The University News

Issue date: 1/30/06 Section: Culture

Media Credit: Ashley Lindemann Thai Place, located in Westport, offers a decent menu filled with Asian entrees, but the service leaves much to be desired.

Media Credit: Ashley Lindemann

Thai Place

4130 Pennsylvania

When I was a kid, my family always believed in the bad restaurant curse: if the first restaurant you try to eat at in the evening fails for whatever reason (the wait is too long, the service is terrible, they're closed, etc.), then any other restaurant you go to that night will also be a bad experience. Time and again our superstitions proved themselves, and after a certain point we would just head home for a dinner of cereal rather than wander all over the suburbs looking for a palatable meal.

Last Sunday night I realized that I was in for trouble when the restaurant I'd been dying to eat at was closed. After a good half hour of discontented driving around downtown, we ended up in Westport to hit up a backup, fail-proof restaurant.

But the handsome Thai Place (4130 Pennsylvania) sign across the street caught my eye and lured me inside. Reminded of all the sexy radio ads I once heard daily, I got excited at the prospect of trying out a new place for delicious Asian food in a relaxing environment.

The rather darkly lit interior glowed with little candles on every table - I'm a sucker for candle-lit tables - and an attractive assortment of plants and Buddhist statues imparted the feeling that this is the sort of place where you can relax and be well taken care of.

It was a nice feeling while it lasted.

As it was late and the restaurant would be closing soon, my friend and I were seated toward the front of the restaurant with the concentration of other diners - about three other tables overall. Our booth by the window was absolutely freezing, a condition I realized the restaurant managers must be aware of as they had set up a heater by the waiting area - but nowhere close to where we were sitting, chilled to the bone.

Hoping to warm up with something spicy, I chose the Spicy Ginger Tofu ($10.95) while my friend ordered the Red Curry Chicken ($11.95) and a Thai ice tea ($1.95.)

The No. 1 thing that bothers me when eating out is mediocrity on the part of the server. In my defense: I waited tables full-time for two years. I know what good service takes, I know how hard it is, and I know sometimes things just don't get done. There are still things that annoy the dickens out of me.

Such as: after our food arrived, our server offered to refill the Thai ice tea, and then charged us full price. I find the maneuver to be sneaky and annoying, especially when other Thai restaurants in town refill Thai ice teas for free as standard practice. After the refill, our server disappeared from sight for a good half hour and failed to refill our single bowl of rice and water glasses.

The spicy ginger tofu with fried tofu, bell pepper, onion, lemon wedges and ginger proved to be about average. The tofu cubes were a little large and while the sauce on the vegetables was delicious, it failed to infuse the tofu and thus left it somewhat bland.

My friend's red curry chicken dish was much more flavorful, and I ended up stealing her sauce to cover my food and give it a little kick. Good enough to eat, but not the savory, spicy, delectable treat that I'd hoped for.

Unfortunately, with the mid-range prices Thai place offers - our dishes were two of the cheapest on the menu - poor students like me become financially invested in having a terrific meal with leftovers to take home and an experience to gush about. When that doesn't happen, I'm not likely to get over my disappointment with a return trip.

However, realizing that our iffy experience was likely a freak occasion and that the food was decent even if the rest of the evening wasn't, I might force myself to give it another go on a later occasion - as long as it's not the backup on another cursed restaurant night.

alindemann@unews.com

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