Covington Thai Smackdown

[syoung68]

Last weekend, my wife and I with the help of our neighbors had our own little Thai food battle. At last count there are no less than 5 Thai restaurants in the Mandeville Covington area, but none scream smackdown like Thai Flavor and Thai Spice. There are several reasons for this; they are directly across the street from one another, their menus are virtually identical (there is a reason for this), they are relatively close to my house, and there is a history to the owners.

Let me say a little something about the history, which also explains the similar menu. First there was Thai Chili. Thai Chili had an employee named Ricky who was the maître d', and sometime chef. Ricky decided to leave and start his own restaurant with his family. Incidentally, Thai Chili has not been the same since. So, Ricky and fam open Thai Spice where Schwings once was on 190 (the Tiki hut place). Thai Spice is better that Chili and Ricky is a great host.

Then one night we decide that on my way home from work, I will pick up Thai. We can't find a menu and call information. There is no listing. Odd. No problem, I will simply stop on my way, order the food, and wait. Once there I do not realize there is a sign change out front, I get my food, and go home. Upon opening the bag I find a Thai Flavor menu (actually a Thai Spice menu photocopied with "Flavor" over "Spice" - no lie). HUH?!

Two weeks later there is a sign across the street ... Coming Soon Thai Spice By Ricky! Evidently there was a family squabble, and Ricky has moved on.

Since Ricky has reopened across the street, we have been to both and liked both... chances are, we figured, it is the same recipes. We feel a loyalty to Ricky because he is so nice, but some people have liked Flavor better and this is what led to the smackdown.

Here is how we did it. We chose the exact same items from both restaurants. We picked based on pretty common orders and things we thought would travel well. We did not choose many items and 6 people still had left overs.

The Menu

Crispy Spring Rolls

Shrimp Phad Thai

Beef Drunken Noodles

Chicken Mussaman

The smackdown was based solely on food. Not atmosphere. Not the fact that the wife and I like Ricky - in fact I had a neighbor order from Spice b/c I did not want to risk and special treatment if Ricky recognized me.

The Verdict

We picked up the food within minutes of each other - across the street remember. The bills were within pennies of each other. Upon getting home the first thing we noticed is that Flavor had given us more food in every dish. 8 spring rolls to Spice's 6, more noodles etc.

Spring Rolls

Even though Flavor had given us more, Spice was the winner here. The spring rolls from Spice were crispier, and the filling was fresher and more plentiful.

Shrimp Phad Thai

This was dead even. There were surprisingly different flavors here, though I think it was the proportions of the ingredients as opposed to variation in them. Flavor had a bit more tang to it.

Beef Drunken Noodles

Flavor's noodles were MUCH spicier, but had better underlying flavor. Yeah I know "spicier that Spice" and "Flavor had more flavor" you try to come up with anther way to write that. We happen to like a little heat, and we gave this round to Flavor.

So far we have a 1 - 1 - 1 record. For the final dish...

Chicken Mussaman

Again, Flavor was considerably spicier, but they also had a more dominant cinnamon flavor that was way too overpowering. Spice's dish was just right.

The Winner Is

Thai Spice. If I were just going to have some drunken noodles for lunch, then I would likely go to Thai Flavor. That being said, other than a quick bite, my money is being spent at Thai Spice.

Now I know there are more dishes to consider and that this is one night of tasting - take out no less, but this was not meant to be a restaurant review. It was simply a fun way to spend a Friday night.

[LorinGaudin]

Very cool report!!! I'm heading over to your side of the lake for Thai food and I think I'll start at Thai Spice. Just out of curiosity, what about Thai Pot? I've been there twice, but not too recently. I thought it was so-so, but clearly you're an afficianado, so what's the scoop?

[syoung68]

As crazy as it is, we have not been. It is on the list because we have heard good things from semi respected sources. There is another Thai joint whose name escapes me right now, on 190 as it meets up with Florida that we were not impressed with at all.

IMO Thai is like Chinese or pizza, even when it is "bad" is is still pretty good - unless it is awful and that is hard to do. It is unfortunate that New Orleans, especially the north shore, is limited in its ethnic cuisine. I lived outside of Boston for 6 years and was spoiled by the variety of good quality ethnic restaurants. Don't get me wrong, the Vietnamese food here is much better than up north, at least better than it was 8 years ago, but even our best Chinese places pale in comparison.

Back to your original question, if we make it to the Thai pot soon, I will post it here.