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Nava Thai is at the back of the Hung Fat Thai Market on Fern Street in Wheaton. It is closed on Wednesdays. Our first visit did not register much and we have not been back in a while. But recently I have heard good things so we gave it a try! Sunday after Thanksgiving, and wife & I needed a good lunch to get the juices flowing before going into the restaurant for a long day of accounting issues & running the restaurant for dinner. Soup was in order. We first thought about a run to Bob's Shabu squared but it was too far. Sergio's for pupusas & chicken soup sounded perfect so we drove there. When we parked around the corner I saw Nava Thai across the street. So despite our so so first meal there we returned. Good move! We had a couple of bowls of soup & a plate of Som Tum. I had the market noodle soup with pork. My only quibble was the sweetness level of the broth, but I fear that this may just as likely be an issue of the sweetness level being proper and my just not liking it that sweet as any other reason. But since it was corrected with the addition of a little vinegar with hot chiles, what the heck. The nonrubbery and surprisingly flavorful mystery-meatballs were particularly good, the pork abundant and flavorful. Kay had the roast duck stew soup and it was fine with a lot of spice from the duck. The Som Tum was wondrous! Fiery hot, with a thicker dressing that made a more complete whole of the dish. It wasn't a simple salad of papaya in a dressing but a complex whole. I loved the use of the green beans and the squished grape tomatoes added flavor, a little relief from the considerable heat and a nice texture contrast. Unlike the recent som tum at both Ruan Thai and Thai Square, this one lacked the tiny dried shrimp but the dressing had lots of the powdered crustaceans in there. Simply the best Som Tum I have had in ages (since the hole in the wall in East Hollywood or the joints on sherman way in the San Fernando Valley of LA). Based on a small sample size, I think that Nava is now equal to Thai Square and for many dishes, ahead of Ruan Thai. But Ruan Thai has some stuff I have never had before and does such a superb job on their veggie components of their dishes that much careful consideration will have to be given to both. But for general eating, Nava is now ahead of Ruan, but I will go to Ruan when I feel like their wonderful eggplant dishes (which is often) or the steamed bun mi and chicken in red curry at lunch. Superb food, cheap ($36 for three beers and 3 dishes served by a wonderfully sweet server who was so concerned that we like their food. The heat kept me going all day and long into the night!! I am sure this will be a first of many visits back. -
Washington City Paper article about Baan Thai’s name change to Baan Siam and upcoming move to the former Alba Osteria space in Mt Vernon Triangle.
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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.
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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. -
I had read about this restaurant in NoVA Magazine. Since the menu didn't look more interesting than the decor, I had no intention of visiting. However, today is the second day in a row that I showed up after 11 and was confronted with a "closed" sign in the door of Caribbean Corner. So I walked around a bit to look for a place for lunch. I noticed right next to Caribbean Corner is Le Mediterranean, Driss Zahidi's new joint - open but empty. Another door down is Sisters Thai. I ordered a lunch special of stir fried veggie & tofu with basil, which came with spring rolls. I added chicken curry roti to flesh out my lunch. The spring rolls were thin and crispy, filled with a little cabbage and carrots. In general I find them so-so, and the version here is typical of what I've found. The chicken curry had nice flavor but the curry was too salty; however, the rotis are buttery and light (better than Elephant Jump). I did like the small plate of stir-fried veggies - there was discernable heat in the dish without any prompting on my part. There is a board of Thai items with no translation. I'll post a picture later, maybe Fishinnards can translate!- 15 replies
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Riceberry, located at 22034 Shaw Road #114 in Sterling, is visible from Church Street as you drive West toward Rt. 28. It is a small carry-out only Thai restaurant with a limited set of grocery items, almost all of them Thai ingredients that the owners must feel are not available at area pan-Asian markets. We enjoyed a feast from them over the weekend, concentrating on starters. There is a fair amount of street food on the menu. Everything we tried was good, and that includes the $10 platter of sausages we bought to cook at home tonight. They had two different types of house-prepared sausages to go. There are a number of grab-and-go ready to eat items as well, and they have plenty of desserts. Well worth continued exploration and if you work at AOL in Ashburn, you will likely consider it a lunchtime treasure. We used their web site to order ahead. www.riceberrymarket.com -
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 -
We used to like Thai Derm on Bonifant. Mandalay moving in across the street didn't kill them, did it? -
This place opened a 3rd location recently at North Point Shopping Plaza in Reston. It is busy, fairly small location for a strip mall nestled near Giant Food and GameStop - no joke. They just announced they are opening their 4th location in Great Falls, just off Walker Road behind the Wells Fargo bank. Pretty ambitious, which is fine, there are a few Thai places in the general Reston-Herndon-Great Falls geographic area. -
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. -
Mmm Crystal Thai has some of the best Panaang Curry Chicken I've ever had -
I'm looking for the best Thai restaurant in the DC-area. Any suggestions?
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Over the past 2 days I put up a whole lot of spicy condiments. Sunday;Thai Fish sauce & lime juice w/garlic & fresh chilis {Nam Pla Prik} Chiles w/sugar, MSG. salt, garlic & rice vinegar {Prik Nasom} Prik Dong {thai chiles in rice vinegar} Prik Si Iew Wan {chiles in sweet soy sauce, this is going to be amazing, the bhii extraction into the thick, sweet dark soy is slow and complex.} King Ki Mao {ginger in bourbon, rice vinegar & fish sauce. Never heard this one before but I cannot wait to try. } Monday hot chili oils {all made with half Indian mustard oil and half virgin peanut oil, all involved heating oil to high temps {190c+ and then pouring the oils over the chili flakes 3 to 5 times} Chili oil w/lots of toasted Korean gochujang red pepper flakes, Sichuan red peppercorn powder {toasted and ground at home}fresh chilis, garlic, MSG, salt, black vinegar, sesame oil & soy. Blindingly hot. The oil was infused w/cinnamon, fresh scallion, garlic & ginger, allspice, black pepper, black cumin, star anise} Sichuan inspired chili sauce w/Korean red pepper flakes, Aleppo flakes, Sichuan red peppercorn powder, soy, black vinegar, salt, sugar, msg. The oil was infused w/cinnamon, fresh scallion, garlic & ginger, allspice, black pepper, black cumin, black cardamon, star anise} This is more of a dumpling/noodle style chili oil/sauce. Blindingly hot. Sichuan hot chile oil The oil was infused w/sichuan red and green peppercorns, cinnamon, fresh scallion, garlic & ginger, allspice, black pepper, black cumin, black cardamon, star anise} and poured over Korean pepper flakes. I have not decided if this is to be strained or left on the crispy flakes. I have enough of it to make 2 batches. Blindingly hot, more of a cooking ingredient than a condiment. Chili Crisp {inspired by a video on Chinese Cooking Demystified where some of the only people in the world more into detailed descriptions of the food they cook than me, riff on Lao Gan Ma chili crisps, Reddit link here, but this was my own riff on a riff} Again ,the combo of oils was infused with nfused w/cinnamon, fresh scallion, garlic & ginger, allspice, black pepper, black cumin, black cardamon, star anise. But in this recipe, all the ingredients were fried in the oil as opposed to using a hot pourover technique. Ingredients: fresh Thai chilis, Sichuan mixed preserved veggies, fermented w/ginger black beans soaked in Bourbon, not having baijou, fermented preserved bean curd, fresh ginger & garlic, homemade and hand ground sichuan redpeppercorn powder, Korean red chili flakes both toasted and not, Aleppo pepper flakes, salt, sugar & MSG. This is pretty amazing already and will improve for a week. More flavorful and not all that spicy, but still pretty fiery. Worth the prep time and the long, staged cook time. Sichuan peppercorn oil. Infused oils: ginger & garlic & cardamon then red & green Sichuan peppercorns were cooked in the hot oil & strained. Not spicy but very tingly and aromatic. A cooking condiment. Projects still to come: Scallion oil. Garlic oil. Ginger Green onion oil. But I need more mustard, and virgin peanut oils. These oils are available at India Bazaar in Falls Church for not a lot of money {like $15 a gallon, $5 a quart. I used up 2 quarts total, 1 of each. I am looking for virgin or unrefines rapeseed oil. A lesson relearned: Nitrile gloves keep all the chili heat on the glove and no contamination of hands underneath. Successes besides the wonderful sauces/condiments: I did touch my eyes, nose or penis while I was wearing my chili infused nitrile gloves. I got a 4 oz jar of mixed hot oils which went beautifully on our dumplings for dinner. I did all the hot chili work on a plastic cutting board and not my wood one so no left over chili heat cross contiminating into everything. I did not infuse the air of the apartment with chili to the point where Kay had to be rushed to the emergency room. Spot was upset but then again, Spot is always upset. He just demanded greenies. When he woke up later. Did I mention I did not touch my penis with chili infected gloves? Lasting question to ponder: re: virgin mustard oil, peanut oil, rapeseed oil. How do you define virgin if the seeds/nuts do not take part in penetrative sex? How do you f^ck a mustard seed if they are?
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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.
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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... -
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
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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?
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I think it is on the Baan Thai menu at Tsunami on 14th Street. (They recently added a special Northern Thai menu.) -
It's amazing we don't have a thread on The Shrimp Lover (website). a Thai-owned quasi-seafood shack, located in a strip mall just off Route 28, very convenient for Washingtonians traveling to Dulles Airport. I went for lunch today, had wonderful service at the bar, and a kick-your-butt shrimp plate that's worth knowing about. Seated at the bar, I was asked what I'd like to drink - I wasn't drinking alcohol, so I got a Diet Coke ($2,50, unlimited refills) while I waited for one of the most interesting raw seafood dishes I've had in quite awhile: Shrimp Nam-Pla ($12) - five (the menu said six, but I got five) large, split, raw shrimp in a cold, Thai-ceviche-like broth that was a combination of lime, intense salt, pepper, and heat (and I do mean heat), each shrimp topped with a small piece of bitter cucumber and raw garlic, and the entire dish topped with a few basil leaves. While officially an appetizer, this was more than enough for a small lunch, and while the intensity of the "severe ceviche" might take some getting used to, heat-lovers will really enjoy this. The combination of the dish itself, the wonderful atmosphere, and the uber-friendly staff makes me take note of The Shrimp Lover anytime I'm close to Dulles Airport, and you should too.
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This is the only mention I can find of Bangkok Garden on this board. I've always admired the dowdy Bethesda location for putting out authenic food and resisting the fad of aquarium-themed decor. Thanks to a post from MartyL on Chowhound, many of us found out Bangkok Garden has a Thai language menu. I was part of the June Chowhound lunch at the Bethesda location and was able to get a copy of the multicolored menu.
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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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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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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.
