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| - You might say that we're always ready to "Thai" one on! You know, take a "wok" on the wild side! One of our favorite places that features a mélange of tempting tastes from the mystic Orient is Johnny Chu's popular Sochu House on Central Avenue and Thomas Road. He's expanded, and now you can try his newest venture, Red Thai, a clever little bistro featuring an Asian fusion menu with the emphasis on Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. You'll find Red Thai in a thriving strip mall at the southwest corner of 12th Street and Northern Avenue.
Some tried and true crowd pleasing favorites from Sochu House found their way into the menu here, like the Sugar Cane Pork with "the other white meat" marinated in ginger lemongrass panko with pineapple ginger sauce, skewered with a small stick of sugar cane for $7.98. A new kid on the wok, errrr, "block," is the Almond Chicken, where the nut coated bird is flash fried and served with spicy sweet sour dipping sauces. Two nicely sized skewers are $7.98. The menu denotes that the Orange Puff, a crusted white meat chicken in a spicy tomato sauce ad topped with orange zest is "spicy," but we didn't agree. More spice. More orange zest.
"Salad" territory gives you six different ones from which to choose. The Bun Bo is a spicy bowl of stir fry onion and beef, cucumber, bean sprouts with spicy nuoc cham (a delicious fish sauce) and topped with peanuts and crisp shallots for $9.98. What the menu didn't tell us is that this is on a bed of cold rice noodles. We couldn't help but wish that there were more crunchy, fresh, crispy bean sprouts (we barely found any). There's potential for this, but the cold rice noodles didn't work for us. Sorry! Please turn up the spice on this one!
A big hit was the amazing Green Papaya Salad. Choose tofu or shrimp accenting a bowl of shredded green papaya, Asian mint, peanuts with a divine sweet and sour dressing. The fresh, crunch and bite of the julienned papaya along with the breathtaking mint makes this perfect year 'round, but especially for the summer. $8.98
Entrée choices are mouthwatering. Try the Sweet Ginger Fish ($14.98). Crispy (still buttery and tender) white fish is served with snow peas, bell pepper, onion, pineapple and baby corn in a sweet ginger sauce, Kind of a traditional "sweet & sour" but the luscious, mild fish gives it a different kind of spin.
Tackle the delicious Crispy Noodle Island ($11.98) with baby bok choy, mushroom, carrot, snow pea, broccoli, baby corn and onions in a brown garlic sauce. You can choose either tofu, shrimp or chicken to grace this dish. The crunchy bed of the crispy noodles" will give you plenty to work on.
Nine other entrées round out the menu. Fans of Pad Thai will enjoy this super spicy dish for $11.98. An outstanding bonus at Red Thai are the many vegetarian options along with a few gluten free choices, too. These requirements can make dining out with a few guests a challenge if they have dietary requirements or restrictions.
A highlight of the Red Thai experience is the jewel-like space, featuring a 70-foot long bar with a gold, glittering portrait of Buddha covering the 20-foot high wall. Behind the enormous bar Japanese animé is projected, creating a fantastical wallpaper that's captivating, yet unobtrusive. A night visit is when this venue shines with the modern Asian theatricality that only Johnny Chu and his wife, Linda Q can do. We look forward to Chu's Shabu Fondue opening next month, with a selection of broths simmered for hours. Think "Melting Pot" but without any cheese.
Speaking of the bar, don't deny yourself one (or two. Or three) of their magnificent cocktails. Let that handsome David Ugorowski create something special for you. be careful! You just might find out what one night in Bangkok feels like when you wake up the next morning, so be responsible!
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