Living in New York, one forgets the dearth of exotic food choices that exists living almost everywhere else in the US. Anyone of who doesn’t grow up in a fairly large city will probably end up with their most adventurous meals being Italian, Mexican or Chinese. That’s how it was for me, so when I tried Thai food for the first time at the age of twenty-one year it was a mind-blowing experience for a blossoming foodie. It quickly became my new favorite variety of cuisine, replacing the oh so exotic Italian.
Flash forward six years later and Thai is no longer an amazing new discovery. Now it’s just another of the many world food choices that I can have anytime. Now it’s a matter of “Am I in the mood for Indian, sushi, Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Turkish, Dim Sum, Thai…etc, etc.” I just order some take-out Pad Thai at the closest place in my neighborhood and call it a day. It still tastes good, it just doesn’t seem as special anymore.
My nonchalant view of Thai food disappeared on my visit to Land, on the Upper West Side. Plans were made for dinner with a friend at 7 PM on a Tuesday. I was shocked to find out there would be a 30-40 minutes wait. It is a small space, but I wouldn’t have expected droves out so early on a Tuesday. Luckily, The Dead Poet is next door and you can enjoy a drink while you wait. The staff at Land will even give you a token for a dollar off at the bar and come find you when your table is ready, making it the most enjoyable wait for a table I’ve experienced.
Wait we did and it was well worth it. Between the three of us we tried to cover as much of the menu as possible. A satay sampler ($6.00) and mixed appetizer plate($7.50) gave us a chance to try a variety of starters. The mix included shrimp parcels, chicken curry puffs, and vegetable dumplings, which were all delicious, especially the vegetable dumplings. It was demanded by my friend, and regular recipient of Land’s neighborhood delivery, that I try the spicy beef salad ($7.50), while he opted for Wok basil with beef ($11.00) and the third ordered the Drunken Noodle with chicken ($9.00). Because of my love for potatoes and spiciness I also had to try a side of spicy potato ($3.50).
The spicy beef salad was indeed spicy and had perfectly tender hunks of beef that tasted amazing with the green apple slivers. Though I had to keep pausing to down some Thai coffee so I wouldn’t breathe fire, I thoroughly enjoyed the torturously delicious experience. I could go for salads liek this more often! The Wok basil and drunken noodle both were also amazing, flavorful choices.
This was some of the best Thai I had ever tasted and I’ve fallen in love with the cuisine all over again. I’ll still order my average take-out Thai and enjoy it in the same way I always have, but now I can dream of also enjoying something more exceptional.
Land
West Side 450 Amsterdam Ave, Btwn 81st & 82nd St
East Side 1565 2nd Ave, Btwn 81st & 82nd St
Hours:
Lunch Mon-Sun 12:30-3:30
Dinner Mon-Sat: 5:30pm-11:00, Sun: 5:30pm-10:30pm
Free delivery on orders of 10$
Accepts all major credit cards
www.landthaikitchen.com
No comments:
Post a Comment