Thai For The Road!!!

I have to open with an apology to my followers for slcking on the blog updates. Man its been rough lately, I've been just hitting commerical spots lately and kinda got off base on visiting those local hidden eateries. I promise from here on out to keep the train on track. Two weeks ago I was introduced to a Thai food spot here in Riverside, up the street from the 76 Station I frequent to get the whips oiled and lubed. I have driven past this place a few times and never even looked on that side of the street. So for a Pre-Father's Day treat my family took me there for dinner two Saturday evenings ago.

Bann Thai (Thai House), is a local Thai resturant on Brockton Ave a block and a half off the Central/Magnolia intersection. From the street it looks like someones house, but when you walk in you're greeted by the staff and it has a real Asian appeal, bamboo curtains, hard wood floors. I almost took my shoes off, but I forgot I was wearing flip flops so no need to go there. We were seated and drinks were brought to us. Looking over the menu it pretty much had the same dishes to offer as River Kwai - Moreno Valley, CA & The Thai House - Redlands, CA, prices were comparable as well. To true appreciate Thai food you have to understand the uniqueness of the 5 flavors intriduced to your palette: salty, sweet, sour (tangy), bitter and hot (spicy). In many dishes all 5 flavors can be combined. If you cant handle foods with "flavor" then Thai food isnt for you.

Some people like to dive right into the Thai experience, but for me I like to warm up the palette first, dont shock it. Like some people like to throw cold meat to a hot grill...thats a no no..but I will do a blog on that later. We started off our dining experience with the Appetizers Combo, (3) Egg rolls, (3) Shrimp rolls (4) Fried tofu and (4) Fried Wontons served with sweet & sour sauce. I was cool with everything but the Fried Tofu..WTF, Even when I drowned those things in S & S Sauce adn Soy Sauce it still tasted like fried paper. Now I can added Fried Tofu to my list of "things I dont have to ever try again" we enjoyed the rest of the Appetizers Combo. The Egg rolls and shrimp rolls were hot & fresh, Fried Wontons are what they are...crispy and crunchy...no love lost there.

Since I've been dubbed "Black-inese" by my family and friends, no Asian (Thai) experience can commence until you have a Hot Pot Soup. My soup of choice this evening was the Tom Yum Noodle, this spicy rice noodle soup with lime, ground chicken, fish ball, bean sprouts, green onions, ground peanuts and a Fried Wonton. Another Hot Soup dish thats outta this world is the Tom Yum Goong Soup aka Hot & Sour Thai Soup Aside from being one of the most popular soup in Thailand, Tom Yum Soup has many health benefits, due its potent combination of herbs and spices. In fact, this Thai soup is currently under scientific study, as it appears to have immune-boosting power as a natural remedy for cold and flu viruses. Bann Thai makes it with coconut milk which adds another level of flavor. (My camera batteries died so this is a borrowed image..but I just wanted you to have a visual of what it will look like.)

Moving on to the Main Events...drumroll please...Chicken Garlic & Pepper. This dish comes served as a stir fried pepper, garlic, cilantro and onions on a bed of cabbage. You can actually choose shrimp ($2 more), chicken, beef or pork. Next dish Spicy Coconut Curry Chicken An Aromatci chicken cooked in chu chi chili paste in coconut milk. It was as spicy as it smelled and looked, however it wasnt overbearing.

Just a few other treats we dined on included the Chicken Sweet Basil Eggplants, Pad Thai & Orange Chicken...

yes what can I say we feasted!!! And hopefully you too will enjoy Bann Thai..until we meet on the Thai Road to Spicy Town...Holla

Not your average Joe!!!

So its Wednesday night, Dodgers played a noon game (squeaked out that 1-0 victory), Lakers don't start Game 1 of the NBA Finals til Thursday. No American Idol, no Dancing with the Stars, No Hells Kitchen to watch...perfect night to have dinner out. In the past few weeks, I've had Mexican/Salvadorian, Seafood, Hamburgers, etc. Leaving work I was tryna figure out what to eat tonight...then it hit me, an old back in the day classic restaurant popped into my head...freakin A Joe's Italian Restaurant Moreno Valley, CA. Man, the thought of Minestrone soup, Fired Mozzarella, Garlic bread, Eggplant Parm and my favorite Shrimp & Scallop Scampi was dancing in my head.

Italian food is always hearty eating and Joe's Italian, definitely knows how to pack it in. The food portions are always so big you can never eat it all in one sitting, prepare for leftovers...and that's in a good way. I was introduced to Joe's Italian by my college sweetheart, turned best friend and lifelong partner...driving up from San Diego to the IE on the weekends was always special when it included Joe's.

Last night was no different, we arrived was promptly seated. Waitress took our drink orders and boom...let the fun begin. After glancing over the menu just for fun. We promptly started out with our favorite, the Fried Mozzarella, this hunk a hunk of cheesy sensation comes out on a platter covered in Marinara sauce. Take your fork and cut off a corner, swirl that cheese around and insert into mouth..."Ahhhh and now its on from here on out, put yo hands in the atmosphere if ya know what I'm talkin' bout" - Outkast...also don't sleep on the Fried Ravioli, Calamari and of course the Sauteed Mushrooms, the sauce is to die for!!!

Since I ordered the Shrimp & Scallop Scampi my meal came with either a soup or salad...I always take the soup, that way you don't have to fool around with asking for extra dressing, dealing with stale croutons, welted lettuce, etc...not that it happens at Joe's, but Ive had that experience at other restaurants. Get the Minestrone soup.
This soup comes in a flavorful broth combined with carrots, celery, broccoli, oregano & cheese filled pasta...shoot you see the picture above, you can see this slick ain't no joke. Sprinkle a like Parmesan cheese on top and let it do it's magic. Now on to the heavy hitters, for my little Garbage Pail Kid son, who eats everything, we got him an order of Mac N cheese, this was the first time I'd ever order Mac N Cheese from any Italian restaurant so I didn't know what to expect. Let's just say I wasn't disappointed, here comes this nice cheesy, gooey plate of cheese and pasta...Cheese was so creamy and gooey it was running over the sides. I was like "DAYUM...let Daddy help you eat this so I can bring my food into work tomorrow". Son wasn't even tryna hear that, before I knew it he had already grabbed the spoon, but it was too hot so we had to let it chill for a minute. Man, if you are a cheese fan, you will love this Mac N Cheese attack...afterwards you better be prepared to be BlOCK'd BlOCK'd up for the night!!!

Next up was the Eggplant Parmesean, this classic Italian baked dish is always a winner in my book. Who doesn't like eggplant slices, layered with Mozzarella, Parmesan , Basil and tomato sauce, man oh man...not only is my mouthwatering recapping that eventful evening, my eyes are watering too because I deprived myself of Joe's for far too long. I know some Italian restaurants where they fry the eggplant first, then bake it to try to get that crunchy thing going on...ughhhh no...bad choice Joyce. the key to making the perfect Eggplant Parm is to drain the eggplant slices of any excessive moisture before cooking. Order a side sausage if you want to add some meat to the mix!!!

Finally, my dish, the Showstopper my beautifully prepared Shrimp & Scallop Scampi prepared in a wonderful lemon butter sauce with crushed red peppers buddied up with a proper amount of shrimps and scallops on a man size bed of spaghetti. Shrimps and scallops are hard to prepare together without overcooking each other. Take that extra lemon slice, squeeze that juice over it, hit ti with a few dashes of Parmesan cheese...GAME OVER!!! The shrimp with each bite just came right out of the tail, scallops went down like hot knife through warm butter...Simple Majestic. A dish fit for a king and on this night I was the King, El Capitan. The best thing about this dish is having it the next day. Once all those spices have marinated overnight...pop that puppy in the microwave, set it on 3.5 minutes...get you a bottle of that Lipton Brisk Sweet Tea...in the words of Public Enemy...Shut Shut Shut It Down!!!

Joe's Italian has been serving up great pasta dishes and of course pizzas in the Mo Valley area since 1980...So if you're in the Mo Val near Alessandro Blvd between Day & Elsworth St. stop in on Wednesday or Thursday night have some dinner and be serenaded with some of Sinatra's greatest hits. Tell'em Theolicious sent ya!!! Aight I'm bout make like a tree and get outta here...LOL Enjoy