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Thai by Thai is one of Sterling's Thai restaurants, and the only one I know of with a "secret" Thai menu. It has become our Thai restaurant of choice. I couldn't find a thread devoted to it, and it is deserving of one. It's a brightly lit place where you order at the counter and they bring food to your table and has a much nicer vibe than most counter-ordering locations. The menu posted over the service counter doesn't hint at the existence of the special Thai menu, but does have a few street food items, such as the sun-dried beef. They have monthly specials posted on the cash register, which are items they are auditioning as possible additions to the Thai menu. The Thai menu is available upon request and includes English translations. Its content changes with some frequency but includes wonderful fare such as deep fried pork belly strips with Chinese Broccoli, fried pork rib chunks with sticky rice and an incendiary dipping sauce, and a pig organ soup. Be sure to have one of their noodle dishes other than the Pad Thai. Noodles come out with a wonderful smokey touch. The Pad Thai is unexceptional, probably tailored for the tastes of the majority of their lunchtime customers. When we look around at our fellow diners, most have ordered a fried rice dish or the Pad Thai. Our experience has generally been that the person running the deep fryer knows their business--the pork strips in that pork with broccoli are perfectly crisped and maintain that texture for as long as it takes to inhale the dish. Noodle dishes are generously portioned; the other dishes are often less so. Thai by Thai's Sterling location is on Rt. 7 just West of Dranesville Road, across the street from the Shoppers Food Whorehouse and the Burlington Coat Factory, in the same plaza as Grand Mart. They also had a sign announcing the December 19 opening of a second location, this time at 29 and 50, near a mobile phone shop. We're just hoping that the chefs who do such exceptional woking and frying are not headed off for that location. -
Beau Thai had a 1 hour 30 minute wait for delivery, so we decided to try out the new Zabver Thai (which for now is only take-out, and 3 tables to eat at in take out containers) on Mt. Pleasant street (the old Adam Express location). WOW. First of all the place has had a total makeover - it is still small, and mainly take-out (with three tables) but it looks MUCH better and is WAY cleaner. Also, there is a whole new kitchen in the back. The owners, a husband and wife team, are two of the nicest people I have ever met in a restaurant - seriously. They really are happy to be in the neighborhood, want to get to know their customers, and are just delightful. When I got there they were busy with take out and a couple of tables eating in. The menu is a large assortment of mostly Thai dishes. A lot of things looked good - i ordered the Golden Triangle, curry puffs, veggie spring rolls, and Penang curry with chicken (thai spicy). The owner wanted to make sure I wanted it Thai spicy, and she seemed tickled pink I was ordering it that way. She was happy to show me where she wrote it on the order. I heard a lot of other orders being ordered Thai spicy, so I think the secret is out that you can get real hot food there. While I waited I chatted with the owner - they are planning on doing take out soon, and are also renovating the upstairs to become a dining room. They wanted to start small and grow into the space, which seems wise. The chef is the original chef from Kanlaya Thai (from back when it was great). The spring rolls and golden triangles were both better versions than the typical, but not revelatory. The curry puffs were the best I have ever had, and the dipping sauce was exceptional. The penang curry was indeed Thai spicy, and rich. It's the best one I have had in the city. I am really looking forward to ordering from them again, and I wish them a lot of success. -
Still love this place, with a slight preference to the Northridge location when it sensible to go there instead of the Encino location (we almost always get this as takeout on the way home from somewhere in LA, so the distance difference from the 101 is small but significant, but at late hours only Northridge is available). Though it hasn't been practical to try a back-to-back tasting, the cooks at the original location seem just a little more seasoned, with the spicing and balance just a smidge more deft. Though they have a huge menu, with specific Northern and Southern specialties, we have stuck mostly with our Northern favorites, the khao soy and kang ho (the noodles never stick together, it's loaded with vegetables, and has a distinctively tangy curry flavor). We've also tried several other ordinary noodle dishes and apps (all are fine-good-great, but unmemorable compared to these dishes, though my husband really like the angel wings [stuffed chicken]) and a few of the more interesting plates from the Southern menu (very good), but these dishes are what we crave. They take a lot of care with takeout orders, lining containers with foil, individually packaging all the little spices/sauces, and making air vents to preserve crispness as needed. They were on the LA Weekly's Essentials list of restaurants last year but fell off this year, which might actually be the sweet spot of publicity (they were slammed several times when we stopped by last year, and shortly after publication the FOH folks at least were adorably clueless that they had made the list) for visitors, as they seem to remain busy but you can get your food in a reasonable amount of time. We originally found them while looking for late-night food coming home from Six Flags Magic Mountain (a GREAT roller coaster park, and I'm saying this as a huge Cedar Point fan). It's really at an excellent location if you need good food at odd hours (or any time!) coming back to the city from the north. The Encino location is open until midnight on Friday and Saturday, and Northridge is open until 2 AM on those days for the college kids
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Social Oyster Bar is apparently a new restaurant in McLean. The menu looks somewhat interesting. I'll probably take the kids there tomorrow night to check it out. Anyone else been? -
My favorite Thai in Monkey Cty. is Ruan Thai in Wheaton. Just off of University about two blocks East of Georgia. Warning - It ain't much on ambience. -
I stopped by with a friend for a late (8:30) dinner last week and noticed that no one's written about this place in quite a while...so here's my $.02. Up entering the restaurant, I noticed two things. First of all, like our beloved DonRocks' experience, there were very few Asians in the restaurant. As one myself, my "authenticity meter" tends to ping a bit when I initially walk into a restaurant serving ethnic food without people of that ethnicity dining there. Secondly, I was taken aback as to how full the restaurant was (over 80%) despite given the late hour and it being a weeknight. Business is still going strong, so they must be doing at least something right! To the food...For apps, we had the Green Papaya Salad and Larb. The salad was darn good. Crispy papaya, accentuated by the peanuts, combined with the saltiness of the fish sauce and the spiciness of the chillis; a definite winner. The larb was just as good with similar complex flavors and provided the most heat for the evening (and it proved to be quite a delicious snack the next day with toast as well). We both were far less adventurous with our entrees as we ordered the Simple Beef Fried Rice and their special 54 Fried Rice. Well-flavored ingredients (shrimp, chicken, and beef) mixed with equally well-flavored rice made these dishes particularly satisfying as well. The friend who I was dining with (who happened to be Thai) was impressed with the authenticity of the food and said that it was just like mom used to make (blowing my initial snap judgement out of the water). Service on our visit was very good. Our waitress was particularly attentive, but certainly not in an overbearing way. I was most impressed with her (and the other servers') enthusiasm in delivering birthday cakes and singing that dreaded song to the three tables that were celebrating that evening! Definitely looking forward to returning and diving deeper into the menu...perhaps it may even unseat my current Thai favorite, Sawatadee. -
I searched for a thread on Thai Square, but I couldn't find one, so I apologize if I'm search-function impaired, but I thought this place deserved its own space. I'm glad that Tom S. isn't hyping it anymore, because it's now safe to go back! While they are still busy, it's possible to get seated at some point in the evening, and they are now willing and able to fill takeout orders in a reasonable length of time. When I eat here, I'm reminded of how much I enjoy eating simple, homey, Thai food. None of this bland, oversauced, and terribly underspiced poor excuses that they've been serving up at some of the many, many random Thai joints that have popped up (I do appreciate the attempts to use clever names, though I've wondered why no one has yet tried Thai Me Up!) as Thai food has increased significantly in popularity with the masses. Last night we had three dishes: pad see ew with beef, eggplant with chicken and basil, and catfish with chilies and eggplant. The noodles were dry-fried, with just enough sauce and grease to caramelize the noodle edges. Yum! I like that they use Chinese broccoli, as is right and proper, instead of regular broccoli. We had told the server, "spicy is good," in response to her concerned query about our choices. However, the (chunks of asian) eggplant and basil chicken dish, while bursting with basil goodness, was not exactly searing to the palate. (But how do I justify deep-frying my vegetables, if I don't get a restaurant to do it??!!) The dish was delicious, but mild. Maybe next time I'll tell them that "spicy is necessary." The catfish was fried (thin steak slices) and served with thin slices of those cute, green, baby (Thai?) eggplants, a lot of basil, and the same basic brown sauce, with the crucial addition of a generous amount of chilies. While the flavor was excellent (and definitely needed rice to ensure consumer comfort), I have to say that my enjoyment of the dish was reduced somewhat because of the effort involved in finding and removing the spine and other bones. Each bite required rather delicate chewing to avoid stabby little points of fishy revenge. I understand, though, that this might not be a problem for others. Great service - friendly but unobtrusive. My water glass barely had time to dip below full (key for me when chilies are involved) before it was refilled. So that's me. I love this place! Anyone else want to cop to eating Thai comfort food? I'm curious if others have suggestions on dishes to try... -
Continuing in my attempt to eat at most Thai restaurants in the southern half of the county, I picked up lunch today from Bangkok Noodle, which is located at the intersection of Commerce & Backlick. I got Tom yum goong ($4.95), larb gai ($6.95) & sukiyaki noodle soup-chicken, beef, pork, cellophane noodles, napa cabbage, Chinese celery, egg, watercress, & sesame seeds in spicy red bean curd soup ($9.95) for Tom. The food was excellent, great blend of hot/sour/salty/sweet for my tom yum (I've been eating this soup several times/wk lately) & the larb had a perfect amount of heat (marked on the menu as 1 rooster-American hot). It looks like they specialize in Thai noodle soups-next time, I want to try the Paradise soup ($14.95)-cellophane noodles w/ seafood, ground pork, fish balls, bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, topped w/ crispy bacon & boiled egg in a hot & sour broth-this one is 3 roosters-Thai hot. It's a lovely space, looks like a beach house w/ blue, green, & tan lapped siding & a colorful mural of photos. Definitely a contender for a Springfield $20 Tuesday (happy hour specials from 4-7), I'll be going back to sample more menu items. -
I’m surprised that I’m the first to talk about 9 Pad Thai. I first visited last year, on Mother’s Day, shortly after they took over the space last occupied by Bangkok Noodle. I went again this last weekend, & it was very good. I went with the kids & unfortunately, none of them were adventurous-3 Pad See Ews w/ Beef! We shared an order of larb gai (delicious & perfect level of spice) & I got gai pad kaprow (nice & spicy). I don’t go out that much anymore, so I’m happy when I get a great lunch.
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Thai Peppers Menu Hubby and I wanted to try out Thai Peppers as people had talked about it around the hood. I have to say as soon as I saw their menu- I knew it wasn't Thai Square (although they have taken a few of my favorite weird things off their menu), Bangkok 54 or even Thainida. The menu was fairly pedestrian, but I am sure most people think it is fine. That being said my veggie panang curry was serviceable, flavors I expected, nice brown rice, nice and warm, a little spice, but not over the top. The chicken satays were large pieces of meat, not bad in flavor, I just think could have been marinated a bit more. But again, nothing bad. They seem to be a pretty bang out carry out business and service was very responsive. We sat downstairs which has 0 ambiance, and no music, but as I we went out because I was trying to recover from the crud, we really weren't all that particular. Anyway, it's fine but there are a lot better options just a few miles further. -
Cathal Armstrong's new restaurant Kaliwa is opening possibly tomorrow at the Wharf (751 Wharf St, SW, DC) (via Laura Hayes' tweet). More info about the restaurant at Washington City Paper: "Kaliwa Brings Food with Full Funk and Fire to the Wharf when it Opens Next Week" by Laura Hayes on washingtoncitypaper.com -
Thanida Thai - Our Story This place replaced Royal Thai and is mentioned in the Royal Thai threads, but doesn't have it's own thread. Hubby meant to say he wanted to go to the Vietnamese restaurant near my office, but he said Thai. So I drove to the Thai restaurant. Since it is so close to my office so we get take out from time to time, but I don't like writing reviews on places I have only gotten take out from. My first in restaurant visit was over the holiday with Hubby. We liked the variety on the menu. I had the dried crispy beef combo with papaya salad and sticky rice. Hubby had a rice dish. He said his was very spicy and he liked it- I think it was Kra Proa Fried Rice. I thought the sticky rice could have been a little more moist, but it was fine and we were there kind of late in the afternoon. The beef and papaya salad were good, service was nice. It's a very small restaurant, but they seem to be fairly kid friendly and do a fair amount of take out.
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Follow-up from a PoP poster named "anon" claimed that it was a separate concept called Little Saroh or Little Sarah. It is supposedly having a "very soft opening" and allegedly has a Thai prie-fixe menu of $45 for walk-ins only. Rob -
Still love this place, with a slight preference to the Northridge location when it sensible to go there instead of the Encino location (we almost always get this as takeout on the way home from somewhere in LA, so the distance difference from the 101 is small but significant, but at late hours only Northridge is available). Though it hasn't been practical to try a back-to-back tasting, the cooks at the original location seem just a little more seasoned, with the spicing and balance just a smidge more deft. Though they have a huge menu, with specific Northern and Southern specialties, we have stuck mostly with our Northern favorites, the khao soy and kang ho (the noodles never stick together, it's loaded with vegetables, and has a distinctively tangy curry flavor). We've also tried several other ordinary noodle dishes and apps (all are fine-good-great, but unmemorable compared to these dishes, though my husband really like the angel wings [stuffed chicken]) and a few of the more interesting plates from the Southern menu (very good), but these dishes are what we crave. They take a lot of care with takeout orders, lining containers with foil, individually packaging all the little spices/sauces, and making air vents to preserve crispness as needed. They were on the LA Weekly's Essentials list of restaurants last year but fell off this year, which might actually be the sweet spot of publicity (they were slammed several times when we stopped by last year, and shortly after publication the FOH folks at least were adorably clueless that they had made the list) for visitors, as they seem to remain busy but you can get your food in a reasonable amount of time. We originally found them while looking for late-night food coming home from Six Flags Magic Mountain (a GREAT roller coaster park, and I'm saying this as a huge Cedar Point fan). It's really at an excellent location if you need good food at odd hours (or any time!) coming back to the city from the north. The Encino location is open until midnight on Friday and Saturday, and Northridge is open until 2 AM on those days for the college kids
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I haven't seen this new venue mentioned in any other thread. I believe they opened yesterday. Looking forward to trying them out and would love to hear from anyone who has. "First Look & Taste Test: Soi 38" by Farrah Skeiky on brightestyoungthings.com -
A husband-and-wife place in Yorktowne Center (Gallows Rd & 50) that offers truly spicy Thai food that they will deliver within two miles. Most dishes are well above average for suburban Thai. Dishes can be made Mild, Medium, Hot, or Thai Hot. And Hot actually is hot. Highlights include the Elephant Jumps Salad - shredded apples, toasted coconut, shrimp, lime juice, and peppers-, the Charbroiled Marinated Pork appetizer, and Crispy Tilapia with Mango sauce. I can't comment on the service since I've only gotten carry out and delivery. If you're in the area it is definitely worth a try, probably sooner rather than later in case they start toning down the spice to suit a larger clientele. -
Every once in awhile I google map restaurants in McLean and this time something new popped up. Chiang Mai Thai Cookhouse does not have a menu on its website. Instead it states: I thought about rushing out last night to try it but my early afternoon Amsterdam falafel sandwich told me to keep burping and not stuff more food down my throat.
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Andy Hayler's Reviews -
www.bangkokgolden7corners.com 6395 Seven Corners Center Falls Church, VA 22044 Tom Sietsema did a piece on this small Thai place back in November ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/18/AR2010111805045.html ). I am happy to report that the secret menu is secret no more. When we entered the small place this afternoon, we were handed two menus, one Thai and one Laotian. I never had Laotian food before, it was like Thai, but more rustic. Like other southeast Asian cuisine, Laotians make heavy usage of fresh vegetables and herbs as evident by the numbers of salads on the menu. We ordered the Laotian sausage, orm beef, crispy rice salad, and an order of chicken satay for the kiddo. My favorite dish was the crispy rice salad, consisted of herbs (probably cilantro and lime leaves), coconut, onions, scallions, julienne pork skin, ham, peanuts, and crispy rice in a refreshing spicy lime dressing with large lettuce leaves served on the side. You are suppose to eat it like a bulgogi by wrapping the salad inside the lettuce leaves. It was a prefect balance of savory, sour, and spicy, with bites of crispy rice and peanut for textural contrast. The flavor was incredibly complex and words do not do justice in describing this dish. -
I had a delicious DR dinner at House of Siam (I loved the larb) & tried a couple of times to meet a friend there for lunch-once they were closed on Mon. & the next time they were just closed, permanently. I saw that they had reopened as Thai Ghang Waan & decided to pick up lunch for my friend, who's moving cross country. I picked up larb & som tang, both very good, pad kha prow (I would have liked it hotter, but I didn't specifically ask for that), & pad lad na (wide noodles w/ broccoli & brown sauce)- I didn't try this, got it for those who like not-spicy, but I liked that they packed the noodles & sauce separately, so it wouldn't spill or get soggy. Fried rice was,well, fried rice -it was all good, average sized servings & pleasant fast service. It's not too close to me (I have several good options), but if I were in the area, I'd definitely try some more dishes.
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Had dinner(carryout) from Raibeng for the first time on Monday night. Absolutely fantastic. Spring rolls werer ordered, a bit mainstream but a good barometer. These are definitely an entry into the top three I've ever had. Coconut Milk, Lime, Galangal and Chicken soup. Studded with petite piquant thai chiles this soup was deeply rewarding, a great hot weather soup. Shrimp and Pork dumplings, nice wrapper, fantastic filling, ground pork and shrimp reminded me of the shrimp cakes one of my garde manger cooks makes for family(although the dumplings were very, very good, Chi's shrimp cakes are unbeatable) The beef manamaan was as deeply satisfying as a well crafted beef bourginon, braised beef in a dark curry, redolent with cinnamon and thai spices hands down my current favorite for braised beef dishes. I passed on the whole fried fish b/c I was going back to the casa and didn't think the fish would benefit from travel. Raibeng has all the flavor of Duangrat's with a lower price tag and a Thai "country" feel to the food. This may become a weekly stop -
Mmm Crystal Thai has some of the best Panaang Curry Chicken I've ever had -
Nunu's Thai dishes located in Herndon (formerly the KMart Shopping Plaza), is new, but owner has been involved in area Thai places for many years. He will welcome you when you visit and wish you back upon departure. The food flavorful, and servers accommodate requests easily. The place is relatively small, but is usually pretty busy. They offer daily specials (lunch includes soup and a main course), for less than $15. Have been here several times and it is consistently good. When in the area and craving authentic Thai food - worth a strong consideration.- 3 replies
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Ate lunch at the Glover Park location last week. As my friend describes it: "Bangkok nightclub inside, serene Asian garden outside." We sat outside (as did everyone else while we where there). The food was quite good. While not at the level of Thai Square, it was definitely a cut above most Thai restaurants I've been to in this area. We shared the panang (peanut curry sauce) tofu and kee mao pak (wide rice noodles) with veggies in a chili/garlic/basil sauce. Both were well-prepared and had a nice amount of heat to them, especially the kee mao pak which rates two heat-denoting chilis on the menu. Probably not a destination restaurant for most people, but something to keep in mind if you are in the area. Busara Thai Cuisine -
I checked the dining guide and couldn't find a listing, but I wanted to make a mention of Thailand on Royal in Old Town Alexandria. The restaurant has just moved into a larger location on Fairfax Street, just across from Perks, and their expansion in this economy is a testament to their consistently solid performance. The food is very good and the service is attentive, and we think they are the best Thai option in our part of NoVa. I usually get one of two dishes here, the drunkard's noodles or the panang curry. The noodles are searingly hot and beautifully spiced with plenty of basil. The panang curry has a lovely depth and is exceptionally fragrant with kaffir lime leaves (no skimping on the pricey ingredients). They will also make this dish with tofu and/or vegetables, options that I don't think are on the menu, but have been suggested by our server and make for a nice lighter lunch. Mr. lperry loves the chicken kaprow, spiced minced chicken, and they always make it just how he wants it, on the mild side. We eat out a great deal, and this restaurant is the only one in the area where we have never had a bad meal. Not once. And that's with a minimum of one visit a week. The worst thing that has happened was the appearance of anemic tomatoes in the drunkard's noodles during the off season, but this phenomenon is not restricted to this restaurant. We'll keep going.- 5 replies
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