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| - It was an interesting night at Chao that had me teetering on 3 vs 4 stars. Chao used to be Lattitude 8 in Downtown Chandler, one storefront south of the main square. Maybe that subtle distinction was hurting their business, or maybe the rent was too high, or maybe they just wanted to expand. Now, they're in a Chandler strip mall dominated by Oregano's, which is always packed. The atmosphere at Chao was open and modern. The restaurant has a large bar area and a large patio. It also has a private room separated by a sliding glass door. On Saturday night, there was a rowdy, overcrowded party in the private room which involved TWO different people walking face first in the glass door. (Free entertainment!)
We started with one of two Malbecs from the surprising wine list, along with a Brazilian beer named Xingu. We enjoyed both drinks immensely. We then moved straight to entrees with the $12 Pad Thai (w/ chicken) and the $14 Prik King (w/ steak). The flavors of both dishes seemed complex and well-developed, more so than most Thai places. The Pad Thai wasn't overly sweet, like it so often is. The meat in the Prik King was very tender. The portions were sufficient, but not huge.
There were a few marks against Chao, though. The Prik King was very spicy, likely a 4 on the typical 5-point scale at Thai restaurants. We weren't asked for a spice level. I don't even recall the menu stating the dish was spicy at all. That wasn't a major issue for me, but it certainly would be for some. Also, I feel the dishes were a little overpriced, and the service was quite slow. This was especially noticeable in the twenty minutes it took to pay our check. By the time the bill was finally paid, we were the last patrons there. You'd think they'd be more eager to see us off. Considering how much we liked the food, these issues won't make me say, "Ciao" to Chao.
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