Monday, February 16, 2009

Valentine's Day: Thai Food

We really had no specific hankerings for dinner, so we just walked downtown and let our noses be the guide. We were between a Thai place and an Italian place, and Thai won. King of Krung Siam was the name of the place, and it was decently crowded. We were sat immediately (it was a little after 8pm), and water was served. I had only read through the appetizers and salads when the waiter came to take our order, so we had to ask for a few more minutes. The entrees spanned several pages, so I flipped through to see the categories. I read through noodles and rice dishes and hadn't even gotten to three pages of options when the waiter came around again. Now, those who know me well know that I read the entire menu every time I go out to eat, unless I go there often and know what I want (like the tuna melt pita and Greek fries at Pitaria. that's all I ever get there). So while I was a bit frustrated, I realized that it was Valentine's Day so the guy could be doing his best if it's been packed all day. So, we went ahead and ordered - Chicken & Pork Satay as an appetizer, I ordered Chicken Pad Thai (no peanuts), and Jonathan ordered the Red Curry with Chicken and a side of steamed rice.

There were chicken, pork, and beef options for the satay, and while we ordered a chicken/pork combo, the plate we were served was all chicken. They were delicious though... marinated overnight in a slightly sweet and slightly sticky sauce. There was peanut sauce on the side, and chopped vegetables (cucumber, peppers, onions) in a light sauce as another side. The vegetables were great with the satay (aka chicken on a stick), and Jonathan said it was a good peanut sauce. The only downfall was that they were brought out WITH the meal, instead of first (and the table behind us got their spring roll appetizer quite a bit sooner than their meals). Jonathan enjoyed his curry, noting that it was hotter than the pa-nang he had the last time we got Thai. The taste was too coconutty for me. I was very unimpressed with my pad thai, and will note it as the worst I have ever had (and I've gotten it fast-food style before!). First, the bean sprouts were very long and not mixed in. Second, besides the noodles, there were only a few green onions, a bunch of carrots, and a minuscule amount of (cubed and unflavored) chicken. I tried to make the most of it, but there were two other (big) problems. One, there were no chopsticks. Not one table in the restaurant had chopsticks! So, I had to eat with a fork, which I really hate to do for certain foods, pad thai included. Second, the wedge of lime was very small. Now, I usually ask for extra limes (I probably use the equivalent of a whole small lime if given the chance), so this isn't a big deal. BUT, when I asked the server for extra limes, he repeated "limes?" as if he didn't know what it was. So I pointed to the lime on my plate and reiterated my request. He seemed to understand.... but brought my back two LEMON SLICES instead of LIME WEDGES. Now, the funny part is that in many countries (like Bangladesh), the word for lemon and lime is the same, even though they have both fruits. But I pointed to a very GREEN lime, so I have no idea what happened. Anyway, I didn't eat very much of the meal, for the reasons all mentioned already.

While our water was refilled regularly for the first half of dinner, we were ignored for a good twenty-five minutes when we were ready for the check. Eventually Jonathan had to get up and go request that our check be brought so we could pay and leave. Needless to say, we only gave a 10% tip.

2 comments:

  1. Hey Amy,
    We have a 'sort of' cousin that lives in California.
    You may already know that.. but if not, his name is Kevin Shuckhaus. He is in the San Luis Ibispo/LA area. He is Aunt Lorraine's brother's son and has been living out in Ca for 10 years or so. We visited him about 5 years ago and he flys out here each year for our 4th of July picnic...
    Which, by the way, if you are ever out here in NJ, you are more then welcome to come see us!
    We always have a BIG 4th of July picnic, each year! :)
    Linda

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  2. thanks, Linda. I had no idea. I do wish LA was closer, I have a few friends from undergrad out there and Disneyland is down there too, hehe. It's a 5 or 6 hour drive though, so who knows if we'll make it. We're trying to schedule a Tahoe trip right now, and that's about 4 hours NE of us.

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