If you love authentic Thai cuisine, check out Thai Hut, where I recently enjoyed the best Yellow Curry with Chicken I’ve had to date. (Side note: Yes, I’m obsessed with desserts, hamburgers and red wines – and, now you know, Yellow Curry with Chicken too.) A group of us met there on a recent Sunday evening, where we commandeered a large table and proceeded to taste a good portion of the menu.
I have to admit, restaurants in strip malls always make me wince. I mean, it seems strange to walk into a place that’s sandwiched between a nail salon and a dry cleaners and expect a standout meal. But Thai Hut does not disappoint. They have a large and varied menu to please just about anyone’s appetite (even my finicky son, who almost always orders fried chicken strips wherever we go).
We started with Po-Pia-Sod (fresh Thai spring rolls), Thai Pot Stickers (which one of our taste testers declared “The best potstickers he’s ever had.”), and Chicken Sa Tay (which our finicky eater loved, even though it was neither fried nor accompanied by BBQ sauce). To be honest, these three appetizers could have constituted a meal. Generously portioned, fresh and accompanied by rich plum and peanut sauces, they disappeared almost immediately (amid much finger-licking, I might add!).
We then dove into Kaeng Ka-Ree (Yellow Curry with Chicken), Pad-Kee-Mow (Spicy Beef Noodles), Pad Thai with Chicken, Pad See Ew (Big Noodles with Chicken and affectionately referred to as “Fat Noodles” around the table), as well as Kaeng Kiew Warn (Green Curry with Scallops). The complex flavors and textures of each dish pleased this crowd, but the standout for me was the Yellow Curry with Chicken – a delicious yellow curry paste with potatoes, onions, carrots and coconut milk. This steaming bowl of flavorful goodness sent me straight to my happy foodie place. I can’t wait to head back for more.
Tell me, what’s your favorite Thai dish?
5800 Madison Avenue, Ste. K (at Manzanita)
Sacramento, CA 95841
916.348.1880
Hours:
Monday – Saturday, 11 AM – 9:30 PM
Sunday, 3 PM – 9:30 PM
Archives for October 2010
Sophia’s Thai Kitchen, Davis
Taste of Thai, Sacramento
In celebration of Thai Week on SacFoodies, my husband and I decided to try Taste of Thai in Natomas (they also have a location off Broadway in Sacramento). We are not big Thai food people, but we do enjoy a good curry now and again. We started with the Po Pia Sod (Fresh Spring Rolls) which included vegetables, tofu and rice noodles wrapped in soft rice paper served with sweet and sour sauce. It arrived the same time as our entrée, the Evil Jungle Noodle which was rice noodles on bed of steamed vegetables topped with chicken and red curry sauce.
In Thailand, it is custom to serve all food at once in order to enjoy all flavors and textures simultaneously. Most of the entrée items on the menu are customized by the degree of spiciness: mild, medium, hot or Thai hot. While I was tempted to go with Thai hot just to validate my resistance to heat, I chose medium to ensure I was actually able to taste the food.
I must say, I was completely impressed with everything we ordered! Our appetizer and entrée was plenty of food for two people. We couldn’t even finish what we ordered. The Po Pia Sod was pleasantly refreshing. The Evil Jungle Noodle was not evil as all. 🙂 Not sure where they came up with that name but it sure didn’t do the dish justice! The “medium” curry was a perfect heat and balanced the sweetness of the coconut. All in all, it was an awesome experience. We will be back very soon!
Taste of Thai
2069 Arena Blvd # 170
Sacramento, CA 95834-2321
(916) 263-9988
Smashburger: New Smashchicken Menu
As someone who is new to the Sacramento restaurant scene, I was pleased to be invited to try out the latest additions to the Smashburger menu, and believe me when I say I left extremely satisfied! Not only was this my first trip to Smashburger, (shocking, I know) but I also got the opportunity to feast on a tasty sandwich from their new Grilled & Crispy Smashchicken menu. It took me a good 15 minutes to decide what to get – everything looked so appetizing. So instead of choosing just one item from the menu, I chose a few!
The first thing I ordered was the Avocado Club SmashChicken: Grilled chicken breast with fresh avocado, applewood smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, ranch dressing and mayo on a multi-grain bun. If you are club sandwich fan, this is the one for you. The chicken was cooked just right and the combination of all the toppings could not have made for a better lunch. Let’s just say there wasn’t much left on my plate by the end of the meal.
Who can go to Smashburger and not have some fries? I had heard that the sweet potato fries were a popular choice, so I decided to go with those: Sweet potato fries tossed with rosemary, olive oil and garlic. I must say the mixture of the three ingredients makes for some good fries!
Now what is missing with this meal? A milkshake of course! I was very pleased to find out that they had a limited time milkshake available, which I jumped at the chance to order: Haagden-Dazs Oreo Shake. It tasted exactly like dunking an Oreo cookie into milk.
As full as I was by the end of my meal, I couldn’t resist trying a few other side dishes that caught my eye from the menu:
- Veggie Fries: Flash-fried asparagus spears, carrot sticks and green beans.
- Fried Pickles: Fried dill pickles served with buttermilk ranch dressing.
- Haystack onions: A big stack of thinly sliced, crispy onions, served with dipping sauce.
- Smashfries: tender and crispy fried tossed with rosemary, olive oil and garlic.
I highly recommend heading out to one of the Sacramento-area Smashbuger locations and trying out their new Smashchicken menu, or sticking with an old favorite. Either way, you will leave satisfied!
Smashburger Citrus Heights
Sunrise Blvd & Pebble Beach Dr.
5500 Sunrise Blvd.
Citrus Heights, California 95610
916-966-1562
10 AM – 10 PM Daily
Smashburger Folsom
E. Bidwell St & Wales Dr
703 E. Bidwell St.
Folsom, California 97630
916-984-4900
10 AM – 10 PM Daily
Forget Batman and Superman, We Love Food Heroes
A few weeks back, I had the pleasure of attending An Evening with Food Heroes with fellow foodies Angela and Amy, hosted by Eventbrite San Francisco at Terroir Natural Wine Merchant. The event was timed with the release of Georgia Pellegrini’s book, “Food Heroes,” which documents her international travels in pursuit of true heroes of the culinary world.
While there were several impressive local vendors sampling at the event, two stood out above the rest. Before I sing their praises, I feel compelled to couch that statement with the obvious: I am a sucker for cheese and chocolate. My roommate and I even had an entire conversation once about what life would be like were we restricted to a diet of only foods that began with the letters C and H, and eventually decided that thanks to cheese and chocolate, we would likely survive.
“CH” diet and joking aside, Pizza Politana and Charles Chocolates really took the cake.
Pizza Politana is proof that simplicity wins in my book, every time. Warm slices of Margherita pizza with tomato sauce, basil, and fresh mozzarella fresh out of their signature wood-fired oven could not have been more delicious.
To satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth, Charles Chocolates offered Fleur de Sel Caramels, Signature Peanut Butterflies, Raspberry Hearts and more. You can imagine my surprise and delight when Charles Chocolates was featured on Groupon the following week. Let’s just say there will be more Charles Chocolates in my near future.
The best part? All proceeds benefited Chez Panisse Foundation’s Edible Schoolyard, a program that includes a one-acre organic garden and kitchen classroom project hosted at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School right down the road in Berkeley.