Tag: restaurant

Food Review: Bai Tong Thai Be Bangin!

*June 2017 Update located at the bottom.*

My favorite go-to Thai food place was Saigon in Conway, until it closed this year. This has been pretty devastating as there is only one Thai restaurant I know of in Little Rock, Zangna Thai, and it is pretty expensive.  So, my Thai food intake has decreased dramatically.
Then, Bai Tong Thai opened in Conway. Drew and I decided to head to Conway for a date night and try this place out. I was pretty impressed. Here’s the breakdown:

Environment

This restaurant is found in a newer shopping center, but don’t let that throw you. While it is small, it was modernly decorated with bright colors and very clean.
When we first arrived, there was only one other couple in the restaurant. Over the entire time we were there, only one other family arrived. For a Friday night, this is not a good sign.

The Food

Tom Kah Kai $10.99
Description: Creamy coconut milk soup with chicken, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, lemongrass, galanga, kaffir leaf, and cilantro.

We started off with one of my all-time favorite soups, Tom Kah Kai. Though, not all of these soups are created equal. My favorite version was the one at Lilly’s Dim Sum, though that place closed this year as well. Come on! This version, though, was delicious! The creamy broth is sweet with just a slight kick. There was plenty of very tender slices of chicken, (This is usually a problem with this soup, the chicken gets overcooked and very tough, but not here!) mushrooms, and other veggies. There were huge slices of tomato that I wish were cut smaller. I have never had tomatoes in this soup, but I enjoyed it. There was also plenty of cilantro sprinkled on top, which I love.
I will definitely order this soup again.

 

Panang Curry, $12.00
Description: Coconut milk, panang curry, kaffir leaf, and fried bell peppers on a bed of spinach.

I LOVE panang curry. This one was good, but not my all-time favorite. It was very sweet at first and then BAM! a pretty intense heat hits you. I was glad to have more soup left to cool my mouth off after each bite. The tofu was cut into very large pieces, which I do not like. I should have ordered this with chicken or beef. There was plenty of sauce, though. So, each bite was flavorful and saucy. I think I will try a different curry on their menu next time, though this was still enjoyable.

 

Pahd Thai, $10.99
Description: Stir-fried rice noodles, egg, green onions, and bean sprouts in pahd thai sauce topped with ground peanuts

My favorite pahd thai was from Saigon, may it rest in peace. But this one is a close second. I like my pahd thai saucy, with medium heat. (Enough spice to give good flavor and a kick, but not so much that I can’t finish the dish.) I like to taste the peanuts as well, but I don’t like too much lime. This pahd thai nailed it. I loved it. The tofu was cut into smaller pieces than in the panang curry and was sauteed, which I enjoy.
I ordered the heat level 3 out of 5, though it needed more heat. However, there was some spicy chili sauce on each table, so I added some of that and it was perfectly spicy.
The serving size was also huge! And for $11, this may be the cheapest pahd thai (for the amount) that I have ever had. I got four meals out of this! I will definitely order this every time I visit, even if it is just to eat over the next couple of days.

Overall

I really enjoyed this place. The people were so nice, the service was great, and the food was top notch. I also enjoy that the prices are cheaper than many other Thai restaurants.  I hope more people go visit this restaurant so it succeeds. So, got dinner plans? You do now.

If you have been and can suggest any good dishes I should try next time, let me know in the comments.

Update: June 2017

Since Drew and I enjoyed our last meal here so much, we made sure to get dinner when we were in Conway yesterday. I was craving a Thai Beef Salad and Drew wanted something like a curry, but on the healthier side. Here’s what we decided on:

Asparagus Peanut Sauce with Chicken, $10.99
Description: Grilled asparagus, squash, and carrots on a bed of spinach, topped with peanut sauce.

Drew chose a mix of stir-fried veggies in a deliciously sweet, but not too heavy, peanut sauce. This was perfect for getting that curry craving satisfied, even though peanut sauce is not a curry sauce. It was still similar enough to a peanut-filled curry sauce, like a massamum curry, though it was sweeter and not swimming in the sauce like most curry dishes allow.  With tons of vegetables and very tender slices of chicken, it was a healthy, yet very filling meal.
While it was a little on the sweet side, adding a bit of the table condiments, such as chili sauce, helped elevate this sauce to an easy favorite.

Beef Salad $10.99
Description: A bed of shredded iceberg topped with marinated strips of beef, mixed with cucumber, onions, tomatoes, and cilantro with a spicy lime dressing.

First off, I LOVE a good Thai beef salad. This one was delicious, but it was not my favorite. While the dressing was tangy and spicy and fresh, it was borderline too spicy for me. By the end of the meal, my mouth was on fire!
The beef actually tasted a lot better than it appears in the picture. The beef was cooked perfectly, leaving it tender and flavorful. Nothing is worse than having overcooked beef on your salad, amIright?
The rest of the salad consisted of entirely too large “bites”, so I had to spend some time cutting everything into much smaller pieces. I also found a few ingredients that I tend to enjoy on this dish missing: I didn’t notice any cilantro (if it was there, it was minimal) and there were no peanuts.
Nevertheless, I definitely still enjoyed my salad, but I will go elsewhere when this craving for a Thai beef salad hits me again.

The Service

The service here, again, was fantastic. While they may be a little slow getting your order or handing you your check, our waters were never empty, our food came out promptly, and everyone is more than friendly and professional.
We also found that attention to detail here really adds a lot to our experience. Each table was decorated with a little styling of the napkins and silverware and everything is very clean. These details and the friendly service help make this a great dining experience…both times!

If you try this place and come across a dish we haven’t tried that we need to try, let me know in the comments!

 

Food Review: Cilantro’s Mexican Grill could use more cilantro, with special guest, Drew!

This past Saturday, the hubs and I took the four-wheeler around Hector, AR to ride around on some trails.
*Yes, I have my own 4 wheeler and Drew has a dirt bike, but I make him just tote me around on my 4 wheeler when I can, because it is less scary for me and way more fun and romantic.

14359778_10100523770068586_1307443697_o

Anyway, on the way home, we decide to try this newer Mexican restaurant in Conway. I was craving Mexican, and this one had pretty good reviews online. So, here’s the breakdown, from Drew and me!

Drew: I have been to the Cilantro’s in North Little Rock, in Lakewood Village, and I hated it. I can’t remember why or even what I got to eat, but I vowed to never go back. I was afraid this may be the same one, but we shall see.

Environment

14394019_10100523533757156_78174701_o

Cilantro’s is in a shopping center right off of I-40, so it is easy to access. Nothing special about the outside.  However, the inside was large and open, and very clean. (We did show up at 4:00, hence we were almost the only ones there.)

14374578_10100523533712246_656015715_o

I have decided to start reviewing the bathrooms of restaurants as well. I usually visit the bathroom at a restaurant, even if it is just to wash my hands. Some are great, some are horrifying. As Drew put it, “the bathroom is probably as clean as the kitchen they make your food in”, so I hope this is a welcome addition to our reviews.

This bathroom was very clean. 3 stalls, though a little crowded, great smell, and even good-smelling soap. Thumbs up.

14375245_10100523533677316_379871358_o

The Food

Happy Hour: We showed up just in time for happy hour, so we both decided on the small house margarita for $3.25.

Drew: Oh yes, this is the same Cilantro’s as in NLR. At that time, celebrating my sister’s birthday with family, I tried the “tamarindo” margarita. It was disgusting, the worst margarita I have ever had. Apparently, I don’t like tamarind.

14360343_10100523533732206_367570390_o  ]

Chips and salsa arrived before the margaritas. We each received a rather large portion of salsa with the chips. The chips were not fresh or warm, but they were nothing to complain about. The salsa was very thin, but had enough flavor to be enjoyable. It was not very spicy, but had a slight kick. Nothing special, but no complaints from either of us.

The margaritas (on the rocks) were in a decent-sized cup to be a small. However, there was a lot more ice than margarita. The taste was very sweet, too sweet. And they may have forgot to add the tequila? I couldn’t taste a lick of alcohol, anyway.

Drew: This was better than the tamarindo margarita I had on the previous trip. However, it was the second worst margarita I have had. Not worth it at all.

14407838_10100523533722226_1070588928_o

The menu was very large and it took us probably 10-15 minutes to decide what to get. We both settled on the tacos and more section of the menu:

14360231_10100523533747176_176111445_o

I ordered the fish tacos ($9.25) with the jicama-mango slaw (I was VERY excited about this, I hate the regular side of rice at most Mexican restaurants) and the barracho beans.

14423715_10100523533702266_2029449878_o

The plates were huge, and this was no exception. The tacos were each about the size of my hand. There was plenty of slaw, and even though that cup of beans looks tiny, it was plenty.

Let’s start with the tacos. At first glance, the amount of fish in each taco was shocking…in the worst way. Each taco had one tiny, thin, about 2 inches in length, piece of fried fish. I believe it was tilapia.

14393199_10100523533692286_645668197_o

Upon eating the taco, you had to take two bites to even get to the fish and toppings (lime sauce and pineapple pico de gallo). The fish was very dry. I love a crispy fish, but this was so thin it was way overcooked and hard to chew. The “lime sauce” tasted like straight up sour cream. The pineapple pico was very tasty. All-together, there were about two good bites for each taco, with lots of extra corn tortillas. It also definitely needed salt to accentuate any flavors. Oh yea, and can I get more cilantro on my dish from a restaurant named “Cilantro’s”?  Not my favorite.

Drew: While I didn’t want to admit it at the time because Amy was NOT happy, I enjoyed the fish taco I took from her plate. Hey, we always share plates, don’t get worked up. Yes, the fish was tiny and dry, but the rest of the taco made it very tasty.

Next, the jicama-mango slaw: Also needed salt, and more lime juice….and more cilantro. There was a lot of thick-cut jicama and a smaller amount of small bites of mango. While I love a jicama salad/ slaw, etc., this was not that great. Too much bland jicama. However, this was still better than regular ole rice! I did eat most of it. I also felt it was healthy, which made it seem more enjoyable.

Lastly for my dish, the barracho beans: love! Finally, a dish with enough salt and flavor. These beans steeped in a porky sauce (there seemed to be pieces of bacon or some other form of thin slices of pork) were very tasty.

Drew ordered the carnitas tacos with the same slaw and the refried beans for $8.25.

14423787_10100523533672326_1575634107_o

Same size plate, slaw, and beans. However, and the pic does not do it justice, the amount of carnitas on each taco was huge! They really piled the pork on! It was topped with cilantro, onions, and a slice of avocado.

The tacos were friggin’ great! This may be the best carnitas taco I have ever had, and Drew agrees. There was so much meat. It was cooked perfectly. It was sweet, but not too sweet. There were no inedible fatty bites. It was good! The toppings were few, but were perfect because you wouldn’t want to cover up the star of the show…you know, the carnitas I keep raving about.

Drew agrees with me on the slaw, he didn’t finish his.

The refried beans were definitely from a can, and way too salty…because they are from a can.

Drew: My tacos were delicious, which is way better than whatever I ordered during my last trip. The beans were good, as well. The slaw was a refreshing change, but needed some work.

Overall

Amy: I would not volunteer to come back here. If I do, I will not “indulge” on the “alcoholic” beverages. And I will order the carnitas tacos. Nothing but the carnitas tacos is worth returning for.

Drew: This experience was better than my first in NLR. The environment was very clean. The service was fine. The menu was large, but didn’t seem to have too much variety from the typical Mexican restaurant. However, I love a good torta and there was not one on this menu. Though, I think the tacos and sides were better than most Arkansas Mexican restaurants. Would I return? Probably not, though. Amy cooks too well to waste a meal on food that is not delicious. Plus, I like my margaritas way better.