Welcome 2012~! and a Review: Teak Thai Cuisine

Sorry it has been awhile since we have posted.  We both have been busy (somewhat) and have somewhat neglected the blog! We hope you still continue to keep checking in with new posts in the year to come.  We hope all our readers had a great holiday season filled with great family, friends, and of course, great food!   Kris is still working on her computer status, so unfortunately, she is still a bit out of commission, BUT we will still hope to provide some great recipes and reviews.  As I forge on this year of 2012, I am hoping to try some new dishes at home, as well as try some new restaurants as well.  If anyone has any suggestions of places to try, or recipes to share, please feel free to share! We'd love to hear from you!   Now, on to one of my most recent outings to a restaurant: Teak!


It has become a tradition that my husband and I go to see a Christmas Carol at Playhouse in the Park during Christmas time. We got tickets again this year and planned to do dinner beforehand. We thought about the options in Mt. Adams, and like I said in my last post, I don't really feel like there are a ton of options. However, we hadn't been to Teak in a long time, so we decided to go there before the show.

Teak Thai Cuisine is located on St. Gregory St. in Mt. Adams right down the street from Tavern on the Hill and the Wine Cellar (the best bar in Mt. Adams in my opinion). There is a small parking a lot across the street that has a few spots;otherwise you have to look for street parking which could be difficult.

Walking into Teak, I immediately have a feeling of being in a tranquil space. There is the option of eating in the upstairs dining room, outdoors, near the bar, or in a small dining room near the bar area. I have sat outside before and love that area. We obviously didn't sit outside this night. I had sat upstairs before but not down, so we chose to sit in the lower dining area which is more like a lounge area. There is a lot of exposed brick in Teak which I love, as well as greenery giving it a warm and serene feel.

Picture of the sushi bar area.

Teak specializes in Thai cuisine and was voted "Best Thai Restaurant" in City Beat magazine. I have had many dishes here before, mostly some of their Stir fry and noodle dishes. This night we wanted something we hadn't had here before, so we decided to share a cup of hot and sour mushroom soup and some sushi rolls.

We ordered a crab stick, (2 for $4), Spicy Tuna Roll, Mt. Adams Roll, Salmon Tempura Roll, and the last one, I honestly cannot remember, sorry! Needless to say, we had plenty of food for two people. The soup came out first and it was very good! It had plenty of mushrooms and just enough kick to add to the "sour" taste.

Our sushi order wasn't far behind. The plate was full of our rolls and crab sticks. The crab stick was placed atop a small square of white sticky rice and partly wrapped in a sushi roll. I really enjoyed these! I thought the crab was very fresh and a nice size. As for the sushi, I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed. One of the rolls was wrapped in a fried tempura, but this roll as a whole tasted overdone. The Spicy Tuna Roll was mine and Ross' favorite, simple, but good! The other two rolls had great ingredients, but we were underwhelmed. We both agreed we have had better sushi at other restaurants.

Service was fine. Nothing bad but nothing extraordinary either. I feel most Thai restaurants focus more on food than service. I would recommend going to Teak, but to get some of their specialty dishes, stir fry, or noodles.
~Kate

Food: 2.5
Service: 2
Overall Experience:2.5

Review: Bangkok Bistro

There are multiple options of Thai food in the Oakley/Hyde Park area, but Bangkok Bistro is one of my favorites.  Their sushi is not typically my favorite, but I love many of their other dishes.  On one of the many nights of rain that we have had, I met my sister there for dinner.  They have a nice patio -if it is ever nice enough to sit outside.  It wasn't very crowded for a Friday night, but it was still kind of early when we went.  Bangkok Bistro is broken up into three rooms and there is almost always a table available.  The decor is very simple and welcoming enough. 

Our server promptly greeted us and got us started with a drink.  I had originally ordered the house cabernet, and my server honestly replied that it really isn't very good.  I appreciated his bluntness and chose a Malbec instead.

Like I have said in the past, I really enjoy going to restaurants and sharing various dishes to try more than one thing.  My husband hates doing this, but luckily my sister is the same way.  We were a bit over zealous with our ordering.  We decided to share an order of edamame, Crab Rangoon, Golden Bags, and both our favorite's dish Tom Yum Pasta. 

The edamame arrived first.  This was pretty typical edamame: warm and salty. Those who may not be familiar, edamame is just a Japanese soy bean and a great appetizer. 

Next, we got the orders of Crab Rangoon and Golden Bags.  Bangkok Bistro was at the Taste of Cincinnatilast year and served these Golden Bags there.  In fact, they won best appetizer at the Taste last year.  They are delicious.  I can't quite remember what all is in these, but they are fried with various veggies and sausage maybe inside and look like little bags. They are served with a sweet and sour sauce.  These are nice and crispy and there is plenty of filling. 

I had never had Crab Rangoon before, but I have only heard great things about it.  I loved these!  They are wrapped in a light wonton wrapper and filled with a mix of cream cheese and crab meat.  Delicious!  They were served with a side of a sweet and sour type sauce as well.  I liked these even better than the Golden Bags but they were both really good.  Our meal was off to a great start! 

Needless to say, Kelley and I were getting pretty full as you can imagine, but we still had our main dish.  The server asked us how spicy we wanted the dish on a scale of 1-10; I can't remember for sure, but I believe we said 6 or 7, we both like spicy food.  The Tom Yum Pasta is angel hair pasta stir fried with chicken, shrimp, veggies with a spicy sauce.  I have had this more than once and every time it is amazing.  The perfect mix of veggies with a light pasta and a spicy sauce.  This is a good sized dish and is plenty to share, especially when you have appetizers like we did!  We each had some to take home afterward as well. 

Keep Bangkok Bistro in mind any time you are in the Hyde Park area.  With all the Thai places to choose from, it is consistently one of my favorites: the prices are reasonable, service is great, and the food is always a winner.  Our appetizers were $4-$7 and the Tom Yum Pasta is $14.95 and enough for two people. 
~Kate

Food: 4.5
Service: 4
Overall Experience: 4.5

Guest Blog: Green Papaya

For today's guest blog, we have one of my dearest friends and fellow foodies, Jenna, writing about a recent dining experience we had at Green Papaya. Jenna also has her own blog, The Over-Analyst, which is great - you should check it out!! Thanks, Jenna!

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Hello to all my foodies out there! We've always been taught to "eat to live" but I think we can agree to disagree with this statement. I'm proud to say I "live to eat"! I can hear my father now, "Jenna, what's the point of getting excited about food - you chew it up, swallow it and digest it." Ohhhhh man, does he not get it. It's the memories and new foods I discover in each dining experience that excites me! You know you're a foodie when you just finish your lunch and your wheels start turning thinking about where you're going to have dinner. So now that you know I'm a legit foodie, I will be filling in for the experts today as a guest blogger from NYC. I've lived in NYC for 5 years now and I can confidently say that we have the best food in the country...hands down. You probably hate me for making that comment but you can't, I'm from Ohio! And I'm a hard critic so here it goes...

Today's grub review is on the restaurant, Green Papaya in Oakley. The cuisine is a combination of Thai and sushi bar. When I was on my way to the restaurant, I was certain there would be a green theme going on. Whenever a color is part of a restaurant's name, 9 times out of 10, the restaurant is decked out in that color. So when I arrived at my destination, lo and behold appeared a bright green hole-in-the-wall. When I walked in, my girlfriends were sitting at the table in front of the sushi bar (I was late like usual). Like I mentioned, I just love getting together with friends and talking about anything that comes to mind. We had one of our best friend's wedding the night before so there was much to talk about. When I finally came up for air, I realized I was completely oblivious to my surroundings. When I started looking around, the green theme was in full effect which is common for a Thai or Japanese restaurant. Green plants were scattered throughout the restaurant which made the space very naturesque. I know I said I'm a hard critic but not with atmosphere. One thing I have learned while living in NYC is that usually the restaurants that don't necessarily appeal to the eye have the most amazing food. I tend to stay away from modern, empty spaces. 3 words....small-portions....expensive. So I was absolutely loving the quaint, ethnic feel to the restaurant. No complaints there!

I started with a glass of Malbec. This is typically one of my favorite wines because I tend to like fuller bodied wines. When she handed me the glass, it was more transparent than usual and I knew it was going to taste watered down. I'm somewhat big on wine and I had to bite my tongue after I tasted it. I felt like I was drinking grape juice. This has happened to me before and I had no shame in returning it. I thought nothing of it but when I looked at my friends I was with, they started busting out laughing. So after remembering that
experience, I decided to throw back the grape juice.

When I opened the menu, I am picky yet again! Since I am a vegetarian (that eats fish) I have to have the right amount of options. If the menu appears like a "diner menu", I get overwhelmed and become extremely indecisive. In these cases, I usually give the waiter 3 options and he selects my meal. When there is not enough of a selection, I still don't know. In these cases, I usually end up combining 2 plates and creating my own meal. And yes, I am completely aware that I have issues. Green Papaya's menu was closer to the "diner menu" so to save time, when our waiter was taking our order, she was going around in a circle. But about half way through, she looked at me, skipped me and carried on. I honestly thought she was punishing me for being late. Accidentally, I said, "seriously?" I don't think she heard me but I felt somewhat ridiculous so I let it go. When I ordered, I took my gf's advice and went with the green papaya roll. If it's their house specialty roll, it's gotta be good! I wasn't too hungry so I just ordered a salad to start with. The table started with edamame and we were very pleased! You would be surprised how some restaurants actually carry mediocre edamame. I could still taste warm grape juice, so I ordered a Sapporo (Japanese beer). Sapporo never lets me down. When the salads came out, mine looked nothing like the salads my friends ordered. Then I remembered the waiter asked me how spicy I wanted it...I just said 10? I have a really high tolerance for spicy foods. When I started eating it, it wasn't so bad. Then a couple bites in, I realized this ridiculous salad was too spicy to handle. I started chugging water and was pretty much silent for 20 minutes. I think I even patted my forehead off a little. Because I absolutely hate wasting food, I tried my very hardest to eat it all. I now know "spicy" at Green Papaya actually means "flaming". And I also now know to actually read the menu before ordering!

In between courses, we started telling stories and laughing at each other. We never have been a quiet bunch so yeah, the volume started to raise but it was nothing dramatic. I just have to preface that my #1 pet peeve when dining at a restaurant is when another table secretly starts listening to your conversation. If it's an awkward date, I feel bad and let it be even though it's slightly awkward. So that night, there was a table of 8 sitting next to us and they all literally stopped talking and listened to our conversation for a good few minutes. We thought it was hysterical and had a few good laughs. After all, I can't blame them for wanting to join our table. We are always a lot of fun  :)

It was turning out to be quite an eventful night and I couldn't wait to get my green papaya roll! I was sure something outrageous was bound to happen - maybe the sushi would start moving? Shortly, our waiter came out with the next dish. I was highly impressed with the presentation. It drew my attention to the guys behind the sushi cart and they were conjuring up all sorts of interesting presentations. I do have to admit, the sushi places that I go to in NY only display sushi rolls in lame rows....boring. Point for Ohio. The roll consisted of about 12 pieces. What I loved most about the roll was the manageable size of each individual piece. The Green Papaya Roll is considered a specialty roll and those are usually the insanely large pieces. If you're on a date, everyone knows not to order a specialty roll because if the guy watches you eat that thing, you're done for. My next favorite part about the roll was that it was wrapped with green soy bean instead of seaweed. I’ve always liked seaweed but the green soy bean put it to shame. The green soy bean wasn't as chewy as seaweed usually is, which made it easier to eat. Most seaweed is salted but I don’t believe the green soy bean contained any salt. Although I’m a fan of salt, the green soy bean is the healthier choice. And anyways, I got my salt fix by drenching it in soy sauce - low sodium though! Inside the roll contained shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, mango, and cream cheese. The roll was topped with spicy mayo, crab stick and tempura flakes. It was the perfect combination and the best roll I've had in years. This is BIG. New York is well-known for their sushi. And another point for Ohio. I wasn't going to go here but I must add that this roll isn't necessarily healthy. A typical shrimp tempura roll has about 500 calories and spicy tuna rolls have about 300 calories. Not going to ruin my amazing experience by counting calories so I'll stop here. But if you're wanting to focus on eating healthier, this may not be the roll for you. As long as you stay away from tempura, I think that's good enough!

Overall, Green Papaya was more than what I expected. Don't tell my fellow New Yorkers, but I think I enjoyed the sushi more than the majority of the sushi restaurants that I regularly go to in NY. That was hard to admit. I feel like I'm cheating on my boyfriend! I can have 2 right? Totally.

So to wrap it up...don't show up late or the waiters take your order last; do not order a glass of the Malbec & ask for a better wine; if you're feeling spontaneous and want to order the FLAMING Green Papaya Salad, I recommend sticking with the 1-5 levels; DO order the Green Papaya roll when you feel like you can indulge a little (try ordering w/out the shrimp tempura for a healthier option); go with a good group, they have a fun atmosphere and I'm sure they would be okay with a few sake bombs; and if people start listening in on your conversation, look at them and offer them a piece of your sushi (hehe). HUGE fan of this place and definitely plan on going back when I return to my old stompin' grounds!

Food: 4
Service: 2.5 (only because me & the waiter had issues)
Overall Experience: 4.5

It was my amazing girlfriends that made my overall experience so incredible. Remember, eating good food makes the experience 10x better when you have great company! Thanks Kris, Mags, Pep, & Alaine! xx

And thank you to Kate & Kris for inviting me to guest blog! Your blog is just wonderful!

All my best,

Jenna

Review: Mekong Thai

On nights when I’m pressed for time or don’t feel like cooking, Mekong Thai is my go-to place. It’s in a small strip mall located on Montgomery Road (just down the road from the Kenwood Towne Center), which is located less than five minutes from my house. They are quick and convenient, which is a huge appeal, but even more than that…their food is great! They have a small, casual dining room as well as the option to carry-out.

They have a pretty standard Thai menu – the typical appetizers (spring rolls, crab ragoon, potstickers, etc.), soups, salads, stir fry dishes, fried rice, noodle dishes, etc. They have some unique sauces and flavors for their entrée dishes. I’ve had several family members and friends try Mekong, and they’re always pleased with their meals. Also, there are a ton of vegetarian options on the menu, which I’ve started appreciating more since one of my best friends is a vegetarian.

My regular order is the crab ragoon and Thai Spicy with chicken:

They have a spice scale of 1 – 3. One is mild, two is medium and three is hot. I’ve been ordering a 2; however I think I could handle the 3. The 2 is hot but I wouldn’t describe it as spicy, and I like spicy. The crab ragoons are great. What’s not to like about fried wontons with cream cheese and crab? However, I’m not crazy about the sauce they serve with them. They come with a strawberry sauce, and it’s a little too sweet and fruity for my liking.

The one downfall at Mekong Thai is that they don’t serve alcohol. From what I gather, I think they are waiting on a liquor license. They used to let you BYOB, but they said that was too expensive because of insurance costs. I usually get carry-out, so that’s not an issue for me but I know it may be for some of you who like to get a beer, glass of wine, etc. with your dinner. I can definitely understand that!   

If you’re in the area (or even if you’re not), I would definitely recommend Mekong Thai! I love supporting local, family owned businesses, especially when they’re as good and consistent as Mekong!

~Kris