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Thai dining Irving and Carrollton

epicureasian — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:33:47 +0000

Coconut Thai Grill

2512 E Belt Line Rd
Carrollton, TX 75006
(972) 418-8424

The fiance and I took off for lunch at this Thai grill for a dining adventure. The restaurant resides in what appears to be a renovated Long John’s Silvers shack, done up in bright green paint. The interior was also refreshed with modern furniture and lively paint scheme to coordinate with their banana-and-coconut-themed paintings. Seeing the effort put into decorating the place made me confident in knowing that management intends to make this a successful venture.

On to the menu. We tackled the chicken satay for an appetizer, then I ordered the house special Coconut chicken while the fiance sampled their blackboard special of Yellow Curry. As is our experience with any skewered meat, the chicken satay went down in a few gulps–good stuff!–then we looked around hungrily for more. I had already regretted my omission of my typical Tom Kha chicken soup, and so pounced on the eggrolls that accompanied our meals. After making short work of the eggrolls, both of us dived into our meals with gusto. And what meals they were!

I haven’t had a coconut chicken dish like this in recent memory, but Coconut Thai’s fantastic rendition is worthy of praise. The marinated grilled chicken paired excellently with a slightly sweet and tangy sauce, and I confess to enjoying the mixed greens salad that went with it. The fiance also declared the Yellow curry special to be above-average and I had to check myself from saucing up the rest of his curry dregs on my rice. We were both so pleased with our lunches yet hungry enough to order a third dish, pad thai pork, just to see if they could serve up a capable noodle dish. I am entirely pleased to report that they mostly succeeded, except for their strange exclusion of crushed peanuts that is so indicative of pad thai dishes.

Coconut Thai Grill definitely surprised us and we will gladly return to try out more of their other menu specials.

My rating: 4.0 stars

Best Thai

7447 North MacArthur Boulevard
Irving, TX 75063
(972) 910-8846‎

I remember Best Thai from their original Addison location, though I’m not sure if this is the same restaurant that quadrupled their footprint in DFW or a totally different venture.

Armed with comfortable memories of the original “Best Thai” I convinced the fiance to try out this outpost in Irving, to see if lived up to my expectations.

Sadly, my impressions of Best Thai aren’t entirely positive. Best Thai seems to have capitulated to the practice of serving “neighborhood” quality food…fast, easy and convenient to the blocks of apartments and condos surrounding it. I can’t say that it is the “best” Thai food I’ve ever eaten, but in a pinch, it works.

The fiance and I ordered a bowl of their coconut chicken soup, a rendition that seemed devoid of the typical coconut creamy sweetness and citrusy tang of lemongrass that I’m used to. Best Thai complicates their version by adding onions and a heavier hand at the fish sauce. While it wasn’t a bad soup, it was too brothy to be considered a proper Tom Kha Gai.

I also feel disappointed with their Thai garlic chicken, a flavorful dish in which the vegetable-to-meat ratio measured nearly 10-to-1. I couldn’t help but feel cheated as I scrounged through the plate looking for pieces of chicken. My tongue also missed the 4-star heat advertised as hot, making me wish I had tried the 5-star very spicy option. My fiance fared much better however with his Bangkok Special, a chicken with broccoli plate nicely flavored with peanut sauce.

With one server bussing the dining room, which was quickly filling up with the Monday dinner crowd, we didn’t stay for dessert. I didn’t think they had a dessert menu anyway, and I am less inclined to return and find out.

My rating: 2.5 stars

A Movable Feast

epicureasian — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 23:05:30 +0000

The Fiance and I embarked on a series of dining adventures 3 weeks ago, a tour of menus compressed in a single day. We started with Pan Acean for their crowd-pleasing soup, visited Spice N Rice Indian Tiffin for samosa appetizers, ducked in next door at Zense Thai for satay chicken and a first course of Siam Beef, Cool Bamboo for Volcano Sushi, and finally Hard Eight for their BBQ chicken dipped in lemon garlic sauce. All dishes passed the test and I’m happy to report that we were mightily gratified by our movable feast.

Pan Acean Noodles, Grill, Stir-Fry

At first glance, Pan Acean appears to be a home-grown version of the Pei Wei chain restaurants, with a menu featuring a broad palette of asian cuisines. My impression is that Pan Acean does it better. I have yet to find a dish that disappoints; Pan Acean displays a capable hand in the soups and courses that I have so far sampled: from their steamed dumplings to their Mandarin Garlic stir fry. They also had an interesting rendition of Walnut Shrimp; their tangy version was dubbed Vanilla Prawns and came with honey pecans. Perhaps the best dish that I’ve experienced is their Mandarin Seafood Bisque–a misnomer, since there’s nothing bisque-like about it at all. But the seafood broth is delightfully swimming with fish, mussels, scallops, shrimp and asparagus. It’s a soup that we can’t get enough of it seems, having ordered it on every visit to Pan Acean so far.

My rating: 3.5 stars

Spice ‘N’ Rice Indian Tiffin

Spice N Rice recalls the cafeteria atmosphere of Taiwan Cafe except that they serve up cheap and fast versions of Indian food. I regretted not sampling their other offerings, on our tour of menus, when the fiance and I dropped by for some samosas. We had to wait about 10 minutes for them to cook up a fresh batch, but it was worth the wait. Beef, chicken and vegetable samosas all had their distinctive flavors, and we found that their sweet-spicy chutney sauce greatly enhanced the taste. I should have remembered to order the chaat dish, instead of ordering them individually, but neither our hostess or the kitchen complained of the one serving each of the base-ball sized samosas. We got a great deal for the large portions…something I didn’t expect of a chaat house. We’ll be back!

My rating: 3.5 stars

ZENse Thai

There’s just something bizarre about ZENse Thai. I understand that they promote some fusion dishes on their menu, I grokked the beta fish in their little pitchers, but I just couldn’t grasp the decor. The raffia-rope that ringed the dining room recalled Buddhist influences, sacred trees ordinations and such–except I felt nothing holy about eating there. What was amiss was a peanut chicken dish…this omission was aggravated by their “Fearless Foodie” list: ka-prow and chicken tom-kha spaghetti?? Come on, give me peanut sauce chicken. Disappointed we resigned ourselves to an order of satay chicken and their Siam Beef–which surprised us. The satay chicken was uncharacteristically presented sans skewer, instead 5 pieces perched atop slices of french bread–and this proved to be an excellent combination. The Siam beef came out on skewers, and while the meat was tough, it was also remarkably well-marinated…very flavorful and satisfying. So even though ZENse lacked what we were looking for, we were nevertheless pleased by what we found and promised to visit again for another adventure through their menu.

My rating: 3.0 stars

Cool Bamboo

I admit some surprise that there are at least 2 sushi restaurants in Coppell, but it seems there is an audience for Japanese food in this city–for which I’m grateful. Cool Bamboo sits across from J. Macklin’s Grill in a quiet corner strip mall, displaying a serene, dark exterior. When you walk in, you realize the reason for this; next to the front door is a wall of dark tiles down which water streams gently. It is a departure from the typical water-glass sculptures that grace most restaurant lobbies. The upscale surroundings was accompanied by quick and courteous service. Even though we were here for a single course, we were still treated well. The Volcano sushi turned out a delicious rendition, sprinkled liberally with baby scallops and shrimp, and topped with twisty strips of wonton skins, which gave it crunch. With the pleasant digs and superb service, our experience at Cool Bamboo guarantees another visit from us.

My rating: 4.0 stars

Dining, January first half of 2010

epicureasian — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:50:16 +0000

Blu Ginger Thai Cafe

Blu Ginger professes to be authentic Thai cuisine but too much of their menu displayed playful, gimmicky descriptions making it difficult to take them seriously. Newbie-friendly fusion seems to be the aim at Blu Ginger…which perhaps explains the hit-or-miss execution of their dishes. Their Tom Kha Gai, for example, lacked the lemongrass and fish sauce punch expected of the chicken coconut soup, rendering it bland and unmemorable. Their chicken and ginger soup however proved stellar, intensely fragrant and tasty. The Reunion, an appetizer sampler of satay chicken, wrapped shrimp, dumplings–artfully rendered and all very tasty, but terribly routine for Thai food. The Nutty Professor, Blu Ginger’s version of a peanut sauce dish, was marred by too much bean sprout filler–a disappointment. The spicy salmon curry (which our server warned us would take a longer time to prepare) first came out overcooked–the tail end of the fish came out dry and inedible. After a 2nd pass through the kitchen, the dish came out much more presentable, with a spicy sauce and prettily decorated with flash-fried basil (?) leaves. For the dessert course, Blu Ginger pleased us again, serving up 3 samplers in shot glass size: tapioca pudding, coconut custard and rice pudding–all excellent. Sadly, the high price of dinner dampened our overall satisfaction with the experience. The only area that Blu Ginger seems to surpass expectation is in presentation. Here’s to hoping for more consistency from Blu Ginger in the future.

My rating: 2.5 stars

7 Salsas

7 Salsas serves up more than 7 tasty, spicy salsas. Their menu is chock full of Tex-Mex dining options. Sitting in a nice neighborhood in North Irving (and another location in Coppell), 7 Salsas is a somewhat-upscale setting presenting tasty and reasonably-priced fare. For our visit, the endless chips and salsas came out; every one of the salsas proved mysteriously and addictively spicy. The restaurant also served up remarkably tasty chicken jalapeno poppers–moist and mildly zingy. 7 Salsas’ version of a Caesar salad turned out to be the only disappointment in the evening–I expected a Caesar constructed from scratch, but the only show came from our disinterested server tossing a few leaves, corn niblets, red peppers, with prepared dressing. The Parillada turned out to be a satisfying combo fajita meal for two; steak, chicken and shrimp on a sizzling plate with a saucer of flaming chorizo queso. The fajitas were pleasingly flavorful, though we felt the queso insufficient for our needs. Despite our server’s indifference, we found dinner a pleasant experience at 7 Salsas that we’ll be coming back to explore the rest of their menu.

My rating: 3.5 stars

November dining adventures part 1

epicureasian — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:14:04 +0000

Local Diner

120 S Denton Tap Rd
Coppell, TX 75019
(972) 393-3894

Local Diner serves up simple, inelegant, unpretentious fare. The fiance and I paid the Local Diner a visit for a Sunday breakfast. This Coppell outpost evoked old-time diners…barstools and tiled countertops, bright lighting, primary colors, and scores of 40s-60s memorabilia hanging from the walls. Our hosts were courteous and upbeat, very attentive when it came to taking orders and refills. While the Sunday church and sports crowd slowly filtered in, the fiance and I dove into our simple repasts. I ordered eggs and bacon with a side of 2 pancakes, while the soon-to-be-DH ordered French Toast with his eggs and ham. I found our meals acceptably executed, nothing too exciting or daring in the presentation…though I thought the bacon was lacking in salt. Nothing else thrilling to report about the meal…except that it was priced just right for what we got. Perhaps their lunch menu will have more tasty offerings…but one presumes too much to expect any more from this budget dining destination.

My rating: 2.5 stars

Kasa Kolache

761 S MacArthur Blvd
Coppell, TX 75019
(972) 745-8822

I’ve been drawn to this place ever since I saw the “kolache” sign beckoning. And I was pleased to discover that this little hole-in-the-wall bakery serves some mighty fine fruit kolaches, in addition to their sausage kolaches and cinnamon rolls. I confess that the first time I arrived at 1pm during a weekday I was worried that I wouldn’t get a chance to try their sausage rolls (they had run out). But my consolation was a half-dozen cinnamon rolls which proved to be tasty. Hoping it wasn’t a fluke, I’ve returned with the soon-to-be-DH who reckons himself a cinnamon roll fanatic. We came early on a Saturday morning and sampled sausage rolls (tasty and spicy), ham & cheese rolls (good), fruit kolaches (blueberry was an excellent rendition) and their cinnamon rolls (went back for seconds). We both agreed that everything exceeded expectations…and we enjoyed the cafe feel of the small dining room (loved the mural) and the counter staff was helpful and courteous. Kasa Kolache is definitely worth stopping by if you’re craving a good baked breakfast.

My rating: 3.5 stars

Uncle Tai Chinese

820 S MacArthur Blvd, # 112
Coppell, TX 75019
(972) 393-0415

I remember the original Uncle Tai location in the Dallas Galleria, well known for supplying North Dallasites with fine Chinese cuisine in upscale digs. I’m happy to hear that Uncle Tai relocated to smaller, casual and cozy outpost in Coppell. While I’ve only sampled one lunch dish from their takeout menu, I’m looking forward to trying out more of their menu. The tasty Hot Garlic Beef I ordered came out well prepared and cooked to order (I requested broccoli), though I must remember to stress steamed rice in the future–I wasn’t too keen on the dirty fried rice they paired with my lunch portion. I gobbled down lunch like Chinese food was going out of style–proof that Uncle Tai hasn’t lost his touch. I am looking forward to more takeout and delivery from Uncle Tai’s!

My rating: 3.5 stars

Siam Thai Cuisine

820 S MacArthur Blvd Ste 108B
Coppell, TX 75019
(972) 462-1584

I was thrilled to discover great Thai food in Coppell. The fiance and I visited Siam Thai for dinner and we feasted like royalty here. Nearly everything we ordered was a delightful treasure trove of flavors. The fried calamari were not the typical deep-fried rings usually offered by other restaurants–ours was a plate of lightly battered toothsome squid sticks, paired with sweet chili sauce. The coconut soup was at once sweet, sour and mildly spicy, with a slight fishy-sauce aroma…the signature of a well-balanced, flavorful coconut soup. The corn patties, while filling, was the only appetizer to disappoint, the batter seemed too thick and overpowered the scattered kernels of corn. As for the rest of the dinner, we requested 4- to 5-star heat with our pad thai with pork, Thai spicy peanut sauce with chicken and their signature seafood dish on sizzling plate. The pad thai noodles was a fantastic rendition of the classic dish…and with the added heat, we found we couldn’t stop eating despite the slow burn. The Thai peanut Chicken–while nowhere near the caliber of Banana Leaf’s version–was still a crowd-pleaser, and disappeared faster than the pad thai noodles. As for the sizzling seafood, I was pleased to see many different chunks of seafood swimming in the red coconut curry…this turned out to be the spiciest of all the dishes we sampled that evening–perhaps due to its still being served piping hot. Everything turned out delicious, and we lamented that even when loosening our belts, we couldn’t stuff ourselves any fuller with the excellent meal before us. Thankfully, we’re within delivery range of this Thai restaurant and we look forward to sampling more of their exotic menu!

My rating: 4.0 stars

The Original Fried Pie Place

1980 Nantucket Ste. 103
Richardson, TX 75080
(214) 575-7437

The Original Fried Pie Place will be the death of me. I like fried pies way too much…and the small variety of meat and fruit pies peddled here will keep me coming back for more. And wow, now they also serve funnel cakes. There’s nothing else like this restaurant in Texas! I’m looking forward to their Spinach/Mushroom/Cheese and Broccoli/Chicken on my next visit.

My rating: 3.5 stars

Catching up on dining reviews, October edition

epicureasian — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:33:54 +0000

Thai Pan Restaurant

1223 W McDermott Dr Suite 75
Allen, TX 75013
(972) 747-0057

How did I miss reviewing this little neighborhood gem? Thai Pan has been my go-to for Thai food for over a year, and nothing I’ve ordered from them has disappointed. This little eatery in a strip mall off McDermott has been serving reliably good Thai food in modest, comfy surroundings. I can’t help but order their tom kha gai every time I visit; it’s a perfectly balanced sweet, sour and spicy soup with tender morsels of chicken and mushrooms. Some other favorites from their menu include spicy basil fried rice, panang curry, pad gra pow, and their sticky rice with custard. The customer service is attentive and friendly, the dining room is small yet inviting. Allen is one city that should find itself lucky in having a fine Thai restaurant such as Thai Pan.

My rating: 4.0 stars

Genghis Grill

921 N. Central Expy
Plano, TX 75075
(972) 422-4745

About a few years ago, Mongolian barbecue appeared on the dining radar. Asian restaurants added it to their menu of offerings, a couple of chains established outposts in the DFW. Genghis Grill happens to be one of the first chains in the area to offer Mongolian. At first, it was a hit.

Once upon a time I was enamored with the concept of prepping your own dish and watching the cooks slap it around the cooking stone while you and your friends enjoyed a drink, watching for your meal to finish. After a couple of years, Genghis Grill must have changed their format, charging a little more for their food in the process, providing a one-meal option on top of their all-you-can-eat. They still offer a variety of meats and seafood, including fake Krab, and a host of veggie and sauce options. They also thought adding tortilla to the starch/carb list was also a pretty good idea.

After a recent visit to the Plano outpost of Genghis Grill, I determined that much of the social aspect and Asian taste and feel was gone or just fakery. This location had football playing loudly on the TV at the bar…hardly any onlookers hung out at the stone cooktop. This location solidified my suspicion that Genghis Grill had succumbed to the fate of most chain restaurants: quantity over quality, safe and routine replacing daring and innovative.

On a particular visit, the dining room floors were so sticky, it made my skin crawl to walk on them every time I marched to the serving line. Apparently they thought it was a good idea to clean the kitchen during restaurant hours; an employee was brushing a 2 inch pool of dirty soap water behind the stone cooktop where my food was being cooked. That could’ve explained why nobody was interested in watching their food getting prepped–the sight of that dirty water in the kitchen was enough to dampen any appetite.

I don’t know if it was the teen- to twenty-something clientele lounging around in the booths like they owned the place, the disinterested waitstaff who couldn’t be bothered to refill our drinks and clean off our tables, or the loud rock music blaring from the bar that competed with the football game on the tube that turned me off, but all I know is that I can cook up a better dish at home and I won’t be back.

My rating: 1.5 stars

369 BBQ

4140 Legacy Dr # 310
Plano, TX 75086
(972) 618-8888

Formerly Treasure Chinese BBQ, 369 is the only Chinese bbq place I know of in the area that delivers on top of taking plastic! 369 is an amazingly happy discovery, serving some good Cantonese fare besides the basics. I pity the folks who don’t know anything else but Americanized Chinese, because 369 is a treasure house of good authentic Chinese food. Aside from their standards of roast duck and barbecue pork, they serve an excellent Beef steak in Peking sauce (Chinese style steak in First Chinese BBQ parlance) and good chinese broc with mushrooms. Other recommendations: seafood in spicy salt, walnut shrimp, shrimp in cheese sauce, vegetables and mushrooms in brown sauce. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, 369 has an untranslated menu of dishes hanging from nearly every wall in the room–just ask for recommendations, it seems the folks at 369 are eager to help out. They are also very accommodating when it comes to modifying dishes.

Plano has few tasty Chinese BBQ options that honor credit cards and deliver too…thankfully, Plano has 369 BBQ.

My rating: 4.0 stars