 GMT

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.

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (Twinwillow)

Thu, 28 May 2009 20:18:22 GMT

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

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (NYPIzzaNut)

Thu, 28 May 2009 19:26:27 GMT

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.

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (SuperSoCal6787)

Thu, 28 May 2009 18:07:28 GMT

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

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (AndreaB)

Thu, 28 May 2009 08:31:15 GMT

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

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (Baah Ben)

Wed, 27 May 2009 19:40:39 GMT

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

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

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

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (sk bob)

Wed, 27 May 2009 17:34:24 GMT

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.

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (caver)

Wed, 27 May 2009 03:13:55 GMT

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.

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (mousec)

Tue, 26 May 2009 12:25:33 GMT

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.

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (Russ Jackson)

Tue, 26 May 2009 11:49:41 GMT

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

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (divefl)

Tue, 26 May 2009 11:10:51 GMT

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

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (NYPIzzaNut)

Tue, 26 May 2009 09:13:44 GMT

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?

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (Ahi Mpls.)

Tue, 26 May 2009 08:50:44 GMT

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

Re:1st time to a Thai restaurant (Pancho)

Tue, 26 May 2009 08:20:51 GMT

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.