Gary G.
Yelp
Small, strip mall eatery mostly geared toward takeout, but with a handful of tables for dining in. It's a one-person show (the owner) at the front of the house, so you'll need some patience waiting for her to answer the phone, take care of takeout customers, tend to other tables, etc. So be kind and more importantly, plan your water intake accordingly. Overall, a MUCH-better-than-you'd-expect place with compelling flavors and really nice execution.
General tip: Skip the copycat Chinese and Vietnamese restaurant fare that's probably there out of obligation, and stick to the Thai items where they really shine, and especially the entrees.
Chicken Star: Flattened Thai style popcorn chicken, with decent crunch and a mostly pleasant flavor, although it's sweeter than it needs to be. A common area condiment station has ingredients to kick this up, but it's fine as is and a pretty good value too.
Hot Wings: Less of a value, as the price has gone up and the portion has gone down of late (that's the case at all restaurants in the post-pandemic era), but these are large wing pieces, cooked to nail the contrast between crisp exterior and juicy center. Sweet tangy heat on top, basically your typical Thai sweet chile sauce a la Mae Ploy, but well executed. More of a concession to an American palate, but delicious nevertheless.
Tofu Triangles: Crisp outside, tender inside, and enjoyable enough for carnivores that we got two orders for our party of six. Peanut dipping sauce on the side. I kick that up with chile condiments.
Pork skewers (occasional special): Often called moo ping, with a lively thin, herby, crunchy dip, often called nam jim jaew. Tender and nice flavor with or without the condiment.
Seaweed Salad: A healthy app that's a refreshing counterpoint to both the hot and the sweet. Have had it many times.
Papaya Salad: Also refreshing, with lots of crunch, and lots of heat too, so it's more about its own flavor than counterpoint. Crisp, refreshing, but very mild compared to other versions I've had, especially Cambodian ones. You can vary the heat to your preference, as you can with all dishes.
Chicken Larb: Served warm and fully cooked, this salad is spicy, herbal, sour, and light. Large portion.
Khao Soi: Excellent noodles underneath, with just enough of the firmness still intact; the crunchy noodles on top are a higher grade than most. Made with protein of choice (I choose chicken), thick and spicy yellow curry, onions, scallions, pickled mustard greens, and herbs. Every aspect well executed.
Chicken Grapow: Usually with ground crumbly chicken, sometimes long shreds, with a fairly light brown sauce leaning less on oyster sauce and more on the heavy use of sweet basil. Irresistibly flavored, it's one of their best dishes. Good flavor from the spices and good use of basil. Can be made as spicy as you like.
Other Mix 'n' Match Plates: Like many Thai restaurants, you can pick your protein, or for non-meat eaters, vegetables, tofu, or seafood. All of these have been very good. There's no particular specialty I'd recommend over any other; go with your instincts.
Pork Belly: Crispy but sometimes a little too fatty.
Fish with String Bean: Fried, crunchy, tasty. Mildly spicy.
Salmon Choo Chee: A thick slab of salmon, well cooked in its own right even before the sauce additions, but made tastier after a thick, tasty curry sauce whose heat can be customized. Served with broccoli crowns. Enjoyable as Thai food or simply as seafood.
Beef Salad: Slightly warm in this rendition. Spicy, refreshing, faint hints of sweet, and a nice crunch from toasted rice.
Sweet and Sour Fish: Not unlike what you might find in an old school Chinese restaurant, but with fried fish. Pineapples and cherry tomatoes, not cherries. Nice texture warm. Traditional and authentic? Who's to say, but a good dish for someone who's less adventurous with the unfamiliar Thai fare.
Tofu with Eggplant: Crisp large chunks of tofu with crunchy vegetables, and the namesake eggplant velvety beneath the exterior.
