George Lucas took over 30 years to tell the story of Luke Skywalker and his battle of good vs. evil; I've only waited 3 months for this next chapter in the Thai Fighter saga - by comparison I'd say that I'm light years ahead of George's attempts at proper story telling, thus making my temporary hiatus from the project a justifiable one.**Yes, I just justified not writing on this topic by comparing my likes and works to George Lucas. Yes, I just stated that The Locale is as big as Star Wars, and yes, I realize how ridiculous that sounds but I'm choosing to stand my ground and back my claims just the same. Optimistic, I must be. Anyway, I digress. Long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away...
Actually it was two nights ago at a restaurant down the street where the once again powerful yearning for Thai cuisine drew me into the arms of Pho Ben Thanh. My peers had spoken of its worth, claiming it to be, at the very least, worthy of competing in this great battle we have found ourselves immersed into; though, truth be told, it doesn't take much for me to be drawn to a restaurant - if they've got food, I've got an appetite and likely a few thoughts about it.
I'll start by being perfectly honest and state that, though I've driven past their giant sign on Woodlawn many, many times, it never really screamed out to me "Come in! We have tasty things to offer you!" In fact, I didn't know it was still an operating restaurant until I walked through the lobby doors the other evening. That being said, however, once inside the story completely changed.
It may not come off as what you think a Thai restaurant would be, and therein lies its biggest flaw in my books, but, to be fair, likely the biggest perk in the books of many others. It is, to put it best, a modern, safe, trendy design for those in search of culture without straying from the safety of what they know.
The decor is very clean, straight-line, dark wood, leather couch, polished black marble, mirrored wall, sheik uniform design with a slight hint of "martinis" thrown in there somewhere. A lovely and beautiful atmosphere indeed, but doesn't say to me "Pad Thai served here"
Servers and hosts are all dressed in black uniform apparel, are extremely friendly and diligent with their duties and thus I rank them high for that "We actually do want your business here, so please, make yourself at home in our care" type of hospitality. They took our order in fair time, brought us our drinks with cold glasses and offered us the comfort of fork over chopsticks without making us feel, well, idiotic or below some certain stigma that seems to be foolishly attached to that chopstick Jedi status (the way I see it: chopsticks are fun, but forks get more food in your mouth a heck of a lot faster). To summarize and put it bluntly: their service was great.
Food: now here's where I get a bit picky, so please keep in mind that this is my personal taste speaking. First off, the food was good. It was plentiful, very well presented (I would even go so far as to say it was pretty) and extremely fair priced. So what's the picky downside you ask? Well, while the mango chicken was good and the vermicelli bowl was tasty, and the spring rolls were filling, it all felt very, hmmmm, how shall I put this? Safe. It all felt very safe. And this is where I think that search for familiar culture statement I made previously truly stands tall. I think if someone were seeking out a Thai meal without actually wanting to try something completely new, then this would be the perfect place to go. It seems very North Americanized for my liking, much like The Mandarin isn't authentically Chinese (and yes, I do love the Mandarin) Ben Thanh doesn't seem to come out as authentically Thai, which, again, is in no way to suggest that it isn't good or that I wouldn't eat there again. In fact, I know that I will, but I also know that if I want something with a little more flare and flavour, I'm going to seek out somewhere more authentically fulfilling.
So did Ben Thanh take down a champion in the intergalactic battle over Pad Thai bragging rights? I'm sorry to say they did not; but what they did manage to accomplish was to impress me with their hospitality, as well as to shout out a recommendation to any readers who may be wondering "Is Thai food something I'm willing to try?" Well, yes it is worth trying, and this seems like an ideal, safe place for the weary to first travel. However, being a lover of authentic flavours, the roots of food and full-flavoured experiences, I'd like to offer this thought on the subject of safe eating: see, it's like the shallow end of the pool: sure, we all like to hang out, give our legs a rest, lean with our backs against the wall and our arms on the deck while the sun warms our face, but just remember: if you never venture to the deep end, you'll never fully learn to swim.
Happy eating everyone!
Phil
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