This weeks choice was Thai Traditions, one of the oldest Thai restaurants in town and certainly one of the most elegant. Eight of our group attended this week and even though they have an extensive menu, many of us ordered the same thing. The prices are very reasonable and there is enough variety and you can find something to fit your budget. It received 8 thumbs out of 8.
A couple of people started off with Egg Rolls. They were steaming hot and very flavorful with a mix of pork and vegetable. Three eggrolls are served on a bed of red cabbage and with a red sweet and sour sauce.
Two people ordered traditional Pad Thai which is rice noodles stir fried with chicken and shrimp, beansprouts, onions, topped with crushed peanuts. One ordered vegetarian Pad Thsi which substitutes mixed vegetables for the chicken and shrimp. Both the traditional and vegetarian were generous portions of rice noodles cooked perfectly and with a nice balance of other ingredients. After some bad experiences with Pad Thai at other restaurants, I didn't order it but now I know where to go when I crave Pad Thai (It does happen!)
Two people ordered "The Great Eight" described in the menu as "unable to choose which meat to have for dinner??? Don't. Great combination of all seafoods and meats: where the land joins the sea to create an exciting dish". Described by my dinner companions as a carnivore's heaven. Bite sized meat and seafood morsels tossed with a brown sauce and a few sneaky vegetables and spices There is a side of Sticky rice. It is served with the idea that you would put some sticky rice on a small plate and ladle on some of the meat mixture and eat from the small plate. The reality is that with eight people it was too crowded so most of us with this style of dish sat our large plate on top of the small dish and then spooned in the rice.
Our youngest person ordered Thai Noodle Soup with Seafood. It is Rice noodles in a broth simmered with onions, star anais seeds, topped with beansprouts, cilantro and green onions. To say this bowl of soup is gigantic is an understatement. Think of cutting a soccer ball in half and using it as serving bowl. It was fun to see what kinds of seafood were lurking in the bowl - sort of like deep sea fishing. Not even a third of the bowl was eaten at the restaurant, but shrimp, crab, mussels and scallops were found. Fortunately. there is a to-go container that can hold the leftovers.
The most beatiful dish of the evening was curry dish called Gang Gang which is coconut milk simmered with red curry paste, bamboo slices, and fresh basil leaves. You have a choice of chicken, pork or beef. My dinner companion chose chicken. It is served in a blue and white china bowl with the basil leaves decorating the top. We all went "oooh" when it was served. He had eaten Gang Gang here before and so knew what to expect and wasn't disappointed.
I had a hard time deciding but finally went with Shrimp and Scallops with Snowpeas. The seafood is stir-fried with fresh snowpeas and bamboo slices in a tasty garlic sauce. Everything was cooked very well and the garlic sauce was very tasty but a little runny. There was lots of shrimp but very little scallops. I love scallops so that was a bit of a disappointment. I was reluctant to order anything spicy but I should have requested medium instead of mild as it was a little too bland even for me.
We were all given the choice of mild, medium, or hot - if you want Thai hot you have to ask. We had a couple of people order mild or medium with a bowl of Thai hot on the side. The waiter brought a condiment dish that had red pepper flakes in one compartment, jalepenos in one,spicy red curry paste in another and the fourth held the tiny Thai peppers. The green ones were tolerable, but the red ones brought tears to eyes of all who tried it. In other words - a little goes a long way.
For overall experience, I would rate this very high. The restaurant was busy, but not crowded so that we were able to sit and talk after our meal without feeling rude. The waiter was efficient without being intrusive.
As mentioned before the restaurant is elegant with lots of wood, white linens, beautiful traditional blue and white china and light Asian music playing in the background.
Thai Traditions is located a 620 N. Carriage Parkway. General directions are from Central and Edgemoor go east and turn between Taco Bell and El Rodeo. There are lots of medical offices in this area. Follow the road about 1/2 block north to a strip mall. It is in the center of the mall. Also located here are Sake Japanese Steak and Sushi and Toni D's (Lunch and Catering). You cannot see it from any major street, so your GPS will come in handy.
Next outing is April 6th - N & J Bakery and Restaurant.
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