Ban Thai

My mouth is still tingling...mmm

I was excited to try Ban Thai in White Bear Lake. I've seen very mixed reviews on the restaurant; positive from Lazy Lightning and negative from Twin Cities Restaurant Blog. I also tried to go there once already, to find it closed due to a death in the family.

Based on their cute website, the restaurant was what I expected- a small, family owned business. I was eager to see if the owner (who is Thai) would be our server, but instead we got her husband! His knowledge of the menu and different dishes was impressive.

When I arrived, my dining companion had already ordered Fried Wontons with cream cheese (Deep-fried wonton stuffed with cream cheese, pork or shrimp. Served with Ban Thai's own homemade sweet and sour sauce) and Veggie Egg Rolls (For the veggie lover. Stuffed with fresh cabbage, mushrooms, carrots,eggs, onions and mungbean thread noodles. Lightly deep-fried). Both of these dishes were fine, but nothing super memorable. I don't think Ban Thai's sweet and sour sauce tasted any different than normal sweet and sour. We were off to a slow start, but not for long!

My dining companion decided to order Gang Panang Curry with chicken (A thicker variety of red curry with ground peanut and sweet basil) since we've been to Big Bowl together several times and I regularly order Panang Curry. I was absolutely blown away. This was definitely the best Panang Curry I've ever tasted...I had several bites of hers and could have easily eaten the whole thing...what a surprise!

I've had Thai food the last two days, so I was yearning for something a little different. I decided to try Laab Moo (A favorite in Northern Thailand. Coarsely ground pork marinated in a spicy combination of Thai peppers, limejuice, onion, fresh mint, green onion, cilantro and roasted rice powder. Served on a bed of lettuce and cucumbers. Served with an order of sticky rice to complete the experience) based on the interesting description and the server's suggestion. I ordered a spice level 3 (out of 4) and he seemed nervous for me. This was one of the best meals I've had since I started this blog- absolutely perfect! He was right about the spice level- I might not have been able to eat the meal if it was a 4! The 3 had me with a bit of a runny nose, burning mouth and tingly lips- LOVE IT!!

Overall, the experience at Ban Thai was thrilling and memorable...I can't wait to visit the cute couple who own this place again soon!

Decor: fine

Price: normal ($10-15)
Spice level: HOT!!!

For more information:

Ban Thai

2186 3rd Street

White Bear Lake, MN 55110

www.banthaionline.com

Answers to FAQs

I've been getting a lot of questions lately about my quest to try all that the Twin Cities has to offer for Thai Cuisine.

Here are some answers:

• I've gone to over 30 places, which is about half of the list (I think)
• Urbanspoon definitely has the most accurate information on Thai restaurants, but I'm still making changes and updates regularly. For a while I submitted updates all over town, but now I'm only updating information for Urbanspoon. I love their website!!
• I'm going to try and go every place on my list 2-3 times. With three experiences, I can try a curry, a noodle or rice and something else. Anywhere that was horrible will only get me to come back one more time.
• I don't foresee doing a follow-up blog when I'm done with this research; I can't eat any other cuisine this often.
• I read other bloggers' posts on Thai food- it's quite fun!
• If I could blog as a profession, I probably wouldn't. I love my day job :)
• My goal is to go two places a week whenever possible
• I try and get dessert and/or appetizers to try more items at a restaurant
• I love feedback from my friends.
• I have a dream that Andrew Zimmerman will want to grab a bite with me sometime!
  
• I'm trying to come up with a rating scale...something similar to Coldstone's "like it, love it, gotta have it"

If you have any other questions....let me know!!

1st of Thai Restaurant

Today, I had the opportunity to grab some take-out over the lunch hour. I arrived at 1st of Thai Restaurant in Plymouth to a sizable crowd for a Monday lunch. I arrived really hungry (why do I always do that?!) so I ordered an egg roll as an appetizer for the car ride back. Although the egg roll had good flavor, the insides were not connected to the wrapper, so they kept sliding out...it weirded me out a little!

After looking over their menu, I was feeling indecisive, so I ordered Pad Thai with chicken (Rice stick noodle, stir fried with eggs, bean sprouts, green onions, garlic and topped with roasted grounded peanuts). The packaging and appearance of the food was pretty standard, but oh my gosh was it delicious!! I was really impressed with the sauce and the chicken was perfect- it feels like I've had more weird chicken than ever lately!

I am excited to try this place again...hopefully for a sit down meal!

Decor: nice, nothing out of the ordinary

Price: normal ($10-15)
Spice level: good! She seemed very suspicious when I ordered a 4 out of 5!

For more information:

1st of Thai

10100 6th Avenue North

Plymouth, MN 55441
(For GPS, use Minneapolis)

Taste of Thailand- St. Paul

Va-va voom!!

After a so-so experience at Taste of Thailand- Downtown Minneapolis, I warned my dining companion that I wasn't sure how this would be (she is one of my regulars, so I wasn't worried about her feelings!). This Taste of Thailand was WAY different from the one in downtown Minneapolis. We had an awesome dinner! We started with Special Spring Rolls (The best spring roll in the Twin Cities made even better with lettuce, bean sprouts, carrots, cilantro, shrimp, pork, rice noodles and three different types of fresh mint wrapped in rice paper and served with a delicious sauce- and always fresh!) I was definitely skeptical about these being the best spring rolls (I've seen that tag line once or twice...) but I have to say these were the best I've had to date. You could definitely taste the mint and we loved the rolls and the delicious peanut sauce.

For dinner, my dining companion strayed from her regular Pad Thai and ordered Pra Ram Long Song with chicken (Another Twin Cities favorite, this traditional Thai dish feautres a mild peanut curry sauce over steamed spinach). I was so proud of her for trying something new, especially since she was unsure of the spinach. She loved the dish and I also thought it was excellent. The peanut sauce was perfection!!

I ordered Vegetarian Red Curry (Tofu and red curry in coconut milk with broccoli, carrots, green beans, napa cabbage, potatoes, pea pods and jumbo onions) because I was really feeling like some vegetables after all of the delicious (but unhealthy) holiday food. This dish was absolutely perfect. I have a rule that I only take leftovers when it is just about the best thing I've ever tasted...and I took leftovers! The flavor was rich, but not overpowering and the vegetables were delicious!!! (the carrots and green beans could have used one more minute cooking!)

For dessert, we had to try Buttercup Squash with Custard. I love Thai custard and had ever seen butternut squash on any menu so obviously I was intrigued. Even though my dining companion and I were full, we enjoyed the dessert a lot. What is it about Thai custard that makes me weak in the knees?!

Overall, I am so excited to have tried another Taste of Thailand!!! So far St. Paul is shaping up to have the best Thai food...

Decor: strip mall-ish

Prices: average ($10-15)
Spice level: absolutely perfect

More information:

Taste of Thailand
1671 Selby Ave
St Paul, MN 55104

Lemon Grass Thai Cuisine

HOT!!

Tonight, I ventured out to Lemon Grass Thai Cuisine in Brooklyn Park for some take-out. I was absolutely starving by the time I got there, so I ordered Egg Rolls (Shredded carrots, onions, and glass noodles wrapped and lightly fried. Choose from - vegetarian or pork) for the car ride home. They were absolutely delicious and made my aching stomach feel better immediately. They must have been really hot when they packaged them today, since they basically melted through the styrofoam...hopefully I didn't eat any of it?!

When I got home, I pulled out my Yellow Curry with chicken (Coconut milk, yellow curry paste, potatoes , basil, and green onions). I was interested to see if it was actually spicy since I'd asked for EXTRA spicy. Um...yeah! I could barely eat the deliciousness. I'm sweating and my nose is running...so it was AWESOME! It also helped me eat a little less since I could barely breathe...ha!

The little restaurant was cute and had ample seating. I will definitely dine in next time I go, which will be soon since they have such great spicy-ness!

Decor: cutesy

Prices: average ($10-15)
Spice level: I'm still on fire

More information:

Lemon Grass Thai Cuisine
8600 Edinburgh Center Drive
Brooklyn Park, MN 55443
(GPS says it is in Minneapolis)

http://lemongrassthaicuisine.net/

Ginger Hop

Yawn…

I was excited to try Ginger Hop, which recently opened in Northeast Minneapolis, after hearing rave reviews from one of my favorite dining companions. Although the overall presentation of food was good, the meal was quite boring.

To start, we ordered Shrimp Spring Rolls (fresh spring rolls with shrimp, mint and basil, served with peanut dipping sauce), which were by far the most boring spring rolls I’ve ever had in my life (check the blog- I eat spring rolls often!). I thought they would be saved by peanut dipping sauce, but alas the sauce was basically oil with pieces of peanut and had no flavor. We also ordered Walleye Satay (beer battered and deep fried, served with wasabi tartar sauce), which was awesome. This was the true winner of our meal! The wasabi tartar sauce….sooo good!

One of my dining companions ordered Basil Stir Fry with chicken (Broccoli, red pepper, shitake mushrooms, onion, garlic and Thai basil in a flavorful oyster sauce with your choice of chicken or tofu). Although the presentation was good, the dish was pretty bland. I guess that’s all I have to say about that…

Two of us ordered Sweet Green Curry with chicken (Green curry and coconut milk with red pepper, eggplant, peas and your choice of chicken or tofu). We chose to order this because it was highly recommended by the waitress. I was a little skeptical from the start because I couldn’t choose a spice level…I have NEVER been somewhere that said the dish comes one spice level…that REALLY annoyed me! I asked for a spice tray and she seemed to think we wouldn’t need it, but we both did! Although we both ate most of the dish, the chicken was SUPER weird and we both barely touched it. YUCK! Overall, the curry was nice and creamy, but was definitely lacking in flavor. Luckily, we were starving and willing to eat just about anything (but the chicken!!!)

All in all, I was pretty disappointed AND bored. I’ll go back, but I’m skeptical of this whole “East meets Northeast” thing.

Decor: chic

Prices: average ($10-15)
Spice level: BOO!

More information:

Ginger Hop
201 E Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55414

www.gingerhop.com

Eastside Thai

What a treat! I drove through the snow and traffic to try Eastside Thai in St. Paul. With no website and no posted reviews...I wasn't sure what to expect. This 10-table restaurant put me at ease immediately- it's clear that it's family run and local. The menu is small with under 30 items and no desserts.

I decided to have some comfort food- Pad Thai with tofu (we bring the taste of this famous noodle dish from the street vendors in Thailand just for you). It was absolutely delicious! From what I read, it was prepared quite traditionally (next time I'm in Bangkok, I really need to pay closer attention!). Unlike my dining companion's noodles on Saturday, these noodles were prepared to perfection and had a ton of flavor without being very greasy. The fried tofu wasn't the best I've ever tasted, but overall the meal really impressed me.

I am excited to return...hopefully to dine-in next time!

Decor: comforting

Prices: cheap! under $10
Spice level: nail on head

More information:

Eastside Thai
879 Payne Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55101

Bahn Thai Cuisine

Dinner should never take that long...

With some of my favorite dining companions in town, we decided to venture out to Bahn Thai Cuisine in Plymouth. Although Plymouth is a nice area, this restaurant was tucked away in a mostly-abandoned mall...the place had some nice decor, but the tables and chair made us think of a rec center, so the night was immediately off to sort of a weird start. After waiting for about 35 minutes without having a waiter stop over, I approached the host stand and asked for some service. One of the two waiters came over and said "I can take your order quickly" like we were inconveniencing him. We ordered a few appetizers (we were starving!) and entrees. The appetizers took 40 minutes...we ordered fried meat balls, chicken satay and spring rolls. All items were pretty darn mediocre.

While waiting for the appetizers, many people came to the restaurant and due to the lack of service, they gave up and left. We saw 3 or 4 tables abandon their hopes of dinner...it almost became funny!

The main dishes had mixed reviews. One dining companion ordered Pad Thai with Chicken (rice noodles, eggs, bean sprouts, green onion topped with crushed peanuts). Although it was tasty, the noodles were pretty gummy and seemed overcooked.

Another friend ordered Gaeng Khiao Waan Gai- Chicken Green Curry ( chicken, coconut milk, green curry paste, zucchini, peas and basil leaves). The chicken was extremely weird and thus she barely ate her meal. I tried the curry and it wasn't horrible, but it was a little high on salt and low on flavor. She ended up munching on some of the Pad Thai.


For a break from curry, one dining companion chose Pad Pak with chicken (broccoli, celery, onions, pea pods, carrots, fresh mushrooms and bell peppers). This had great overall flavor, but definitely could have been a bit spicier. This dish had chicken that looked and tasted delicious...not totally sure why some chicken was good and the other wasn't?


I ordered Pad Ped Puck Curry with chicken (coconut milk, red curry, napa, broccoli, carrots and bell peppers). This had absolutely amazing flavor and was probably worth the insane wait! The one issue was that I found a piece of chicken in my tofu dish! Had this been back in my vegetarian days, I would have been quite steamed!!

At the end of the night, we questioned one of the servers about the wait and he shared that they were down a cook and at least one server. Although that did add some perspective, why on earth didn't they tell us that earlier? OR stop over and say, "hey we are short staffed, but we will be back as soon as we can." Not that complicated.

I'll be back...but I'm not super thrilled about the idea of potentially suffering through bad service again...

Decor: mix and match

Prices: average ($10-15)
Spice level: right on

More information:

Bahn Thai Cuisine
4108 Lancaster Lane North
Plymouth, MN 55441

www.bahnthaitripod.com

Magic Thai Cafe

What a riot! My dining companion and I enjoyed Magic Thai Cafe in Eagan, which included fun music and a quirky server....oh and great food!

My dining companion ordered Pa Nang with chicken- medium spice (strips of red and green bell peppers, onions, coconut milk, red curry, kaffir lead, topped with ground peanuts). It wasn't super spicy, but overall had good flavor. It definitely wasn't the best panang curry I've had, but it was okay! (In case you're thinking I can't spell "panang," you're wrong....I'm pretty sure there is no correct way of spelling it...."Pa Nang" is how this restaurant listed it!!)

I ordered Spicy Noodle with chicken- hot (stir fried rice noodles with onions, green onions, tomatoes, and basil). I didn't order "very hot," just "hot" because our server assured us that the spice scale was a Thai spice scale and not a Minnesota spice scale. He seemed very suspicious of us...it seemed like he was thinking "who are these chicks that have probably never had spicy food?" The dish was absolutely scrumptious and I was glad I ordered it "hot" because it made my lips tingle and my nose a touch sniffly (AWESOME!) I loved the flavor and didn't want the dish to end.

Our server quickly brought us our bill, but oh no, we wanted a sweet treat. We ordered Purple Rice with Custard and he immediately tried to get us to order Sweet Rice with Mango instead. Um, hello?! If I wanted Sweet Rice with Mango, wouldn't I have ordered it?! When he brought us the Purple Rice with Custard, he seemed very curious to see if we would like it. Well, we loved it!! My dining companion did some quick research and discovered purple rice is native to Eastern Thailand....hopefully I'll see it at some other restaurants in the future!

Decor: cutesy

Prices: average ($10-15)
Spice level: they can make it hot!

More information:

Magic Thai Cafe
1258 Lone Oak Road
Eagan, MN 55121

www.magicthaicafe.com