Cha Da Thai

Located at 420 Jonestown Road in Winston-Salem, Cha Da Thai serves Thai cuisine daily. It is open from 11-3 and then from 5-10 Monday-Friday, 5-10 Saturday, and 11:30-10 Sunday. Lunch specials and vegetarian and vegan options are available.

One of Winston-Salem’s longest-running Thai establishments, Cha Da Thai made for a frustratingly uneven dining experience. To the restaurant’s credit, it’s very nicely appointed. The interior features decorative woodwork, plants, and even a fish tank. The ambiance here is cozy and inviting.

Cha Da also boasts a sizeable menu. In addition to the soups, salads, curries, rice, and noodle dishes you’d expect, there are more lamb, duck, and fish offerings than you’d find at many Thai places.

Everything else was a mixed bag. Servers are affable, but the kitchen is rather slow. The food ranged from off-putting to solidly satisfying, with nothing really impressing. An order of papaya salad was generously portioned but went too heavy on the fish sauce. A tofu green curry featured a flavorful, coconut-forward sauce that was both tasty and too thin, and the accompanying vegetables could have benefited from more eggplant and less cabbage. A chicken Pad Thai hit the desired level of spiciness and did not skimp on the tamarind. While it was sweeter than I’ve had elsewhere, it hit the spot overall.

Cha Da Thai’s setting would make it an attractive dine-in destination if only the food were more consistent. As-is, Winston-Salem has better Thai options.

The Basil Leaf Thai & Sushi

 

Located at 2766 N.C. 68 at the Herron Village shopping center in High Point (with another location in Winston-Salem), The Basil Leaf offers Thai and Japanese cuisine for lunch (11-2:30 Tuesday through Friday and 12-3 Saturday and Sunday) and dinner (4:30-9 Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday and 4:30-9:30 Friday and Saturday). Food specials change regularly, there’s a lunch menu on weekdays, and alcohol is available.

 

High Point is home to so many Thai restaurants that even a Thai/sushi combo isn’t unique here. Amid such competition, it is hard to stand out though The Basil Leaf certainly gives it a good try.

 

Though not a large space, The Basil Leaf doesn’t lack for seating. The ambiance aims for classy without being stuffy and largely succeeds. Service was attentive throughout our meal.

 

The Basil Leaf’s menu features a variety of Japanese (appetizers, sushi, and teriyaki/hibachi entrees) and Thai (appetizers, soups, salads, curries, noodles, and more) offerings. There were no unexpected finds, but if you know the cuisine well enough to know what you want, you’ll likely find it here.

 

I had a Pad Thai craving and, my wife and I ended up going with a chicken Pad Thai, a beef pineapple fried rice, and a Crab Rangoon starter. The food was tasty (good amount of sauce on the noodles and sweetness balanced with curry notes in the fried rice), and The Basil Leaf will match your desired spice level. While the plating aims for aesthetic sophistication (i.e. carrots cut into a flower shape), serving the rice in a rectangular block was an odd touch. Both entrees were generously portioned. At $15 and $17, neither broke the bank though the prices are a bit higher than the nearest competitor.

 

All told, The Basil Leaf isn’t likely to become my favorite Thai eatery, but it is one that I would feel no qualms about coming back to. 

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.

Simply Thai and Sushi Bar

Located at 122 E. Main St. in Jamestown, Simply Thai serves Thai cuisine and sushi for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday and dinner only on Sundays. Lunch specials are $8.95 (more for shrimp or steak) and rotate daily.  

An affiliate of the same-named restaurant in Elon, Simply Thai is neither the best of Thais nor the worst of Thais though it does fulfill a need for the immediate area.

Inside, Simply Thai’s décor is minimalist. There’s a nice mural along the back wall, but you will otherwise find yourself staring at lots of brick. Though not the most capacious restaurant, there was plenty of available seating at the time of my midday Tuesday visit.

At first glance, the menu here seems to hew largely to the tried and true. Pad Thai, curries, basil dishes, and wraps are all present and accounted for. Dig a little deeper, however, and you’ll find some pleasant surprises. There are Lao dishes (sausage), Japanese dishes (udon), Vietnamese dishes (pho, which can be had with duck!!), and more. The lunch special menu is more restrictive – four dishes are offered on any given day – but between the regular menu and the sushi menu, there are plenty of options.

For my first visit, I went with a panang curry with steak off the lunch menu. The dish was preceded by a veggie spring roll and came out quickly. Simply Thai does not seem to offer levels of spiciness (at least not by default though they may do so upon request), which in my experience, defaults to bland. Thankfully, this proved not to be the case. The peanut sauce had a bit of a kick, and neither steak nor veggies were overcooked.

That said, the portion size seemed small for the $10.95 charged, and in depth of flavor, Simply Thai’s rendition lagged behind Greensboro’s best. Emily did provide excellent service, however.

Given that Jamestown proper could always benefit from more dining options, Simply Thai is a welcome addition for those who live and work in the area. Its menu and attentive staff make it an attractive option. However, for those who have access to other Thai nearby, Simply Thai is simply OK.

7.5/10

Rearn Thai Restaurant

Located at 5120 West Market St. in Greensboro, Rearn Thai Restaurant serves Thai cuisine for lunch (Monday through Saturday) and dinner (Monday through Sunday). Patio seating is available.

If you go by everything before your first forkful, it is easy to see Rearn Thai as a top-notch Asian eatery. It is almost certainly Greensboro’s best-looking Thai establishment. The interior is clean and well-lit. Light woods and overhead tapestries lend character, and there is plenty of space.

Moreover, Rearn offers a fairly extensive menu. In addition to the expected curries, soups, and noodle dishes, you’ll find seafood specialties (i.e. crispy softshell crab) and Heavenly Trays, multi-dish samplers that seem like Thai versions of Indian thalis. Many of the dishes are available with a choice of protein ranging from vegetables and tofu to chicken, pork, or beef to seafood. Spiciness can be customized too.

Unfortunately, the food isn’t on the same level as the aesthetics. An order of pork dumplings was plated nicely but lacked depth of flavor. An order of beef with basil leaves, on the other hand, had nearly the opposite problem. The beef came drenched in an unappealing river of sauce (with a side of rice to act as a dam). However, the sauce delivered all the right tasty, savory notes, there was plenty of basil, and the dish was prepared to the requested medium spiciness. Then again, some of the beef cuts were a bit on the chewy side, a problem shared by my wife’s beef with snowpeas and asparagus. The execution was all-around hit-or-miss.

At the very least, Rearn’s pricing is in-line with the competition. Our beef dishes were $11 a piece (vegetarian is less, seafood is more), and the portion sizing is respectable. Service is efficient and a bit taciturn though not rude.

With a well-kept interior but a somewhat indifferent kitchen, Rearn calls to mind a dethroned king, a once-dominant restaurant that hasn’t kept up in the face of competition. This isn’t to say that you’re in for a bad meal here but rather that there is no shortage of better options.

7.25/10 

Thai Herb

Located at 1116 Eastchester Drive in High Point, Thai Herb offers Thai cuisine and sushi for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Alcohol is available.

Though I have a go-to Thai spot in Greensboro, Thai Herb was offering a Groupon and seemed worth a try. It ended up being an uneven experience, but not one that I regretted.

First, the good: though the restaurant is minimally staffed, service is prompt, friendly, and helpful. The menu balances Thai classics (curries, pad thai, rice dishes, soups, and apps) with a respectably deep sushi selection. Moreover, unlike some establishments, Thai Herb will actually achieved the desired level of spiciness (don’t request Thai hot unless you really want to sweat). My order of seafood ga prow featured an excellent dark, rich sauce with basil notes and a nice bit of heat. They also didn’t skimp on the seafood: there were plenty of shrimp, scallops, and mussels.

That said, the execution is uneven. The calamari in my dish were rubbery, and my wife found the glaze on her crispy chicken to be overly sweet. Our Groupon made pricing a bit of a moot point, but under normal circumstances, the $15 paid for my seafood dish seemed fair whereas charging the same amount for her chicken dish was hard to fathom. Thai Herb’s location – in a strip mall on a high-traffic stretch of Eastchester – also doesn’t do it any favors.

All told, Thai Herb is a decent middle-of-the-pack option. The friendly service and willingness to embrace spice and flavors are definite plusses but consistency and location hold it back.

7.25/10

Zac Rates Colorado: Day Five

Recently, Lara and I spent a few days in Colorado for a belated honeymoon. Using Denver as our base of operations, we took in plenty from that city as well as from Boulder and Colorado Springs. Here is the good, the bad, and everything in between.

Denver Zoo

Located at 2300 Steele Street, the Denver Zoo contains 80 acres of animals in both indoor and outdoor settings. A train is available that loops around the bird and primate areas, and the zoo offers regularly scheduled shows and feedings. Parking is free.

When it comes to zoos, it’s easy to be jaded. If you’ve seen one giraffe, you’ve seen them all, and the welfare of animals in captivity is always a concern. That said, Denver Zoo manages to acquit itself fairly well. None of the animals seemed miserable, and there were quite a lot of them. Biodiversity is a strength here, as the zoo offers a look at everything from snakes and frogs to penguins and polar bears to elephants, zebras, birds, monkeys, and more. Tigers were unavailable during our visit, but c’est la vie. 

One caveat: come during the summer, and you will encounter throngs of overly excited children. This can make navigating some of the indoor exhibits a bit of a challenge, but once outside, there is plenty of room to walk around. It’s also worth mentioning that this is not a safari-style zoo: most animals are penned in, with the notable exception of peacocks, which roam freely. Lastly, some may balk at the price ($17 for adults, less for kids and seniors), but considering all there is to see here – and the lack of an additional charge for parking – it’s a worthwhile expenditure.

If you loathe zoos, Denver Zoo is unlikely to make a convert of you, but if you have a bit more tolerance, this one will reward you.

8/10

The Atomic Cowboy

Located at 3237 East Colfax Avenue (with other locations on Broadway and on Tennyson), The Atomic Cowboy is home to Fat Sully’s Pizza and the Denver Biscuit Company. There is a full bar, limited outdoor seating, and the establishment is open from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.

The Atomic Cowboy blends a fun, funky atmosphere with solid food and a few noted idiosyncrasies, some good, some not. It was jam packed at the time of our arrival, and rather than hand us a pager, The Atomic Cowboy sent me a text when our table was ready (good idiosyncrasy).

Once inside, we found that the menu reflects the dual branding. One side is pizzas (by the slice or pie) and salads; the other is biscuit sandwiches, biscuit platters, and sides. Though The Atomic Cowboy is presumably run as one business, the food actually comes from two different kitchens, so if people at your table order from different sides of the menu, you won’t get everything at the same time (bad idiosyncrasy). The service also lagged a bit due to the volume at the time of our visit, but I’ve experienced far worse.

As far as the food is concerned, the pizza slices are huge, and the toppings fresh. I opted for a shrimp and grits biscuit platter, however, and was not disappointed. The shrimp and pancetta were plentiful, and the biscuit added a nice textural contrast.

The pricing here is hard to pin down. The $10.95 I paid for my shrimp and grits was reasonable, filling as it was. However, pizza starts at $3.50 a slice, with 45 or 65 cents for each topping (depending on the topping). This can easily put you at $5 a slice, which would be outrageous if the slices weren’t as big as your head.

The Atomic Cowboy is an interesting concept and worth a visit if you have the time to spare. But if you’re starving or sporting a headache when you walk in, this place will wear you out fast.

7.75/10

Denver Museum of Nature & Science

Located at 2001 Colorado Boulevard, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science features three floors of exhibitions, an IMAX theater, and a planetarium. Special exhibitions rotate every few months, and parking is free.

Though some exhibits are stronger than others, the DMNS isn’t a wasted experience. Its pricing structure, on the other hand, is maddening. Adult admission is $14.95 and does not include IMAX, the planetarium, or the rotating special exhibit (Robot Revolution at the time of our admission). Want to see everything? Be prepared to shell out $26.95, something which we opted to forgo.

Among what we did see, the Gems and Minerals, Expedition Health, and Prehistoric Journey exhibits were the strongest. Even if rocks aren’t your domain, you can’t help but be awed by the massive glistening crystals on display. Meanwhile, the Expedition Health features an array of interactive biometrics that gauge everything from heart rate to wingspan, culminating in an amusingly disturbing aging simulation that gives you a glimpse of yourself at 70. The Prehistoric Journey then gave a good sense of just how much life has evolved and changed over the years. On the other hand, the Space Odyssey exhibit was rather dull, the Egyptian Mummies exhibit disappointingly small, and the Wildlife Exhibit couldn’t hold a candle to the actual wildlife found at the zoo a short distance away.

Children who have frequented few museums may get more out of the experience, but the DMNS simply wasn’t a “wow” to me.

7.5/10

Thai Chili and Sushi

Located at 16221 East 40^th Avenue in Aurora, Thai Chili and Sushi serves pan-Asian cuisine daily for lunch and dinner. Delivery is available, and discounts are given for every $15, $25, or $35 spent on an order.

As it was across the street from our hotel, convenience more so than anything prompted us to give Thai Chili and Sushi a try. The menu is fairly extensive, covering everything from Chinese to Thai to sushi. Beyond Menu made online ordering quick and painless. As other reviewers noted, the staff here can be somewhat curt, but I got out order without incident.

The food ended up being hit and miss, with more of the former than the latter. The potstickers were dry and bland, and the egg rolls (free when you spend $15) were so-so. On the other hand, the miso was surprisingly tasty, and the panang curry featured tender beef and lots of rich sauce. The portions were also fairly generous for the prices ($4.95 for six potstickers, $1.95 for a pint of miso, and $8.95 for beef panang curry) paid.

Thai Chili and Sushi is a no-frills eatery that isn’t likely to top any “best of” lists, but if you’re staying in one of the hotels on 40^th Avenue and craving Asian, don’t be afraid to give it a try.

7.25/10

Bonus Tip: Tattered Cover

This local bookstore chain (locations on 16^th Street, East Colfax, in Littleton, and in the Denver International Airport) is well-laid out with plenty of seating and has a fairly comprehensive selection. They sell plenty of knick-knacks in addition to books, and the 16^th Street location even has an Espresso (on-demand book machine). The prices charges for new titles are fairly high, but Tattered Cover does sell pre-owned books as well, often at much better rates. Though Amazon beats just about all as a book source these days, as brick-and-mortar stores go, Tattered Cover is a nice local alternative.