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| - Disappointing.
I researched Mexican food restaurants in the area of my office and headed to one with great reviews. But, just as I realized that that Mexican Food restaurant was going to be a mile further than I had thought I saw the Karen Thai Cuisine restaurant.
Since Thai Food is among my favorite cuisine's I pulled in. As I walked in my first impression with that the restaurant was larger than most Thai Food restaurants. Then I noticed that half past noon on a week day, there was one single person seated in the entire restaurant. I asked to see the lunch special menu but it was mostly just different types of fried rice.
So, I opted to order from the dinner menu. I ordered one of my favorite Thai dishes Yum Nua or Thai Beef Salad. Having lived in Thailand for six months, I'm very familiar with Thai food. In fact, I've made Yum Nua hundreds of times myself.
The next thing I noticed was that the prices were a little high ($8.50 for a salad). After placing my order, I realized that the waitress did not ask me how spicy I like my salad. That was actually the very first time I was not asked that question ordering Thai food in the United States. As I waited for my order I noticed that the decor was a lot of very dark woods and regimented booths. There was almost nothing in the decor that was Thai or even Asian.
When I got my salad, I was unimpressed with the visual presentation. It looked like a pile of mush with a wedge of Iceberg lettuce on the side. With the first taste I was very disappointment with the spice level as it had almost no spice. It tasted pretty much like it looked. The beef was over cooked and not fresh. The onions was mushy as if they may have been cooked in a wok. The sauce was lacking in both fish sauce and lime juice. There was no cilantro, mint, or cucumbers to be found.
For the record, Yum Nua should be thin sliced grilled beef (such as flank steak). It is often prepared in advance and cold. To the beef, fresh chopped onions, shallots, cucumber, mint and cilantro are added. It is then dressed with palm sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, and thai peppers. Yum Nua is a classic dish of Thailand and I frequently order it as a barometer of how authentic a chef prepares food.
I was very disappointed with Karen's Thai Cuisine and can not recommend it.
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