Beau Thai, Owned by the Sister of Thai Xing's Taw Vigsittaboot, Shaw and Mount Pleasant

[TedE]

I've been watching progress on this place for the last few months; PoP reports today that it is opening this week. Menu looks to be strictly standard American Thai offerings, but here's hoping that it will be tasty and fresh (good pad thai is good pad thai). They will be takeout only until they receive a zoning change to operate as a sit down joint.

I'm certainly not expecting Taw-like levels of quality or deliciousness, but if they serve up decent Thai it'll be a hell of a lot more convenient! Good to see more options around my 'hood.

[TedE]

So this place has been open since Monday and I'm hearing some positive buzz from folks who have had take out. I also found out that the owner is Taw's sister which I somehow had totally missed. We hope to drop in later this week for dinner and see what's up. While they are still waiting for the permits to convert to a sit down place and liquor license they hope to add delivery in the near future.

[DonRocks]

I also found out that the owner is Taw's sister which I somehow had totally missed.

[Does anyone know her name so I can give her her own identity?]

[Rhone1998]

Her name, phonetically at least, is Achara, and she confirmed she is the sister of the Thai X-ing chef. The menu is fairly standard, as noted above. Three of us ordered 8 items from the menu tonight for dinner. My impressions, obviously just based on this first visit: overall, everything was...just fine. The choices on the menu were mostly old standbys, and the cooking was competent, but not extraordinary.

Larb gai would have benefited from toasted rice, and had an odd sweetness to it I'm not used to. Shrimp cakes were 3 small, tender deep fried minced shrimp patties. I didn't taste the "Thai herbs" that were supposed to be in there. Shrimp rolls were 3 large shrimp wrapped in a lumpia-like wrapper and deep fried. I liked "Scott's Favorite", described as lemon-marinated chicken stir-fried with an authentic Thai sauce and crispy lemon grass. Kind of sweet, kind of lemony, with a nice balance of textures between the chicken and the fried lemon grass. Also a winner, the delicious, peppery wonton soup. I really liked the minced shrimp rice paper wonton here. Ka Pao was Ka Pao...pretty much what you'd expect. And I have half a serving of pad thai waiting in the fridge for lunch tomorrow. All the servings were on the small side.

Hopefully once they establish themselves, they'll start adding some more interesting options to the menu.

Edited August 19, 2010 by Rhone1998

[Rieux]

Great news for us in Mt. P. The following message was on the local message board today...

Hello, Mount Pleasant-ers!

My name is Ralph Brabham, and I'm one of the owners of Beau Thai (1700 New Jersey Avenue, NW). I'm happy to answer the question presented on this page by announcing that we are going to open a beautiful new restaurant on Mount Pleasant Street later this year! Below is the text of our press release about what's in store. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions.

Ralph

Beau Thai to Open in Vibrant Mount Pleasant

Beloved Shaw neighborhood eatery Beau Thai will open a second location in the historic Mount Pleasant Neighborhood in late 2012

(Washington, DC) Today, Beau Thai announced that it would open a location in the heart of the Mount Pleasant neighborhood’s commercial district in late 2012. The restaurant will be located at 3162 Mount Pleasant St., NW, a building that has housed the Mount Pleasant Interim Library since 2010. The Thai eatery will complement the area’s existing offerings and bring another high-quality sit-down dining option to Mount Pleasant Street.

In selecting a location for a second restaurant, Beau Thai zeroed in on the Mount Pleasant neighborhood early on. Proprietor Ralph Brabham recalls, “We absolutely fell in love with Mount Pleasant. We loved its feeling of community, its sense of place, its diversity, its vibrancy, and its history. We are a community-oriented business, and we look forward to becoming a part of Mount Pleasant's vibrant and growing food scene, just as we have in Shaw.”

Foundry Architects is overseeing the design and buildout of the space, which is nearly triple the size of the original Beau Thai. Foundry principal Will Couch says of the plans, “It’s going to be very cool and functional, engaging patrons and passersby alike with interesting finishes and unique lighting. It will both echo the feel of the Shaw location and also have its own personality and soul. Like the original, Beau Thai Mount Pleasant will feature large scale photographs of the Vigsittaboot family, from whom its recipes originate.”

Beau Thai Mount Pleasant will serve the same fresh, authentic Thai cuisine that has earned the Shaw eatery many accolades since its opening in August 2010. It will be open for lunch and dinner and will offer dine in, delivery, and takeaway. Additionally, the restaurant will offer the unique Thai Sunday Brunch that Beau Thai conceived earlier this year. An expansive bar will feature a craft cocktail, beer and wine list, as well as draught beers.

About Beau Thai

Beau Thai opened in August 2010 with a mission to bring its customers high quality, authentic, and fresh Thai cuisine in an intimate setting. Having earned praise from the Washington Post, Washington City Paper, and many others, the restaurant’s greatest reviews are from its many repeat and loyal customers.

###

For more information, please contact .

Beau Thai

1700 New Jersey Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20001

[DPop]

A shame for us in Bloomingdale, though. I've found most places tend to take a dip in quality when they expand to multiple locations. Beau Thai is good, but not good enough that they can sacrifice quality to expand their footprint in DC IMO

[Rieux]

Rumor has it that Mt. P location is opening on Friday night.

[Rieux]

Went there opening night. Great cocktails, great drunken noodles, very good massamam curry. Papaya salad was huge but could use more spice.

All in all a great new place for the neighborhood and should attract people from Adams Morgan, Columnia Heights. Nice decor too. I hope it is the vanguard of a shift on Mt. P st!

[Gadarene]

Ate there last night as well. Overall, it was mostly positive and I'm sure they'll find their feet as they go.

Pork belly appetizer comes in a smallish portion, but it's good. Hot and spicy noodles weren't particularly spicy but were tasty. I'd like to see an expanded cocktail menu in the future; the housemade ginger beer (Singha with ginger-lime puree) was an interesting idea, but it needed more lime and a bit more of a kick, and I spent the dinner chewing on bits of ginger every time I took a drink.

My girlfriend got the duck noodle bowl; I only had a small taste but I thought the broth was overly sweet.

Later on we ended up getting an order of beef drunken noodles for takeout, and I agree with Rieux that that was extremely worthwhile.

[Gadarene]

Just ordered the beef ka pao for takeout. Very good flavors, but the portion is super, super, super small for $11. Like, the whole thing fit easily into a regular size bowl after I put about half of the rice on the bottom of the bowl. How are the takeout portion sizes at the Shaw location?

[DanielK]

Dinner here tonight was fine, but not anything mindblowing. Immediately even with Radius as the best place to eat in Mt. Pleasant, but it's not even in the ballpark with Thai X-ing, Ruan Thai, Nava Thai, Sabai Sabai, etc.

Two of us had Steamed Dumplings and Yum Beef to start, Red Curry Duck and Roast Pork Noodle for entrees. Steamed Dumplings were probably the best thing we had, and $5 for 4 plump dumplings is a decent deal. The Yum Beef was heavy on the vegetables and light on both the beef and any fire, but a pretty substantial portion for $5. Roast Pork Noodle was pretty forgettable - bland pork on some pretty decent thin egg noodles. Red Curry Duck was fine - but again, unless you chomped down on a chili, there was almost no heat in the dish. Entrees were smallish - we didn't leave stuffed though we did leave full - but $11 for 3/4 the size of what you'd get elsewhere seems proportionally fair.

Chocolate City Copper Ale was only $3/pint during happy hour.

Service was great, and we were out the door under an hour without feeling rushed. It's 2 blocks from my +1's house, so I'm sure we'll be back regularly, but definitely not a destination unless you're already in Mt.P.

[sunshine]

So glad to have Beau Thai in the neighborhood. I agree it's not a destination place, but if you're nearby, it's a pleasant and reliable standby for good Thai food with a few little twists. The happy hour from 5-7 is worthwhile for the drink prices, and the service is relatively fast and friendly. The menu is distinctive for the number of noodle soups offered - more than I've seen at other Thai places - with offerings like duck, chicken, roast pork, spicy pork, yellow curry and your choice of thin, medium or large noodles. The chicken satay and shrimp cake appetizers are standard but tasty. The appetizer menu also offers non-standard options like pork belly (skip this, as this is nothing exciting, just a few pieces of marinated roast pork belly with a tiny portion of rice noodles and a piquant sauce) and duck rolls (very tasty duck meat and vegetables rolled in a pancake-like wrapper with dipping sauce). The noodle dishes are all good - pad thai, pad see euw and pad kee mao (drunken noodles). Spicing is definitely on the milder side. The papaya salad is very light and less garlicky than other versions I've had, served with just a couple pieces of shrimp. My favorite salad is the eggplant salad - smoky eggplant with fried tofu bits, red onion, lettuce, hard-boiled egg and a lime dressing. The yellow curry noodle soup reminds me of the curry lahksa soups I've had elsewhere, only the portions here are smaller. I still enjoyed Beau Thai's version, especially for the little bits of mustard green pickles in the soup, although be forewarned that the chicken in the dish is not deboned (if you're squeamish about picking meat off of bones). I like the "family" atmosphere evident from the photos of the owners' family on the wall and the presence of many families dining there. It's a welcome addition to the neighborhood dining scene.

[DanielK]

After a few visits, I haven't really changed my opinion. There are hits and misses, but no standouts. There's no heat in the dishes at all unless you chomp on a pepper, which is very disappointing to me as I think the balance of heat with other flavors is what makes Thai food interesting.

sunshine is right - skip the pork belly. Tom Yum soup is fine (again, not spicy, though labeled 3 peppers). "Beau Thai Chicken (Lightly battered chicken tossed in a spicy garlic sauce and string beans) is definitely a skip - the batter is immediately soggy in the sauce, and the chicken was dried out. Drunken noodle was a pretty ordinary rendition but (wait for it) not spicy.

Knocked down below Radius in my MtP rotation list, as Radius has been consistently cranking out decent pies and pastas lately.

[Gadarene]

The hot and spicy noodle soup with ground chicken is pretty tasty, although not particularly spicy unless liberal use is made of the pickled peppers in the spice tray (which I recommend doing).

Supposedly they'll be doing brunch service soon, and the other location has some fairly interesting brunch items available on its menu, so I'm curious to see what it will be like.

[DPop]

I have ordered twice with my wife and she has ordered once with friends since the new location has opened and I have to say, unfortunately, the the quality of the Shaw location has taken a nosedive. Muted flavors, improper cooking techniques, and foul tasting chicken and shrimp, which is surprising as this was one of the few Thai places downtown who did not have this problem. Maybe the Shaw chef is up in Mt. Pleasant? I'm not sure, but they lost me as a customer (until I hear they have righted the ship).

[MTPeter]

I am so glad to have Beau Thai in Mt Pleasant - reliable food and a nice environment. However, this does seem to be my summer for getting whacked on the head with cocktails - watch those drink prices at Beau Thai. I was charged something around $15.00 each for two drinks, one was a Johnny Walker black neat and my date had a house cocktail (nothing special really). 2 noodle bowls ($10 each), 1 appetizer ($5.00), my date's drink (?) and my Johnnie Walker totaled $55.00 before tip. Yeeeowch ! 

[Gadarene]

I am so glad to have Beau Thai in Mt Pleasant - reliable food and a nice environment. However, this does seem to be my summer for getting whacked on the head with cocktails - watch those drink prices at Beau Thai. I was charged something around $15.00 each for two drinks, one was a Johnny Walker black neat and my date had a house cocktail (nothing special really). 2 noodle bowls ($10 each), 1 appetizer ($5.00), my date's drink (?) and my Johnnie Walker totaled $55.00 before tip. Yeeeowch ! 

Their cocktail program is sadly underwhelming.

I'm still waiting for a genuinely thoughtful cocktail option in the Mt. Pleasant area (Last Exit doesn't do it for me for some reason; every time I go there, the drinks are out of balance).

[dcandohio]

Dinner at Shaw location last night was very pleasant. Larb chicken, papaya salad, pork fried rice and green curry with chicken. All were fine. This is decent neighborhood Thai and we noticed a lot of take-out orders going through the door. Sitting outside (in August! In DC!) was nice. Because we live on the Green line this is actually quite convenient for us. It's easier than Regent Thai, which had been our go-to in the city.

[cheezepowder]

Washington Post reports that the Beau Thai at the Shaw location of New Jersey and R St will close after dinner on Dec. 23 and reopen in a new location at 1550 Seventh St. NW, Unit A, DC, on Dec. 26, 2014.

[Simul Parikh]

Anyone been recently? I'd just as soon go back to Baan, but need to try something new... 

[Gadarene]

On 8/9/2017 at 1:43 PM, Simul Parikh said:

Anyone been recently? I'd just as soon go back to Baan, but need to try something new... 

Never been to the Shaw location, but the dishes at the Mt. Pleasant location are all still strangely sweet, to my palate.  The Yum Beef is quite good if you catch it on a good day, though, and the hot and spicy noodle bowl is still reliable (although, having just returned from ten days in Thailand, I have to say that it tastes nothing like anything I had over there).  I should go back to Baan more.

[lhollers]

17 hours ago, Gadarene said:

[H]aving just returned from ten days in Thailand, I have to say that it tastes nothing like anything I had over there...

I would agree with this in large part, save for Little Serow, numerous dishes of which have been comparable to some of the best meals / bites I had throughout Thailand. Highly recommend!

[saf]

21 hours ago, DonRocks said:

I've pondered the moral ramifications of making an ice-cream sandwich (literally, an ice-cream sandwich), with the sourdough-and-fig gelato in between two slices of the sourdough bread, or maybe open-faced atop one slice.

Beau Thai does what they call a Thai Ice Cream dessert. Bun, just a regular bread bun, with an ice cream sundae. Surprisingly good. Doesn't appear to be on the takeout menu.

[petercarrjones]

On 3/28/2020 at 12:56 PM, Rieux said:

We ordered the fried chicken dinner from Annies and some thai from Beau Thai Mt. Pleasant.  While it would be great to order stuff we can't usually get we are prioritizing ordering from the local neighborhood places we go to all the time, that we value having around, and that we want to see survive the crisis.  While the fine dining/special/trendy places are great, and I love them, I am more concerned about having the local workaday places make it.  Those will be harder to replace.

I tried Beau Thai Mt P last night and they were closed per their phone message. Any news?

[Rieux]

They closed for two weeks to be responsible after an employee tested positive for COVID. The person had not been in the restaurant in some timE but they wanted to be super careful. 

[saf]

Beau Thai (Mt Pleasant) last night. Spring rolls, which came back to life nicely after a brief turn in the toaster oven. KaPow (chicken for him) and Udom Curry (chicken) for me. Also wine and a strawberry frose. I would skip the frose next time. I love it in a bar, but it just didn't do it for me last night. Well made, survived the brief ride home well, but just... I dunno. Maybe it's not frose season yet. Pickup was well managed - I was picking up for us and for 2 close by friends so we could all zoom Thai together. They had a line laid out outside, with planters to keep it from interfering with the sidewalk traffic, tape for spacing, one person allowed in the atrium at a time, all pickup in the atrium.

[saf]

Dinner from here for zoom dinner tonight. As ever, orders for 4 people spread over 3 houses picked up and distributed. Food was good. Spring rolls, Pad Thai tofu for me, Pad Thai shrimp for him. I forget what the other 2 got.

The food is strong, pickup is easy. But trying to coordinate the pickup remains a problem. I wish more places allowed scheduling!

[saf]

Dinner from here for zoom dinner on Friday. Salad made at home. Then, spring rolls to share, Pad Thai for me and shrimp in garlic sauce for him. Dinner companions - I forget what they had. They liked it.

Again, food is tasty. But their scheduling windows are a half hour range, and don't seem to be followed well. So we have all started ordering a half hour before I plan to arrive for pickup, which is the general estimate on the website. Then you instantly get a text and an email telling you it will be 45 minutes. Then you get a text telling you it will be an hour. That text is generally followed by a text telling you your food is ready, within about 15 minutes. They need to improve that. When I tell them about this, they acknowledge it, and say, "But the text telling you it is ready is correct, so just rely on that." The explanation that I need to drive 10 minutes, then park in Mt Pleasant seems incomprehensible to them.

[saf]

I should learn.

Their food is good. But...

We didn't want to cook last night. So we ordered from Beau Thai. I really wanted Thai. And once again, the website says 15-30 minutes. So I plan to leave in 10. Then the text telling me it will be 50 minutes arrives. Delusional, I plan to leave in 20. Not 10 minutes later, the text telling me it is ready arrives.  Again, they do not understand why this is a problem. The conversation is surreal. I point out the issue. They say, well, it's an estimate. I say, the first estimate was a lot closer. Why not just leave that? "We give the same estimates for delivery too." (And how is this relevant?) I just need to accept that it will always be about 15 minutes.

[saf]

I remain delusional. We wanted Thai. 4 of us for Thai and cards at our house. So, knowing that they are NOT good at coordinating timing, I ordered all the food on one order. But still.... No more advanced scheduling, even though the website says you can. It was never good anyhow. So I know, it always takes 20ish minutes. I place the order, noting that it says 20-30 when it confirms. Then I get a text. 50-60 minutes.

I know this is not right. I head over to arrive at 25 minutes. Check to see if food is ready. It is! No, I don't bother telling them what a pain in the ass this is. It's not worth the effort. I just swear, yet again, to find a new Thai place. (But the food is good, and it is close!)

I have parked a block away. I walk back to the car, text folks to tell them I am on my way back with food. And get a text that food is ready!

But the spring rolls were good, and I was told the dumplings were good. I liked my cashew chicken. The boy enjoyed his spicy seafood shrimp. There was also a Udom's curry and a pineapple fried rice at the table that were well reviewed.

Any thoughts on better organized Thai food not too terribly far from southern Petworth?

[DonRocks]

On 1/9/2022 at 10:35 PM, saf said:

Any thoughts on better organized Thai food not too terribly far from southern Petworth?

NoMa isn’t *that* close, and Laos isn’t Thailand, but have you tried Laos in Town?

[saf]

21 hours ago, DonRocks said:

NoMa isn’t *that* close, and Laos isn’t Thailand, but have you tried Laos in Town?

We have not. Looking at it, sounds like it is worth trying, but... not when I want Thai.

[eatruneat]

22 hours ago, DonRocks said:

NoMa isn’t *that* close, and Laos isn’t Thailand, but have you tried Laos in Town?

Beau Thai - Shaw? 🙃

We are also HUGE fans of Baan Siam and do carryout from them regularly. I think we have had inaccurate text notifications now and again, but I usually just stick to the initial time estimate and it has worked out for us. 

[saf]

40 minutes ago, eatruneat said:

Beau Thai - Shaw? 🙃

Hm......

[Marty L.]

9 hours ago, eatruneat said:

Beau Thai - Shaw? 🙃

We are also HUGE fans of Baan Siam and do carryout from them regularly. I think we have had inaccurate text notifications now and again, but I usually just stick to the initial time estimate and it has worked out for us. 

Yep: Baan Siam is the choice.  (Former chef at Beau Thai.)  Carry-out has consistently been excellent.