Has it occurred to anyone else that Burlington seems to have a knack for excellent, authentic Thai cuisine? With the long established and extremely popular Dan Thai located just off S. Church St, to the brand new Anita's Thai Cafe located in downtown Burlington on Front St, to the recently opened Simply Thai within walking distance from Elon's campus, I am amazed at Burlington's high concentration of high quality Thai cuisine to offer its lucky university population, as well as any adventurous palates within the residential populations here.
Though I was a loyal, regular customer to the lovely, highly acclaimed Dan Thai due to my intense love for Thai food and convenience, I recently made it out for my first dinner at the newly opened Simply Thai Restaurant. It is, of course, within walking distance from campus, located just down and across from Sandy's, in Timberline Station, along with Fat Frogg and a couple Skiing Outfitters stores (why Burlington seemed to be a smart, strategic choice for a winter sporting goods store, I can't be sure).
Everything about this place is elegant, classy, and and casual at the same time. Stepping just inside the front door, you will be immediately struck by the how gorgeous the large, golden Buddha wall hangings were against the stunning deep red color of the far wall. Also at the far end of restaurant is a sushi bar with ample number of sturdy chairs and stools, easily enough to handle a large lunch crowd.
Glancing skyward you will notice suspended staircase of white lighting platforms installed to cast a soft light upon the large tables directly below. This totally reminded me of some of M.C. Escher's relativity paintings.
The menu is extensive, including a wide variety of exotic salads, flavorful soups, sushi, Pho, chef specialties, signature Thai noodle dishes, and Thai curries. Not to mention an intriguing dessert menu and great selection of beer, wine, sake.
I ordered the Eggplant with tofu. It was bright, colorful, spicy, and completely gone in about 15 minutes. The eggplant is lightly fried, and all the veggies are
extremely fresh and covered in this spicy, savory brown sauce. My only complaint was they may have used a little too much oil, and that they did not have brown rice as an option. I'd totally get this again, though I'm not one to order the same thing twice.
My friend ordered the Spicy Noodles (Drunken Noodles) with chicken. She loved it and said she preferred it over the other Thai place, which, to me, was saying a lot, cause lets be honest, Dan Thai sets the bar HIGH for excellence in Thai food- not just in Burlington, but anywhere.
Overall Review of Simply Thai
Positive highlights include:
- Ice - they use that crunchy, Sonic type ice that is vastly superior to all other forms of ice
- DELICIOUS food - maybe even better than its long-established competitor- fresh and spiced perfectly
- Large portions
- Comfy chairs
- Sushi is offered
- Service - prompt to bring water, the free small salad with yummy peanut dressing
- Ambiance- totally a date worthy destination - they've totally mastered the lighting, colors, interior design and decor.
- price is comparable to the other Thai place
Cons
- Thai ice tea wasn't as good as the one at Dan Thai
- No free refills on my Thai Iced Tea like I'm used to at that other Thai restaurant
- Peanut dressing on the free little salad with dinner isn't as good as Dan Thai's to me
- Eggplant dish, though super tasty, was little bit on the greasy side
- Servers seemed a little confused as to who was taking care of our table
- No brown rice...yet
I would recommend Simply Thai to anyone who like fresh, delicious, adventurous food. As my friend described it, Simply Thai "is like a fusion between Dan Thai and Red Bowl," but its within walking distance from campus. This is a great place to satisfy any ethnic food craving- its convenient, reasonably priced, and offers an atmosphere that you might expect to find in a big city. This proximity issue, coupled with the fact that their food is as good, if not better than the other Thai places in B-Town, may soon cause me to change my regular destination to please my weekly Thai cravings.
What are your thoughts? What have you tried here? How does Simply Thai compare to that other Thai place in your mind?
1 comment:
My sister and I have tried Simply Thai and we absolutely loved it. I agree that the owners have discovered the perfect combination of atmosphere and decor. Very enjoyable and I must agree with Ms. Schnaak that this would be the perfect destination for date night.
I have not always been one to try different cuisines; however, I am more than pleased that I tried Simply Thai.
What we ordered:
Appetizers - Money Bag and Summer Rolls.
Entrees - Pineapple Chicken and Seafood Yellow Curry
Dessert - Fried Banana Ice Cream.
I ordered the Pineapple Chicken and my sister ordered the Yellow Curry. Now I know chicken is an amateurs way to try something new, but the dish was very good. The flavors complemented each other very well and this is the first time I have experienced this. You hear about "flavors complementing" on cooking shows and such. Now I know what they are talking about.
My sister raved over the Yellow Curry with Seafood. She ate every bit of the generous portion. For her to finish every bit is quite a complement.
We both liked the peanut dressing on the salads and I must mention "money bag" appetizers. Oh My!!!
Perfect.
The Summer Rolls were VERY NEW to me. Not my type of food; however, my sister enjoyed these very much.
She has already decided to enjoy the Sushi Bar the next time we go. The extra effort that is put into presentation is fun and enjoyable. Eddie was very attentive, knowledgeable and eager to share and answer any of our questions.
We both recommend this restaurant for those with experienced palates and novices as well.
Thank you for the great experience and we will return!
Karla and Lori
Post a Comment