Thai food

[vengroff]

We stopped in at Thaiphoon's Dupont location after a visit to the Zoo this weekend.

I thought the salad of green papaya was quite good. It was julienned, dressed in lime and chile, and served like noodles with some crunchy green beans and peanuts.

A special of chicken with eggplant, bamboo shoots, and basil was very heavy on the bamboo shoots and light on the eggplant. Reversing the ratios would have made for a more interesting dish.

Tofu drunken noodles had good crunchy-skinned tofu, but the wide noodles were a bit mushy.

[rcarter]

If you like Neisha, try the original location in on rt 7 in Bailey's Crossroads. The newer Tysons location seems to have tamed down the menu a little. The original location has interesting daily specials, better menu selection and the food is great.

[hjshorter]

If anyone is in the Dupont area I'd be interested to know if Thai Chef is still any good. That was the closest Thai place to our apartment when we lived downtown and had decent food. I noticed the last time I drove by that they have expanded and added a sushi bar.

[Monica Bhide]

Hi all, I am taking a large group to Dungrats (sp?) on April 26th -- does anyone know the chef? I was hoping to talk with him/her to make a evening something spectacular... let me know.. you can PM me if you like

thanks

Monica

[bilrus]

We went to Neisha at Tyson's last night and I have to echo the earlier post that the entrees are a little "underspicy" but still very flavorful - with distinct flavors rather than the muddle of flavors that are sometimes served at lesser places. The appetizers were all very good, especially the Larb. The atmoshere was defintely nicer than I anticipated right next to the Rainforest Cafe. Nice to know it is there.

[mhberk]

I've always been pleased with Sala Thai in Cleveland Park, but the atmosphere at Tera Thai (Bethesda, Rockville, and Alexandria) is much more appealing.

[PoorLawyer]

I like Thaiphoon too. Much better than the Tara Thai near me in Ballston

[JPW]

My 2 cents.

THAI in Shirlington is about the best Thai I've ever had.

Thai Derm in downtown SS is my favorite amongst the "neighborhood" Thai places.

Thaiphoon in Dupont is fun and pretty good. Just watch out for the drinks.

Not a big fan of either of our local chains -- Tara Thai or Sala Thai.

[Sr.Llave]

The best Thai food I ever had was back in 1985 at a dive in Hollywood next to Jumbo's Clown Room (a strip bar that supposedly Courtney Love once danced at). Since then all Thai food has never quite measured up. Having said that, I spend my money at the following DC restaurants: Thaiphoon, Thai Titanic (awful name) and Rice. I have been to Duangrats about 3 times in the past 5 years. The last two times it was uneven. Just my two cents.

[iamthestretch]

It's a bit out of the way (well, unless you live there) but there are two good Thai choices in Wheaton that don't bother with punning names, (much) neon or overpriced cocktails. Ruan Thai is really bare bones, but the food is authentic and the price is right. And I've had three meals recently just up University Boulevard at Dusit and haven't had a disappointing offering yet. The noodle dishes are particularly good.

Edited to say: "Woohoo! I'm a full member at last. Do I get a commemorative doohickey?"

Edited March 31, 2004 by iamthestretch (log)

[hjshorter]

It's a bit out of the way (well, unless you live there) but there are two good Thai choices in Wheaton that don't bother with punning names, (much) neon or overpriced cocktails. Ruan Thai is really bare bones, but the food is authentic and the price is right. And I've had three meals recently just up University Boulevard at Dusit and haven't had a disappointing offering yet. The noodle dishes are particularly good.

Edited to say: "Woohoo! I'm a full member at last. Do I get a commemorative doohickey?"

I love Dusit. We had takeout at least 2-3 times a month from Dusit when we lived in Wheaton.

Your doohickey is in the mail.

[dcfoodie]

There is a new Neisha Thai in DC on Wisconsin Ave In Tenleytown. The seafood dishes are good, but I would stay away from Chicken or Beef. In Old Town, Alexandria, I like to go to Old Town Thai. I personally don't find any of the Thai restaurants in this area worth making a special trip for however. Maybe I am wrong, but they all seem the same to me.

[eunny jang]

This is not an endorsement of a good Thai restaurant.

My friend Pino went once to a big, retro (not in the ironic kitchy throwback sense, but in the carrot-curls-presented-as-haute-cuisine-garnish-and-umbrellas-in-the-drinks-with-all-seriousness-sense) Thai restaurant called Old Siam in Gaithersburg, and came back with this little glimpse into the workings of a not-too-concientious kitchen: he ordered the green curry with shrimp, which was served in a pineapple shell. He assumed the pinapple was meant to be scooped out and eaten with the curry, like you might an avocado filled with crab or somesuch, since the pineapple was only cored, not relieved of the flesh. He finished what he could, and asked the restaurant to pack up the rest and to do him the favor of taking the greens off the top of the fruit, so the package would be less unwieldly. The waiter politely denied the request. When queried as to why it would not be possible, the waiter told him they had to keep the pineapple for the next guest who ordered green curry. It had already been on three tables that night.

[JennyUptown]

Eunny, your story made me want to reconsider my next post, but... because I really am trying to like Thai food, I'll continue.

Thai food has never really impressed me. I have always enjoyed Japanese, Chinese, Asian-fusion, etc. much more than Thai. But I'm trying.

Help me out here: what are some good (non-seafood) dishes for me to try? PLM and I ordered from Sala Thai on Saturday. I had beef curry (red although it looked yellow to me ) and a chicken la-ab (larb) appetizer. It was all just "eh" to me. There were these noodle-like things in the curry, tasted like something from the onion family. Enlighten me - what WERE they anyway.

PLM seemed to enjoy his sweet & sour duck (a substitution for pork) as well as an appetizer of dumplings (shrimp, crab and pork all in one - I tried one and it was very shrimpy. What a surprise.).

Help me please. I'm trying to branch out.

[bilrus]

My standard go-to dish is Beef or Chicken Kaprow (or kapow or gaprow or basil chicken/beef). Basic meat in a garlic/chili/basil sauce. If not done well it is too sweet (just like all Thai food), but if done right it can have a nice zippy kick. Sala's version in one of my favorites.

[JPW]

I'll second the *ka prow* recommendation.

Curry = coconut milk. So red curry will appear orangish/yellow. The color generally refers to the color of paste used, not the end result of the dish.

Something like the *ka prow* which consists pretty much only what bilrus gave or other plainer sauces might be better as it can take time for US stomachs to accommodate themselves to coconut milk.

Other non-curry favorites are:

Spicy fried rice,

Thai style drunken noodles,

and of course Padd Thai (which has about as many variations as the story told by Bill Clinton when he got caught schtuppin Monica)

edited to include -

The noodle like onion-tasting things were most likely a type of bean sprouts.

Edited April 5, 2004 by JPW (log)