I didn’t always like Thai food.  The first time I had it was at a place that was supposedly one of the best, if not THE best, in St Louis .  I wasn’t impressed.  I hadn’t learned to appreciate spices yet, or texture differences, or, especially, sweet stuff with my meat (unless it was BBQ sauce)….and peanuts?  Peanuts?!  Who on earth cooks with peanuts?  (Unless, of course, it’s a peanut butter BBQ sauce).  Yes, I was young and had Midwestern meat-and-potatoes taste buds.  However, in the more than 25 years that have passed since then I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy many different (sometimes strange) things.  Thai food is one that I’ve learned to appreciate, thanks in part to the much-missed Tim’s Thai, and, with Thai Kitchen, one that I’ve fallen in love with.

Thai Kitchen is a darned good place to eat.  It’s inexpensive, especially at lunch time, and its menu is diverse, including dishes from Thailand , Vietnam , China , and other Asian countries.  When I first started eating there, I stuck to the Pad Thai and other noodle dishes.  All were fine and quite tasty, as evidenced by my continued patronage. 

But I have to say, I didn’t fall in love with Thai Kitchen until I began eating their soups.  Now, I’m not talking about the usual Hot and Sour, Won Ton, or Egg-Drop soups, which are fine.  I’m talking about the Tom Kha, Tom Yum, and Tom Yum Seafood (more of a hot pot, and found under the Chef’s Specials).  Oh, my…what a delight!  Especially during this “soup-weather” time of the year.

The Tom Kha has creaminess (coconut milk) that’s not throat-clogging, a wonderful lemon-grass tang that melds well with the creaminess, and veggies galore (yes, you can add meat if you like).  It’s warming, calming and refreshing at the same time.  I stuck with that for quite a while (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it).  Then I tried the Tom Yum Seafood hot-pot.  We liked it so much that we ate most of the goodies out of it, and then took the broth home for adding our own goodies!  And the quality of the goodies was awesome.  Yes, they had Krab instead of real crab, but their squid was cross-cut to enhance the texture (much less rubbery), their shrimp tasted like shrimp, and the veggies were cooked, but not mushy, and included sugar snap peas and white button mushrooms.  And, as with most soups, there was plenty to go around.  It doesn’t have coconut milk, but does have that wonderful tang that awakens your whole mouth without being overwhelming, and enhances the flavors of all the goodies.

Thai Kitchen appetizers range from the usual Egg Rolls, Spring Rolls, and Wontons to Vegetarian Egg Rolls and, one of my favorites, Fried Tofu.  This dish is simple, yet delightful.  It consists of wedges of fried firm tofu arranged on a plate with peanut crumbles and a sweet dipping sauce (not the ubiquitous red “duck sauce”, but a golden sesame concoction that did very well at whetting my appetite).

I normally skip desert, but occasionally I have to have their Mango Sticky Rice.  This dish comes with half a fresh mango, sliced, on top of sticky rice, drizzled with a thinned condensed milk.  Certainly not fancy, but, oh yum, very satisfying!

So, the next time you're in the mood for Asian food, check out one of the two Thai Kitchens in town.  Both are located in north Longmont: Thai Kitchen II is at 2939 17th Ave, west of Hover, on the south side of 17th at Denver Way; and the original Thai Kitchen is at 2130 N Main St in the strip mall at the NE corner of Main and 21st Ave behind the bank (that used to be Pioneer Pies).  If at first you don't see it, try, try again.  It's tucked in the corner and it's worth the time to find it.

To look at their menu, go to http://www.menupix.com/boulder/menu.php?id=700480.  To see other reviews, go to http://www.yelp.com/biz/thai-kitchen-longmont 

Happy eating...