Atlanta etc.: Marilyn Wolf's Food Blog and Restaurant Blog

Blue Orchid is one of my favorite restaurants. These days, I enjoy it while sitting on the living room floor. My tofu with yellow curry was just as delicious and enjoyable as when I eat it in Blue Orchid's elegant dining room. Thanks, guys.

Unforseen circumstances left me in need of a delivery dinner in downtown Des Moines. The local Thai restaurant was recommended to me and they promptly delivered. These spicy edamame were a treat: wonderful firm texture, great flavor, nice kick. My yellow curry tofu was also very tasty. Everything hit the spot. If Iowa ever runs another caucus, keep this option in mind for your late night food needs.

Blessings is tucked away in a strip mall in north Lincoln. The atmosphere is casual and very welcoming. I ordered at the counter and sat down to wait for my plate. My curry was flavorful nicely balanced with vegetables and savory tofu. I asked for their highest level of heat; the result was nicely warm but I didn't cry. And isn't the heart of rice a nice touch?

I finally made it to Thai Orchid. The restaurant is located in one of the classic downtown buildings. The high ceilings and open space give a relaxed, welcoming feel. I started with a fragrant pot of tea. The lamb masaman was superb, the best masaman I have ever eaten. The flavors are deep and complex: savory, coconut, a hint of sweet, and a bouquet of spices. I used my rice to wipe the bowl clean. I did leave room for a taste of dessert. My coconut cake was also superb: rich coconut flavor with a very fresh coconut topping, very moist cake. I ate some and took the rest back to my room for breakfast. This was a truly outstanding meal.

I was in the mood for Thai food for lunch during my conference. Pho Lena, a few blocks away from the convention center, gave me an enjoyable meal and prompt, efficient service that I greatly appreciated. I went with masaman curry. It nicely combined the umami of peanuts and the silky smoothness of coconut. I used my rice to soak up the sauce. ALaska's abundance of Thai food provides a very nice change of pace in eating.

Senem and I had a chance to catch up and plan ahead over an excellent meal at Lemon Grass. The restaurant is located in a charming building in the historic section of Syracuse. Our service was very gracious. We started with these superb dumplings. The sauce perfectly balanced heat and savoriness. The noodles were silky smooth. My hot pot dinner was just what I needed on that cold day: hearty, savory, rich with vegetables. Dessert was a highlight. My slipper was edible through and through. It was both delicious and spectacular. Senem declared her dessert equally delicious and spectacular. The Parisian theme on the desserts was a nice touch.

My UNL friends took me to a very enjoyable meal at Nissara, a local Thai favorite. The atmosphere is elegant and relaxed. A large liquor collection climbs the wall behind the bar. We started with this chicken satay, a savory treat. I mixed the two sauces: hot and peanut. My main course was something that I haven't seen elsewhere, eggplant with peanut sauce. The result was another savory treat: nicely balanced sweetness and savoriness; great balance of textures. For dessert we shared this wonderful coconut cake. The fresh coconut flavor stood out; its texture nicely complicated the soft, delicate cake.

Hyesoon and I used a very nice lunch at Nan to catch up. I managed to try two dishes that I haven't sampled before. This is my prik khing tofu, which happens to be my standard order at Top Spice. Nan's sauce is a little more savory and a little less grainy; I like both. Nan serves their dish on a tissue-thin egg crepe. Hyesoon luckily remembered that the tea-infused creme brulee is excellent. The custard is creamy and the tea infusion gives the dish the feel of a Thai iced tea.

Dave and I caught up over a very nice dinner at Amarin Thai Cuisine. It is located on Castro Street, which for decades has been the go-to neighborhood for Asian food on the Peninsula. This is my pumpkin curry with tofu. The pieces of pumpkin gave a very nice texture complement to the tofu and the taste perfectly complemented the tofu. Dave reported his salmon was great.

Fairbanks is crazy for Thai food. This small town has several Thai restaurants. Thai House is consistently at the top of the list for Thai in this town. It ranks highly; a gentleman in Seattle, hearing me talk about Fairbanks, recommended it. Upon my arrival, I found the proprietor to be wonderfully welcoming and gracious. Here is my beef masaman curry, which I greatly enjoyed. The sauce hit all the right notes: savory meat flavors, nutty savoriness from the peanuts, a hint of sweetness from the coconut, and a kiss of heat.

My University of Arkansas friends took me to Taste of Thai for discussion and lunch. It is located in downtown Fayetteville, a charming area with many vintage buildings. My meal started with a nice cup of soup. My main course was masaman curry with tofu. The menu offered five levels of heat plus Taste-of-Thai hot. I took the challenge and went for extra hot. I rate the sauce on my scale as medium hot: it got my attention but I didn't cry. The sauce was smooth , nicely umami, and very well spiced. Overall, very good fuel for nerd talk.

Lucky Thai is adjacent to the Target on North Druid Hills. Like many newer restaurants, it emphasizes takeout and delivery. The crew (family?) was surprised to see me but very gracious. The seating area isn't flashy but it is comfortable. Here is my masaman curry with tofu, a personal favorite. I always enjoy the nutty flavor combined with the richness of coconut milk. This was an enjoyable rendition of the dish.

My friend Diya Bhattacharyya sends this guest post from Bangkok. Thanks, Diya! Thailand is home to some of the most flavorful, rich, and comforting food in the world. The city of Bangkok especially provides many options that both foreigners and locals will enjoy. One restaurant in particular stands out for its bold and extravagant food. Nahm is an acclaimed upscale Thai restaurant that is considered to be one of the top 50 restaurants in the world (http://www.theworlds50best.com/list/1-50-winners/Nahm, visited on 07/28/2016). The dishes we tried burst with flavor and spice, exceeding our expectations of what Thai food could be. First, the waiters presented us with a tasty "amuse-bouche" that consisted of minced pork with spices, peanuts, and palm sugar topped on a slice of pineapple. The tiny starter packed a sweet and sour punch that was a great way to start the meal. The main meal was a "Panang curry of Wagyu beef with peanuts, shallots and Thai basil...

Shuvra convened our group meeting at Siri's Chef's Secret. The menu is Thai. Despite the low-key exterior, the interior is nicely decorated in the traditional wood Thai style. But no, your food won't be cooked by an iPhone. I ordered tofu with almonds, which I enjoyed. The dish and its sauce are relatively light but still satisfying. For dessert, I ordered a superb coconut pudding with a cappuccino. The pudding came in four small dishes---all are the same. I suspect that the small, shallow dishes help to cook the pudding. It was sweet with a nice coconut flavor. The cap made for the perfect pairing.

Hyesoon and I kicked off the workaday part of the new year with a lunch at Tuk Tuk. It's on Peachtree in the shopping center that formerly housed Borders. The third floor location has a great view of midtown that Hyesoon tells me is spectacular at night. I chose the lunch box special but substituted tofu for beef in the curry. It also came with a chicken dish and a soup. The soup was very subtly flavorful, the highlight of the meal. The curry was also enjoyable. Getting the tofu substituted took a bit of negotiating; they have very few tofu dishes on the menu to my surprise. Service was a little spotty given the aspirations and prices of the restaurant. Overall, I expected to be wowed a little more, but the food was certainly well above par.

Hyesoon introduced me to her favorite Thai restaurant Suri. It's located on a quite side street on the edge of the Virginia Highlands business district. I came up from the residential area and almost missed it. Inside, the atmosphere is quiet and elegant. The menus are printed on the sort of paper more usually used for stationery. The service is very attentive and elegant. We started with soup which impressed me very much. The soup presented distinct flavors of all the ingredients: mushroom, chicken, coconut, spices. For our main courses, I had a tofu dish and Hyesoon had eggplant. Both our dishes exhibited the same high-quality ingredients carefully prepared to blend the flavors without reducing them to obscurity.

My niece Anna introduced me to Sawatdee Thai.  It's located in a hip part of downtown Minneapolis that is near the stadium (I think). The restaurant is open brick but with very high ceilings, giving an airy feel. I went for the shrimp and mixed vegetables curry (highly recommended by Anna) and tofu with mixed vegetables.  I've decided that I love Thai spices and all my dishes.  These people also know how to make food hot, but the other spices weren't lost.

Category: Excellent neighborhood Thai restaurants Verdict: Very flavorful food that can be both familiar and unusual at the same time Top Spice is one of those places I like so much that I didn't get around to blogging about it until now; I always knew that I would be back again.  It has several locations and I've eaten in two of them over the years.   I of course enjoy Thai food for all the reasons that so many people do: unusual yet understandable, wonderful and new combinations of spices, and relatively light and healthy.  I've always considered Top Spice to be an excellent example of the genre. Top Spice actually serves both Thai and Malaysian food, which we'll get to in a moment. I didn't really need an appetizer, but I decided to try a roti murtabak, which I don't think I've had before.  It's a flatbread/pancake filled with ground beef, onion, and spices.  The filling was dry and I think that my mood would have been satisfied with something ...