When I think of Thai food, I think of Swadee. Swadee was sort of my introductory restaurant into the world of Thai food. I've gone with many friends and family her over the years and they all have been satisfied.
So it pains me to write a bad review, but the last couple experiences I've had at Swadee have required me to bid Swadee adieu.
The first bad experience I ordered the Larb Tofu. The dish was so salty I couldn't finish it. It literally tasted like the cap fell off the soy sauce bottle and they dumped several cups of the stuff in the pan/wok. Even if they didn't, it was pretty much inedible. Inedible in the same way a salad swimming in vinaigrette is.
The second occurred during a visit with my girlfriend. We are both vegetarians and took great care to make sure that the dishes we ordered were meat (and fish sauce, and chicken broth) free. Those ingredients can upset a vegetarian's stomach if it's been a while since they ate meat (or if they've never eaten it).
Well, my girlfriend ordered the pad thai (carefully made veg) and she found a piece of chicken in her dish. To most this would not be a big deal, but to us chicken isn't considered food and it taints the food it was cooked with. As a result she lost her appetite and it made me feel uneasy about what might be in my own meal. Our lovely Valentine's Day dinner came to a screeching halt.
And as a side note they have a dish with oyster sauce listed on their vegetarian menu. Since when is an oyster a vegetable? The only vegetarian oyster is an oyster mushroom!
I understand that there is always a risk for cross contamination and I expect it when I dine out. But this occurance is far more than just cross contamination. I mean, this thing was a pretty decent sized chunk of bird. It makes me feel uneasy about the level of cross contamination that takes place in Swadee's kitchen.
The staff was kind enough to comp the tainted Pad Thai (which accounts for the ** instead of *) but I don't believe you'll see me walking into Swadee any time in the foreseeable future.