Nava Thai - searching for great Thai food

In my search for great Thai food it was suggested I check out Nava Thai. I stood of the in the lobby darkly wooded restaurant and waited for a member of the staff to appear. I could see a couple with a baby at a nearby table eating and talking. A few minutes later a man who  had been standing smoking outside the restaurant as I entered came through the doors. He walked silently past me and into the restaurant. Shortly after another man appeared and hurriedly showed me to a table near the bar.

I ordered:

Small tom yum soup with chicken (lemongrass soup)

Shrimp in garlic and pepper sauce

Jasmine tea

The soup was mildly spicy as indicated on the menu, but the straw mushrooms did not taste fresh,  more. Lots of cilantro and lemongrass.   

Overripe cucumber (the cucumber flesh was translucent) was used to garnish the shrimp  entrée- it should have been thrown out.  The shrimp dish was served country style. Medium spicy, but the cucumber garnish error made me think twice about ordering additional dishes. 

Service was uneven and slow.  I wondered if  was it because it was time of day (around 230pm in the afternoon) or if this is typical? The length of time between when I ordered the soup and tea and the when the soup arrived seemed very long  I suspect this was because the server assigned to my table was distracted watching a movie on the television at  the bar, chatting with friends, and on the phone.   In fact the soup and shrimp entrée arrived within seconds of each other.  When I asked the server for to go containers for my food only he acknowledged my request and walked away to get the container stopping by the bar enroute to note the latest scene of the movie still on the screen. He returned to my table empty handed. - he'd forgotten the containers.   The Matrix is one of my favorite movies, but it might have been better for the sever to take the time off and just watch the movie.

Nava Thai is located in a fairly busy area of Wheaton with lots of metered parking. If you're going to visit I recommend visiting on Sundays or on a holiday – parking is free in County parking lot at the intersection of Price and Fern Streets

I can say with certainty the debate concerning  who serves the best Thai food between  Ruan Thai and Nava Thai has been solved for me,  I choose Ruan Thai after today’s visit.



Be well,
Technicolor girl
 

 

The journey to Ruan Thai

Ruan Thai was voted one of the  2013 10 Best restaurants in Maryland by Washingtonian Magazine. 

My first introduction to Thai food was in the late 1980's in Houston, Texas. I was talking with a client and mentioned that I liked spicy food. She recommended a Thai restaurant near Kirby Rd in Houston. I drove to the restaurant later that day. The dishes were flavorful and  spicy, the Thai iced coffee was  a cool, sweet balance to the  dishes I'd ordered. 

Since moving to the DC area I'd not found a Thai restaurant that I felt I could call my 'go to' place. You know, that restaurant consistently serves  good food whether you order food ''to go' or dine in. I'd found two Thai restaurants  in the Dallas/Ft Worth metro area that consistently flavorful food - Taste of Thai in Arlington and Royal Thai in Dallas.

After seeing the ranking by Washingtonian Magazine I wondered if Ruan Thai was the restaurant I had been searching for.

When I read reviews about the restaurant diners frequently commented about the parking. When I journeyed to Ruan Thai on a Sunday afternoon I quickly noticed the limited parking space and the signs warning patrons to not park their vehicles in the adjacent lot for barber and drycleaning customers. Metered off street parking is available along Amherst Ave. I secured a spot in front of the restaurant and reconfirmed with a Ruan Thai staff member that my car was in an acceptable parking space.

I was quickly escorted to a seat and offered a menu. Lots of menu options, including the well known pad thai. I orders Singha beer ( a Thai lager style beer) and a small tom yum soup. I asked the server for suggestions. He glanced at the soup and beer and shyly stated that it depended on what I liked- spicy or mild, what type of meat. I smiled and asked him what his favorite dish was on the menu. Answer: crispy duck Thai style.

The tom yum soup was fragrant and  tasty- full of plump mushrooms, bits of cilantro and tender pieces of chicken.



tom yum soup

I ordered the crispy duck Thai style and dish asked that the spice level be Thai level. I surveyed two other staff  members who suggested trying the spicy beef. I ordered that as well.

crispy duck Thai style

spicy beef

I enjoyed the duck and beef entrees. Both were well seasoned and the duck spicy with a bit of heat. After sampling each dish the staff boxed the remaining food 'to go' for me.  Having dessert was out of the question- I was stuffed.  I noted that the restaurant  was now full of diners from all  backgrounds and cultures selecting which items  from the menu to eat.

 

I walked to my car and noted how other diners had double  parked their vehicles to avoid parking near the barbershop or drycleaners. I can only imagine what it's like on a weeknight or Saturday when the parking meters are running.  I placed my bag of leftovers in the passenger seat and headed home knowing that for at least two days I would be eating leftovers from Ruan Thai.

 

The bathroom was clean, but smelled strongly of disinfectant or bleach.

 

Ruan Thai is very family friendly and can accommodate groups. The closest metro stop is Wheaton. If you drive and park,  pay close attention to the signs in the parking lot Ruan Thai occupies as well as metered parking requirements as ticketing and towing are vigorously enforced.

 

I'd visit Ruan Thai again, but I'm not certain that it will be my 'go to' place for Thai dishes. I have been told of an ongoing debate that  nearby Nava Thai  is as good, if not better than Ruan Thai. I'll check out Nava Thai soon.

 

Where do you suggest I look for flavorful, well seasoned Thai dishes?

 

Be well,

Technicolor girl

Mosaic Cafe

I purchased a Groupon to visit Mosaic Café and had no idea where the restaurant was actually located. I redeemed the Groupon to take someone  to dinner for their birthday. Mosaic Café is located in the same strip mall as REI in Rockville.

Mosaic Café's menu includes appetizers, entrees, desserts as well as non-alcoholic beverages as well as beer and wine.  I tried the lamb tagine. It was well seasoned and served with vegetables and couscous.  For dessert  I had the flourless chocolate waffle; it was served a mode. Both waffle and ice cream were drizzled with chocolate sauce. The waffle was served warm .




lamb tagine with couscous and vegetables

flourless chocolate waffle served a la mode

This is one venue where I did not visit the water closet.

Mosaic Café is a reasonably priced restaurant and is family friendly. My dinner guest and I received  attention and helpful recommendations from our server.

Parking is available in the lot where Mosaic Café is located. Mosaic Café is about a 10 minute walk from the Twinbrook metro stop.

Out of the Fire

Out of the Fire in Easton, MD aims to please and hits the mark.

I discovered Out of the Fire while visiting Easton one Memorial Day weekend to see Chick Corea perform at a venue in Easton.

Standouts: cumin crusted scallops paired with a Tunisian carrot salad, Shrimp and grits with Out of the Fire's homemade tabasco butter (if you like your food spicy, request more of the spicy butter concoction), Kilby's Creamery ice cream sundae (a decadent chocolate brownie al a mode with chocolate or caramel sauce, whipped cream and candied peanuts). A nearby dinner saw the sundae and dubbed it 'death by chocolate'.

Unsure about which wine select with a dish? The knowledgeable staff can provide suggestions. A personal favorite is the Leth Grüner Veltliner- it pairs well with the aforementioned scallops and shrimp dishes. Be sure to check the blackboard or ask the serve for the daily specials that frequently feature locally grown products.


Gazpacho soup



Shrimp and grits