Thai Thai in Sterling, NJ

[Rosie]

lapasterie--Be sure to give us the address and a report on the new Thai restaurant in Westfield.

[lapasterie]

lapasterie--Be sure to give us the address and a report on the new Thai restaurant in Westfield.

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I do not know if it is open yet. It is on South Ave across from the train station .

I have not seen any ads in the local paper yet.

[birder53]

We finally had dinner at Thai House in Warren last night. We arrived early, about 5:45 PM. The dining room was empty. Within 10-15 minutes, another three couples were seated and at least two take-out orders were picked up. The small dining room has two levels. I'd guess there are 15-17 tables in total. Service was fine. We started with the crispy duck salad (Yum Ped Yarng), one of our favorites at Thai Thai. This version includes pineapple, which I was hesitant about, but it didn't overwhelm the dish. There was quite a bit of duck but it wasn't crispy. Entrees were Panang Curry with chicken - not as flavorful as the version at Thai Thai called Kaeng Panang. Also ordered Kee Mao with chicken. This is a noodle dish with wide flat noodles, onion, red pepper, Thai basil and chili sauce. This was our favorite dish of the night. We had never tried the Thai Thai version of this so cannot compare. We skipped dessert and coffee - no room! When we left there were five tables occupied by five couples. Thai Thai would have been full up at 5:45!

When comparing the two take-out menus, Thai Thai is $0.45 - $2.00 more expensive than Thai House, with a few exceptions where they are a bit less. I can't say for sure if the servings are larger at Thai Thai but splitting one appetizer and sharing two entrees was enough for us at both places.

We will probably dine here again as well as get take-out. Thai Thai is too far a ride for take-out. Thai House is only about five minutes away. I guess I'm waiting for more reports on Thai Thai before I take the trip back up there. Especially since they will no longer take a reservation for a party of two! Thai House does not have the atmosphere of Thai Thai. The staff is not as warm as Thai Thai's under Tony's ownership.

Has anyone else dined at either place recently? If so, please share your thoughts.

Edited February 5, 2006 by birder53 (log)

[barb_b]

Hi Kathy,

In an earlier post (#21)...I referenced that I heard a rumor re: a Thai restaurant opening in Dewey Meadows (King George Rd)...I was wrong, it is "Flames Seafood and Grill" I think it opened this weekend.

Just wanted to clarify.

Thanks for your comparison of Thai House vs. Thai Thai.

Regards,

Barb

[CiriloE]

Thai House, on Rte 22 across from Bowcraft has been sold in the last three weeks-different chef and manager. Very different food, not nearly as good.  Although the menu has not been changed yet or the signage, the credit card paperwork said Siam House.  That makes the two standbyes for us both gone.

Anyone been to the Thai restaurant in Clark in the old diner?  Now we really don't know where to go!!!!

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My wife and I had the same experience as Curlz when the Thai House I on Rte 22 changed owners last November. This one is 5 minutes away from my house and we ate there several times a week. We knew there are better Thai restaurants around but the regular host/waiter Prisha always knew what you liked and needed. He always made you feel so comfortable. That night in November we walked in as strangers. When we asked about Prisha they lied and said he went home to Thailand. We ordered our regulars and the food preparation was different. When I asked if Paul still owned the place, the response was "NO, but we have the same chefs." Another lie as I peeked in the kitchen and no one was recognizable.

Paul later told me he sold Thai House I to concentrate on the more profitable Thai House II in Warren which he opened 7 years ago. He was also tired and regrettably said he only had his first full weekend off in seven years after he sold the Thai House I, the original restaurant he started 15 years ago. The menu in Warren is the same as we're used to. Unfortunately, Mt Bethel Road is a good 20 min. further so we only go there when I have this strong craving for the crispy duck.

Thailand, in a stainless steel diner on Central Ave is very good. Their seafood dishes are excellent but they do not have my crispy duck. The staff is friendly but it gets very busy and is not the place for a slow meal and linger. You see all these hungry souls waiting to be seated and you tend to rush through your meal. I'll either have to develop a thicker skin or eat there only on weekdays to fully enjoy my meal.

Prisha now works at the Thai Basil in Middlesex. My wife wants to go there one of these nights. Has anyone been there?

Cirilo

[birder53]

Early dinner at Thai Thai this evening. We hadn't planned to eat out but ended up in the area in need of food at 5:00 PM. We were the first diners of the evening. The hostess was smiling and laughing with some of the staff when we arrived. This was a better start than our last visit. The decor has changed and the staff now wear all black rather than the Thai "costumes" that were the previous uniform. We recognized some of the staff from the previous owner's days.

The food was good. We started with the crispy duck salad, which was spicier than expected. It was missing something - maybe a little more lime juice was needed? We just didn't have that "Wow!" reaction we always had for this dish. Next was chicken with Thai basil and red peppers. It was a bit dry and not as spicy as expected but still tasty. The Lard Na was my favorite - wide noodles with broccoli and pork in a brown gravy. There were four specials, two appetizers and two entrees. We weren't tempted to try them and they were certainly pricier than any specials they made available in the past. Service was more casual than under Tony's direction. When we left @ 5:45 there were only two other tables occupied. I think one take-out order was picked up and a woman came in to make a reservation for a group on Monday night. I know it was early, but I remember arriving a bit before 6:00 PM and being glad we had a reservation!

That said, we will probably go back here again. It is still the best Thai food we have found in our area. We tried take-out from Thai House last month and discarded their take-out menu along with most of the food. That was too bad. They are so close to home that we could finally consider Thai take-out but the food just isn't very good. There are still more Thai restaurants around that we haven't tried yet, so the hunt continues.

[barb_b]

We did take out at Thai Thai on Sat. It was packed!!! (Very similiar to Tony's) The food was great, in fact, some of of our dishes were even a little more flavorful....BUT...How to describe.

The loss is the home town feeling when you walk in, and everyone recognizes you and your children....I am sure that this happens all the time at other restaurants, but a first for us.

Great restauraunt, I think the new chef is SAM, but funny, as I was asking questions, so many others waiting joined in....

Learning....Good food is great! But it is hard to transfer to new owners the feeling of being welcomed and feeling like part of the family

We will be back. The food was great. Just doesn't have the Tony touch....

[andrewhwest]

Just had dinner at Thai Thai, the food remains above-average as usual, but not especially great. We go here 3 or 4 times a year; the service was just fine.

[Curlz]

Buuuuuuuuuump

Just thought I'd report that my friend who regularly goes to Thai Thai is reporting that there has been another change of hands, and that the results are VERY good. To wit: "The ice princess is no longer at the front desk, the place has been cleaned up a bit, and the food is as good as it used to be." I'm not sure if the new owners have any connection to the original (?) ones, but it sounds like there are some positive changes at Thai Thai.