Thai- Cancun, Mexico

Recently, I was able to spend an entire week with my parents and a few friends in gorgeous Cancun. While there, we of course enjoyed Thai food. The restaurant we went to was called...Thai. Definitely not getting any points for creativity!!

The ambiance was amazing, literally amazing. It was like a sophisticated Swiss Family Robinson-type structure with beautiful lighting....it felt like a paradise, which was especially impressive since it was connected to a large outdoor mall.

Unfortunately, the food was totally fine (fine is NOT a good thing coming from me) and was extremely expensive. I've never paid $30 for a dish before and the food was definitely just okay.

Would I go back? Yes, I'd go back to sunny Cancun! To Thai? Maybe to sip on a mojito while enjoying the atmosphere.

Decor: absolutely amazing
Price: expensive (over $30 per person, before drinks)
Spice level: so-so

For more information:

http://www.thai.com.mx/

Thai Spoon- Downtown Chicago

I arrived in Chicago as one of Target’s representatives at the NSHMBA Conference (National Society of Hispanic MBAs) and had a little time to kill before our team member training and needed some lunch. I decided to go for a walk around the hotel to find something to eat and to my delight, there was a Thai restaurant two blocks away!

I decided to go with a standard- Pad Thai with Chicken. Thai Spoon did a great job and the meal was delicious. I also enjoyed that there were size options- small and large- for most dishes. I was there at about 2pm and there were tons of diners and others coming in to order takeout- looks like the place did well.

Thanks, Chicago!

Decor: fine
Price: average ($10-$15)
Spice level: order higher than normal

For more information:

Thai Spoon & Sushi

632 South Wabash Avenue

Chicago, IL 60605

http://www.thaispoonsushi.com/

Mt. Fuji

As I walked past Mt. Fuji on my way home to eat a healthy meal with tons of veggies, I thought to myself...I wonder how this sushi restaurant does with Pad Thai....? A few minutes later I was inside ordering take-out (whoops!). Although the wait for the take-out was a little long (20 minutes), it was totally worth it.

I ordered Pad Thai with chicken, their only Thai dish on the mostly sushi menu, and was so impressed with the presentation, flavor and SPICE. The dish was prepared to perfection and would give Roat Osha a run for their money. I'm not sure why a sushi restaurant has Pad Thai on the menu, but if you can do it right, then why not?

I'd highly recommend trying their Pad Thai...hopefully their sushi is just as good?!

Decor: good ambiance

Price: average ($10-$15)

Spice level: perfection

For more information:

Mt. Fuji
2819 Hennepin Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55408

www.mtfujimn.com

True Thai #2

This weekend, I had the opportunity to return to True Thai. I was definitely looking forward to this since it is so critically acclaimed, yet has never impressed me to the same extent. Yet again, I think that do a decent job, but they definitely don't scream best ever to me.

My dining companion and I started with Fried Tofu, which was delicious, but pretty standard. For dinner, my dining companion ordered Laab with Beef (Your choice of minced ingredients blended with healthy portions of lime juice, roasted rice powder, coriander, and shallots. Served with sticky rice), which he adored.

I ordered Southern Thai Bean-Thread Rice Vermicelli Salad (Deliciously seasoned with authentic Thai spices, mixed with pork and shrimp,blended with sweet and spicy dressing with lime) because I didn't recall seeing anything like it anywhere else. I ordered it as a 5 (out of 5), which the waitress recorded as "TH" (Thai Hot) and it in fact had an amazing spice level. The blend of flavors, pork and shrimp was a real win.

Like I said the first time I reviewed True Thai, their service definitely has room for improvement. It's just...so slow!

Rating- :) :) :) 3 out of 5 Smiles from Sukie

Sawatdee Express

After my most recent experience eating Thai food in the downtown skyway, I was a bit scared to try Sawatdee Express. My dining companion and I both ordered Pad Thai with chicken (they have quite a limited menu) and although it wasn't the best Pad Thai I've ever had, it was decent! I also had a spring roll, which was delicious and made me think of Sawatdee on Washington (definitely the best in their group) and my dining companion enjoyed cream cheese wontons.

The meals were quite expensive- over $10- for what we received, but I'll definitely be back to try their curry.

Decor: it's a closet in the skyway...

Price: average, but expensive for the skyway ($10-$15)

Spice level: definitely no spices added during cooking, but they provided them to add!

For more information:

Sawatdee Express
733 Marqutte Ave #211
Minneapolis, MN 55401

(in the Baker Building)

www.sawatdee.com

Royal Orchid- Downtown Minneapolis

Eek! Gag! Ugh! Blah!

That's about all I have to say about the "food" I was served at Royal Orchid in Downtown Minneapolis. If you ever find yourself wandering around the skyway looking for lunch, STAY AWAY! I would not have known I was eating "Pad Thai" and "Yellow Curry" had the signs not said so....this place is truly horrible.

I'm not even going to give you the address- you don't want it!!

Spice Thai

This weekend, I had a truly unique opportunity to enjoy Thai food with a newbie!! This dining companion had only tried Pad Thai once at Roat Osha (best Pad Thai ever!) and otherwise was a total Thai virgin! Obviously, the pressure was on for Spice Thai in Savage....and for me to pick some delicious dishes.

We started with Kung Pom Tong (Crispy Shrimps wrapped in golden fried egg noodles served with Thai spiced sweet & sour), which was tasty, but not very memorable. It felt like a good warm up for my dining companion though...

For dinner, we ordered Gaeng Ka Ree with chicken (Yellow curry with coconut milk and potatoes) and Basil Noodle with scallops (Thai rice noodle stir-fried with basil, onion and chilies in our own special sauce. One tasty noodle dish). We ordered both dishes medium (2 out of 5- don't worry, we got a spice tray too!!) and they both had really rich and delicious flavor. The curry was on the thicker side, which is how I prefer it and the potatoes were cooked to perfection. Although Basil Noodle is not something I regularly order, I was particularly impressed with the flavor combination of this sometimes so-so dish.

Although Spice Thai is a touch out of my way (not sure I have many other reasons to be in Savage...), I will definitely be back. YUM!

PS My dining companion dropped his business card in the fish bowl to win a giftcard and 3 days later, they emailed him that he in fact won $25 to Spice Thai!

Decor: just right

Price: average ($10-$15)

Spice level: jury is still out....we ordered medium!

For more information:

Spice Thai
3989 County Road 42
Savage, MN 55378

www.spicemn.com