Michelle and I finally finished trying the thai restaurants on Alberta
last week with some take-out from Monsoon. Each of the four places
some variations but there was a common set of items at each. Of the
four (Siam Society, Thai Noon, Monsoon, and Halo), we’ve only had
multiple visits to Thai Noon, so the opinion we’ve formed is subject
to change. In fact, we hope to increase our sampling over time. Here’s
how things stand so far – in chronological order by our sampling.
Thai Noon
This place fills the neighborhood with wonderful smells and seems to
draw a faithful crowd most nights. Most of the dishes seem somewhat
mediocre but have become a modern comfort food. Like mashed potatoes
or mac and cheese. There are some highlights so far, like their
pumpkin curry, tempura pumpkin, and Michelle thinks they make a great
veggie fried rice. The pad thai (litmus test 1) is average and without
spice. The staff have always been great, and you can get a cheap beer
with dinner and enjoy it with your dog outside. They’ve recently
started some expansion, which seems to be part of a gustatory arms
race taking place on Alberta St.
Halo Thai
The day we placed a bid on the house, we came back in the evening to
walk the neighborhood. We met a few people who thought Halo was the
better of the two (at the time). We tried it shortly thereafter with
my Grandparents and found this to have been correct. The pad thai was
spicy and unique and all the dishes were better than average. Each
place lists catfish on their special menu but Halo’s is the best we’ve
had so far. Dishes here seem to be crispier and drier.
Siam Society
This place is upscale compared to the rest. Definitely a San Francisco
or New York experience compared to the rest. It was the only place I
even gave a moments consideration to my dress. This place is elegant
and modern and everything from the decoration to the service to the
food fits a fancier niche. Still, it’s not exclusive, and the waiter
was cordial and the chef actually came to see how we liked our meal.
The meal, by the way, was fantastic. The pad thai was tart and sweet
and spicy and delicious. The eggplant stir fry easily popped in to my
top five list for eggplant dishes. Even the tea here was great. This
of course comes at a slight premium. Dishes may cost $1-3 more here,
but considering the quality, it is worth it to splurge on occasion.
Monsoon
We almost missed when this changed from E-Zs grill to Monsoon. The
small space barely fits a kitchen so there’s precious little dining
room, but it seems to be full on many nights. We got takeout, which
seems to be roughly half of the business. The pad thai was on the
moister side but the tofu quite tasty. The prah rahm a slight
variation on the dish and with more vegetables and less sauce than
most, but still quite good. Not really much make an opinion with, but
enough to know we can try it again.
Overall, I think we need a larger sampling before passing a final
judgment, but Siam Society and Halo seem to have a leg up on taste so
far.
Thanks to my awesome sister, I’m going to retire my Canon Powershot S300. The workhorse has taken over 7560 pictures since March of 2002 and has handled a rugged life like a champ. I’m particularly fond of the camera and Michelle thinks I’m being silly for being so nostalgic about it, but the camera has captured so much, and put some miles on. It’s even been underwater in the Atlantic on our trip to Bermuda.