Kin Thai Zabb Rice & Noodle

Located at 5872 Samet Drive in High Point, Kin Thai Zabb serve Thai and Laotian cuisine for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Online ordering and delivery are available as are lunch specials on weekdays.

Given the high regard in which I hold this establishment, it’s surprising that I’ve never had a regular dine-in experience (I was introduced to it via an Ethnosh event, and it’s been my Thai takeout go-to ever since) or have written a review of it. At least the latter can finally change. Kin Thai is, so far, the best Thai eatery I’ve encountered in High Point, and it is among the best in all of the Triad.

Housed at the northern end of the Palladium, Kin Thai is modestly sized but nicely appointed. The owners, Pond (from Thailand) and Veneko (from Laos), bring a wealth of culinary knowledge: both are veterans of Greensboro Viet/Thai staple Pho Hien Vuong. They and their staff have always been pleasant to deal with and will customize dishes to suit different heat tolerances.

The menu here offers a combination of apps, soups (everything from tom yum to pho to sukiyaki), curries, rice, and noodle dishes. My go-to to-go order is usually some combination of dumplings, papaya salad (Thai style), pad Thai, and beef Thai (or Thai basil) fried rice. The dumplings are the closest I’ve found to Thai corner kitchen’s excellent rendition, the papaya salad is fresh and spicy, and the pad Thai balances flavors well without neglecting texture (vegetables are evenly cut, noodles don’t clump together, etc.). I keep meaning to branch out, but knowing that these dishes are guaranteed hits makes doing so difficult. Pricing is moderate (rice and noodle dishes in the $10-15 range depending on the proteins), and you get a good amount of food for your money.

Perhaps in better times, I’ll be able to dine in here, and perhaps they’ll bring back the excellent crispy flounder and mango salad that they rolled out for the Nosh-Up. In the meantime, Kin Thai Zabb should be the first name that comes to mind when seeking Thai takeout in High Point.

The Outsider

When evidence suggests that Oklahoma Little League coach Terry Maitland is guilty of a gruesome child murder, his friend, police detective Ralph Anderson, arrests him. Maitland swears his innocence, and alibi witnesses suggest that he might be telling the truth. Anderson then teams up with private investigator Holly Gibney to unearth the actual culprit before he claims more victims.

Though still synonymous with horror, Stephen King has penned a growing number of mystery/crime/detective novels with his Mr. Mercedes trilogy perhaps the best-known examples. As Holly was an important character in those books as well, The Outsider functions as a quasi-sequel of sorts, and as with the last of the Mercedes books (End of Watch), the investigation takes on supernatural overtones. This isn’t exactly laziness on the author's part: King still does due diligence in developing characters and settings before throwing monsters in the heroes’ path. While the title character – a skin-changer based on Mexican folklore – packs plenty of menace, his victims and pursuers are more compelling, whether it is the devastating ripple effect that besets the murdered boy’s family or the tenacity and resourcefulness of the team of cops, lawyers, and investigators that coalesces around putting an end to the killing spree. That being said, The Outsider tries, perhaps too hard and too obviously, to forge a connection to the Mercedes books, and Holly’s overt comparison of Ralph to her previous investigative partner Bill Hodges makes Ralph seem like a second-rate imitator. Holly herself is still a problematic character. Though King’s gotten better at writing her since her debut in Mr. Mercedes, she still has a tendency to evoke Magically Capable Mentally Ill, to cringeworthy effect.

Earlier this year, Richard Price took a swing at adapting The Outsider as an HBO miniseries, bringing with him a considerable amount of talent (Ben Mendelsohn, Cynthia Erivo, Jason Bateman, and Paddy Considine in the cast with Price himself and Dennis Lehane writing episodes and Bateman directing a few). A broadly faithful adaptation that tinkers with some of the details, the series avoids a few of the book’s pitfalls (there are zero Mercedes references) while creating others. The casting is half-inspired, half-head-scratching. Bateman plays Terry Maitland sympathetically and helps sell the charges against him as shocking. But Mendelsohn, best known for playing sleazy, overmatched corporate villains, is a questionable choice for a heroic lead. He’s OK here: the performance is a bit stiff and his American accent has a scratchy, nasal affectation yet he captures Ralph’s dogged sincerity just the same. Erivo’s take on Holly is markedly different from the source material, and it’s definitely an improvement. This version is troubled-yet-crafty/capable without inviting a slew of stereotypes and unwanted implications. The series also makes good use of a sinister score to add tension, but even still, the middle episodes feel terribly slow. While the explosive final two do, to some extent, make up for it, this was a ten-part series that could – and should – have been done in no more than eight.

Whether in book or screen form, The Outsider will likely please King fans as well as those who like their police procedurals with a dash of mythical menace. It is no one’s best work, but it is far from a wasted effort.

Everything Inside

Edwidge Danticat often writes as if her characters’ lives are hanging by a thread, and her latest story collection is no exception. While her searing previous collection Krik? Krak! offered a look at generations of women brutalized by poverty, despair, and the oppressive Duvalier regime, Everything Inside’s tales are more varied and wide-ranging. Some take place in Port-au-Prince, but others explore Haitians in the diaspora (namely, Miami). The characters, which range from college students to grandmothers, also lead diverse lives (which are then upended).

This is not to say that Everything Inside lacks for heartbreak. In “Sunrise, Sunset,” a woman’s dementia nearly leads her to commit an unspeakable crime. In “The Gift,” former lovers reunite, but one has been rendered a widower and an amputee. And in “In the Old Days,” a woman prepares to meet her father for this first time when he is on his deathbed. Beneath all of these tragedies, however, lie glimpses of happier pasts or more promising futures. It is to Danticat’s credit that none of them strike a false note.

Navigating the complexities of human relationships with surgical precision, Everything Inside delivers emotion (affection, angst, and sorrow) without sentimentality and enlightenment without pedantry.

Salt & Pepper

Located at 3793 Samet Drive in High Point, Salt & Pepper serves Indian cuisine for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Delivery is available, and the restaurant has a loyalty program (accessible via its Facebook page) with monthly promos/discounts.

Given BBQ Nation’s declining service, this new Indian establishment is a welcome addition to the High Point dining scene. There are a few areas for improvement, but there is also a lot of promise here.

Housed in a plaza between Samet and Tinsley, Salt & Pepper can be difficult to find. Should you locate it, however, prepare to be impressed by the interior. The white and wood look is crisp, clean, and bright, and the chic bar area is an eye-catcher.

Visual appeal extends to the menu as well, which has plenty of recognizable favorites: samosas, pakoras, tandooris, biryanis, masalas, naans, and desserts. As with many Indian eateries, there are quite a few vegetarian options.

For our first visit, my wife and I shared vegetarian and non-vegetarian thalis. The quintessential Indian combo platter, each thali came with an app (samosas/pakoras), rice, naan, a dipping sauce (tamarind), and two entries. Here the entrees were chef’s choice, and while that bit of mystery may unnerve those who want to know what they are ordering, we were willing to roll the dice.

Overall, the food rates as good but not great. The non-veg thali came with chicken tikka masala and goat (?) saag. While the chicken was just short of overcooked, both sauces were excellent. The creamy tikka masala was one of the better versions I’ve had, and the hearty green saag was well-spiced and richly flavorful. The vegetarian thali came with palak paneer (usually one of our favorites) and a daal. While the creamed spinach was fine, the lentils were bland and, confusingly (the rest of the food was up to temperature) lukewarm.

Service was friendly and attentive throughout the meal. Some confusion regarding the point of sales system caused a brief delay when paying the bill, but the matter was resolved quickly. Speaking of that bill, thanks to one of Salt & Pepper’s promo offers (BOGO entrees – seriously, check out their Facebook page), it ended up being a steal at $16+tax and tip, but even full fare would have been reasonable for the amount of food.

Salt & Pepper may be the kind of place where you have to order carefully, but what they do well, they seem to do very well. Add a great-looking space and pleasant staff to the mix, and it gives High Pointers a good alternative to braving Wendover traffic to get to Taaza.

Sumela Turkish & Mediterranean Restaurant

Located at 805 North Main Street in High Point, Sumela offers Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine for lunch and dinner. The establishment is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Catering is available.

There’s more than meets the eye at this long-running Mediterranean restaurant. Housed in a nondescript strip mall across from the library, it is easy to overlook and not particularly inviting from the outside. The inside, on the other hand, is clean and cozy if a bit small.

So too goes the menu. At first glance, there appears to be little that separates Sumela from a half dozen other Mediterranean eateries. You can find the expected kebabs, gyros, salads, and apps (hummus, falafel, etc.), but you won’t find manti (mini-dumplings) or mucver (zucchini fritters). Look past that disappointment, however, and there is a fair bit of flex. You can go heavy or light, meat or vegetarian, and several sampler options exist for those who want a little bit of everything.

My wife and I fall into that last category, so we opted to split a mixed appetizer (hummus, baba ghanoush, piyaz, and stuffed grape leaves), an order of spanakopita, and a sultan platter (lamb kebab, Adana kebab, gyro meat, piyaz, rice, vegetables, and pita). The food arrived quickly, and though the dishes were familiar, the preparations were unique. The spanakopita came in one large square covered with sesame (?) seeds and served with a yogurt sauce. It wasn’t Greek, but it was great. Kudos also go to the kebabs and especially the gyro meat, which was among the more flavorful and tender that I’ve ever had. The baba ghanoush had a welcome smokiness to it and was the highlight of the app sampler though there were no weak links in the bunch.

Service proved attentive, and pricing was moderate (kebab samplers in the mid-teens). Living right near Nazareth Bread for several years threw our perceptions of value (very affordable) and portion sizing (plentiful) out of whack, and Sumela represents a return to earth in comparison. Nothing here is unreasonably expensive though.

All told, Sumela may lack the menu appeal of an Odeh’s or the refinement of a Chef Samir, but it offers a very solid representation of Mediterranean food, and it should not be overlooked.