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ThaiBox, Spicy Thai in Lorton - Chef Lek Also Offers Cajun Dishes and Po Boys - Closed


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I got takeout from this place a few days ago, the chef used to have restaurants locally, here & Richmond, that I never visited. I ordered chicken ka prow, pad c ew, & a shrimp po boy-results were mixed, but mostly good-shrimp po boy was for my picky daughter, who moaned about not saying she wanted sauce on the side-4/5 large butterflied shrimp, smothered in remoulade, w/ tomatoes on bread, w/ soggy, but well-seasoned fries (I ate most of the shrimp). Tom didn't like his pad c ew, the noodles were clumpy, & it tasted 'heavy'. My chicken ka prow was not what I was used to, modest in size, not much sauce, w/ a fried egg on top-but it was extremely spicy & addictive-chicken was minced (which I like), green beans, not many visible onions or peppers, but VERY hot- I think it must have been white pepper. At first, I dismissed it, but when I went back for seconds, I enjoyed it, although it was definitely at the high end of the heat scale (& I can handle spicy). Not quite sure where to rank it on my list of favored Thai restaurants, but I'll definitely try it again...

& I'll include this, although it makes me look exceptionally lazy-I sent my son to pick up the food (one of the few benefits of having a child recently old enough to drive), he told me he accidentally went into the place next door, & asked for takeout, & they sadly told him, not here, must be next door- he said he felt terrible. I constantly wonder how some of these smaller restaurants stay in business, how do they make the rent, when so many people are not eating out that much?

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Takeout today from ThaiBox-green curry w/ catfish & chicken ka prow. I was overwhelmed (in a good way) by the aroma as I was driving home, I almost felt like I had eaten a meal, it was that good. Both meals were deliciously spicy, with the ka prow more spicy then the green curry, I saw more peppers this time. Veggies in the green curry were peppers, green beans, bamboo shoots, & peas-I'd take eggplant over peas any day, but it was delicious, w/ 4 big strips of fried catfish, & a side of rice.

I'd recommend it for a $20 Tuesday, but it's definitely out of the way for most people-if you have business in Lorton or Ft. Belvoir, it would be an excellent choice. Currently, they are open 11-9, M-F, but the sign outside said beginning March 3rd, they would be open on Saturdays. While I waited for takeout, at 11:30 a.m., 1 other person came in for takeout, & 3 soldiers were dining in, they all ordered Cajun stuff. Two of them were repeat diners, & they were raving about the food to their companion (hey, it's a small restaurant, I couldn't help overhearing their conversation).

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Damn good Drunken Noodles (with Beef) for lunch today. I got the last of the Thai Dumplings which were excellent and easily survived the 10 minute drive home. The server told me that they make the dumplings fresh each day. Too bad they are only open M-F.

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I had lunch here last week, ordered spicy shrimp w/ basil, the server asked how I'd like it, on a scale of 1-10. I asked for 8, & it was probably one of the spiciest dishes I've ever had, but incredibly delicious. I think I spotted fresh green peppercorns, but that couldn't have accounted for all the heat. Next time, I may have to dial back to 6-7. I arrived w/ my friend at around 11:30, & right after we arrived, it was full, it's probably only got 16 seats, & they had a brisk takeout business as well.

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Barbara got us takeout from Thaibox a couple of weeks ago. We were both hungry and set upon it like ravening wolves. I can't remember too much about it other than the green curry with chicken was very good, as was the bourbon shrimp. The bourbon cream sauce on the shrimp would make for a nice cooling dish to offset something very spicy.

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My lunch here today was delicious, why am I the only one who ever mentions it? (OK, I realize it is situated in the back of beyond, far south Fairfax co.)-it was a full house (not difficult, it's very small) & my gai pad ka prow had me sweating, in a good way, within minutes, even though I chickened out & asked for a spice level of 5-6. My friend got the drunken noodles, not spicy, 1, & she still complained it had too much kick for her. I told her she needed to try something else off the menu.

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My lunch here today was delicious, why am I the only one who ever mentions it? (OK, I realize it is situated in the back of beyond, far south Fairfax co.)-it was a full house (not difficult, it's very small) & my gai pad ka prow had me sweating, in a good way, within minutes, even though I chickened out & asked for a spice level of 5-6. My friend got the drunken noodles, not spicy, 1, & she still complained it had too much kick for her. I told her she needed to try something else off the menu.

Keep posting about it please! Your posts provide valuable insight, and people appreciate them, I promise you.

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This place is really good.  Unfortunately, with the place being in an industrial park just outside the beltway and closing early my only opportunity of getting lunch from here is whenever I have a business meeting down that way. I had the Thai Red Curry Jerk Chicken  a couple of weeks back and I thought it was amazing!  It's jerk spice breaded chicken breast on a bed of rice with Thai red curry poured over the chicken and rice.  The hot crispy breading on the chicken absorbed the curry really well.  The creaminess of the Thai  Red curry really does go well with the jerk seasoning on the chicken.  It's a really spicy dish.  I was sweating and loving it.  I can't wait for a reason to be out there for lunch during the week.  

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After hearing Thai Box touted for a couple of years, we finally made an excuse to trek out and give it a try for lunch.  The Thai Red Curry Jerk Chicken mentioned by CSRoute1 was being offered on a bed of thin rice noodles as a special and was outstanding. What's amazing about this dish is that the crunchy exterior of the fried chicken breast remains crunchy even while it swims in the red curry sauce.  Outstanding flavor and fire -- this is what dishes inspired by two cuisines are supposed to be about.  Portion-wise, the chicken was the size of a breast, served as two cutlets.  Plenty of food.

Those with less of an appetite for spicy may prefer the Curry Chicken Bombay.  It has a more sophisticated flavor and is creamier than other Thai curry dishes that I've ordered.  The sauce has a rich and buttery texture -- as a Southeast Asian dish, it feels closer to something Cambodian or Laotian with a European influence than to a lot of Thai cooking.

Also sampled the gumbo.  Delightfully spicy and meaty with wonderful sausage and perfectly-cooked okra.  Although billed as a shrimp and sausage gumbo, it was a little light on the shrimp, but good enough that it didn't matter.

It'll be on my list when passing on I-95 or in Springfield or Kingstowne or Woodbridge, for sure.

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Wow, great find!

I didn't know exactly what to expect with the Thai Red Curry Jerk Chicken but had to try it based on the recommendations. The chicken was so tender! The lightly fried cutlet was smothered in the spicy red curry sauce. I don't know if it was dry-rubbed and if that's what makes it "jerk", but it was certainly spicy. Ours wasn't served on noodles but on plain white rice, which was fine; it helped cool down my bites! The drunken noodles were fantastic. We ordered it with pork, and while I didn't expect the pork to be fried, I loved it. I enjoyed it last night but I'd happily eat it cold for breakfast every morning :)

What probably made us most happy with the experience is that we ordered 4 different entrees and each one tasted different. We didn't feel like we got 4 orders of a nondescript base sauce on different proteins, noodles and veggies. When I wanted a hot bite, I had a the jerk chicken. When I wanted to cool down, I had the sweeter (but balanced with enough heat) drunken noodles. For a salty bite (again with nice heat), the ka prow hit the spot.

And the takeout held up - even through a 45 minute car ride. Great stuff - thanks guys!

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A group of 4 had dinner there about a month ago.  They have extended their hours now to 8 PM Monday -Friday (kitchen closes at 7:45).

We tried their wings, calamari and fried popcorn crawfish as starters. I wasn't too impressed with the starters. The crawfish and calamari were underwhelming. The batter was light, airy, but that was about all I could taste. While I enjoyed the taste of the wings, I didn't care for the texture. I suppose I was expecting something fried, and these were more of a boiled wing tossed in a lemongrass type of sauce. Flavorful, tender, but no crunch. If you like that style, you will probably like the wings.

Shrimp Po Boy was very good, and this was ordered by someone who grew up in the New Orleans area. Good sized shrimp, and the liked the roll it was served on.

I had a catfish special that was very good. Not too spicy, served with a crawfish gumbo topping and rice.

Overall, it's a good place to visit. It's small, but then again it's off the beaten path and not open on the weekends so I don't think finding a table will be hard.

If you like spicy food, I would definitely recommend.

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Thaibox is no more.  Their webpage is down and their Facebook page has several comments about the restaurant being closed and the signs are no longer there.  One comment was a rumor that the owners were moving to Stafford and would be opening a place there.  Something to keep in mind if you hear of a Thai-Cajun fusion restaurant down that way.

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