Greenville's Best (#5): Thai Kitchen
Average Reading Time: almost 2 minutes.
Link to this Post: http://dxlgie.com/mo
I've polled people online (via Twitter and Facebook) to get their thoughts on this question: what are the top 5 restaurants in Greenville? After hearing (and occasionally groaning at) the suggestions, I've decided to publish my personal list. I'm rating restaurants subjectively on three different criteria: value (cost vs. quality), food (in particular, taste and plating), and service (which starts before the table). We'll start off with my #5: Thai Kitchen.
Located beside Colony Tire on Memorial Drive, Thai Kitchen is easily overlooked. Even their website is very nonchalant and doesn't portray the quality of food and service that Chef Kasemtreerat produces out of the kitchen. Both Chef Victor and his wife are natives of Thailand, a characteristic which shines through vividly in the Thai food. The sushi is wonderful as well, despite sushi being a Japanese tradition. The restaurant itself, as noted above, is located in an often-ignored part of Greenville, and the neighborhood combined with the interior decoration doesn't provide an environment that matches the food, but nonetheless it's a great place to eat. Not a very romantic setting, but the food and service are a step above the majority of restaurants in Greenville.
My wife particularly loves the red curry, which is a spicy stew full of bamboo shoots, basil, and chicken (though you can choose your meat). I, on the other hand, prefer the spicy noodle dish with beef. When the plate is set down before you, it doesn't exactly look like the most appetizing plate of food, but after the first bite, you're giggling with joy. The brown sauce is semi-sweet, semi-spicy and the thick noodles carry the flavors of the dish well. Combine this with a great selection of sushi (try anything spicy - it's phenomenal), and you'll walk away a happy customer, guaranteed.
The service is great as well, with one guy usually manning the entire room. My cup was always full of beverage, and the food came out at a quick clip.
The average sushi roll is $6.00, and the average entree is $10.95. This cost is spectacular compared to the quality of food, and you should definitely make a trip to Thai Kitchen this week.
Check Thai Kitchen out on UrbanSpoon:
Isaac and I went to Thai kitchen tonight. We started with Spring rolls that were obviously just hand rolled with fresh ingredients and shrimp that actually had flavor. Isaac had Octopus and Yellow Tail sashimi and a tuna roll. The octopus must have been from quite a sizable specimen since the slices were about two inches wide. Chewy (rubbery) as is typical for this sea creature there was a subtle background flavor that was pleasing. Isaac reported that the tuna roll had a sweet herbal flavor that he liked. I had the spicy noodles with chicken at the "c" spiciness level. I thought that the look of the dish was fabulous with the deep brown noodles and golden chicken accented by strips of red bell pepper and green snow peas. Overall it was very good with spiciness and basil and peanut flavors that typify Thai food. The noodles were a bit too soft and touch too sweet. Next time I will go for the beef and spiciness "d". Actually there are some many other great selections to try that it may be a while before I get back to this dish. Now to the atmosphere... a cheesy yellow glow from the "oriental" lampshades and less than spectacular overall cleanliness. I know that it is not intended to be a fine dining establishment but it wouldn't take much to clean this place up and un-cheese the decor. This place has great potential and I won't mind further research.
I'm a bit fond of the geek chic environment. The cheesiness is part of the draw to me. And I definitely agree with the spiciness vs. sweetness of the noodle dish. I will say this: there are also spiciness levels that are 'off the chart', if you find that E is too hot. C to D is fine for me, depending on my mood. I want to savor the food, so I don't kick it up too much.
I'm sure Isaac enjoyed the sushi thoroughly.
it's more like brothel-chic which helps it blend in with the rest of the neighbohood... a waitress with a gold fringe halter top would complete the experience... honestly it would have an exotic charm if they would just spend an evening with a scrub brush and some clorox and organize the visible storage clutter
I'll have to take closer notice the next time I'm in there. I haven't been impressed with the sanitation/decor, but neither has it really caught my eye.