Make merry-merry, give Thai Thai a try try

So we had a little fun trying to one-up each other while exchanging e-mails in anticipation of our trip to downtown Wilkes-Barre’s newest, perhaps coolest ethnic restaurant. (No offense, Katana. We love you, too.)

Ahead of a visit to a place called Thai Thai, self-amusement in the form of corny wordplay can come a little too easily.

Oh come on, lighten up, groaner. Thai Thai, though elegantly appointed and a study in class, is still a laid-back, funky sort of spot where persnickety would never wash.

Skeptical? Say it’s your birthday, and watch what happens. (Hint: Mad disco ball involved.) More on that later, for the food is the heart of this treatise.

An old pro at Thai, are you? Whip it up yourself at home now and again? Or are you, rather, an apprehensive neophyte given to the ordinary at dinnertime?

The astonishingly lengthy menu here is all but guaranteed to please the lot of you , even while it leaves you – do pardon one more pun – a bit tongue-Thai’d.

You can have any of 12 appetizers, four soups, nine salads, five curries, seven noodle dishes, five fried rices, 13 general entrees, nine chef’s specials or six takes on duck and 18 on seafood. On top of which comes a 14-point vegetarian menu.

Our delight, to start, came in the form of a trio of appetizers: Thai spring rolls ($5.95); A Little Mermaid (deep-fried shrimp/$7.95); and Golden Ring (calamari/$7.95).

The spring rolls, crispy and chock full of cabbage, carrots and celery, were exceptionally light and fresh. The Mermaid, breaded shrimp wrapped in spring-roll skin, was fine and firm, if a bit bland, but the three-flavor sauce on the side was rich and zingy to compensate. And the calamari, which can be botched or done to divinity, was served with a wonderfully spicy Thai sauce and was neither greasy nor chewy.

On to the entrees, which, if you’ve seen the menu, explain the tongue-Thai’d pun.

Pad Pak Ruam (or mixed vegetable/$11.95) was behind door No. 1 and available, as all traditional entrees are, with chicken, pork or beef. The sauce tasted discernibly peanut-flavored and quite amazing. It accented our chosen chicken perfectly. An included side of jasmine rice was fragrantly glorious.

From the noodle menu, we went nuts (yeah, yeah) for the traditional Pad Thai ($10.95), which is standard issue in any Thai restaurant. Having had bad Pad Thai and good Pad Thai, though, we can safely call this the latter.

A fusion of flavors over the standby noodles came from shrimp and chicken, eggs, ground peanuts, bean curd, scallions and bean sprouts, but no single flavor bullied the others. Credit, too, a good blend of crunchy peanuts and veggies amid the soft noodles and a fairly large portion, which is worth noting. Some dishes here are punier than others and have been known to leave diners a bit peckish. If you’ve worked up an appetite, it might be best to ask in advance which meals are fill-’er-ups.

The large plate of Pad Thai provided enough leftovers for a decent lunch, though we did feel a little short-shrifted on the shrimp and even resorted to cutting up the two or three provided to achieve more mileage.

Drunken Noodles ($10.95) were another huge hit, though we recommend them mainly for those whose palates can tolerate a little spice. The signature flat noodles are stir fried with chicken, pork or beef with broccoli as well as tomato, onion, bell peppers, egg chili and basil leaves. This party on a plate was as impressive in Round One as it was the next day, also as lunch.

Now we must tell you about some exquisite soups, specifically Tom Kha Gai, a most aromatic creation in a huge, steaming bowl of coconut milk teeming with chicken, lime leaves, lime juice, mushrooms, chili and a Thai ingredient or two about which we didn’t fret, or even ask.

Lemongrass delivered the fragrant kick and the coconut milk the substantial base for what turned out to be a wow-worthy bowlful of rapture. A small is $4.95 and a large $10.95. If you go for broke with the latter (i.e., are somehow able to bypass the other goodies) you won’t be sorry.

Creamy, fragrant, light, full-bodied, sweet and spicy ... Enough adjectives for you?

Now, for your sake, dear readers, we also managed to do some dessert. We’re good like that.

Asian cheesecake ($5.95) seemed the universal favorite, fried and coated with crispy transgression though it was. Tempering the extravagance was a lovely fruit drizzle, and that’s our rationalization. The cheesecake itself was on the airy side, which is a good thing.

Ice cream also comes fried, and, seeing how hard it is to find that guilty pleasure these days, we heartily applaud.

Also fried (and well-received) was honey banana ($4.95). Though the honey was not exactly detectable and the breading a bit bland – perhaps a bit of sprinkled sugar or cinnamon would have perked things up – the bananas themselves were sweet, as all endings should be.

Now back to the birthday bit, i.e., that disco ball. Blinded by the lights the first time, we were sufficiently charmed as the accompanying soundtrack blared and chipper staffers sprang the guests of honor to their feet. Truly, we thought, these guys had outdone any other restaurant that “does birthdays.”

Then it happened again. And again. And again. In fact, perhaps because we lingered over our mesmerizing meals, we had to endure this happy hoopla no less than five times on the night.

By episodes four and five, we felt mostly pity for the staff and suspicion for the other guests. Were all these people really growing up, or was somebody messing with heads here?

But I said persnickety wouldn’t wash, so let’s end this minor gripe with a suggestion: Maybe the big ball drops once every hour for all the birthday girls and boys in the house at the time? Meaning even thee-coursers such as ourselves probably wouldn’t have to fake-smile through more than a third round?

Finally, a few words about service: It’s up and down. Keep in mind, though, that we still have a freshman establishment here.

On the upside, the staff was courteous, to be sure, especially in expertly handling the wine we carried in. (Side note: We’d love, love, LOVE for what is now a BYOB policy to become permanent, as Wilkes-Barre is in dire need and many of us are on tight budgets, but we won’t count on it.)

On the downside, meals were not delivered together, presenting that sticky quandary of whether to dig in and make a waiting party hungrier or wait it out and enjoy your own meal lukewarm. We also waited good and long for anyone to take our orders (which also partially explains our eventual birthday-ball crabbiness). Upon inquiring, we learned servers are not assigned to stations but can attend to anyone. This needs rethinking, especially on a busy night.

But the better news? All Thai Thai nights seem busy, and we do hope they stay that way. The place, really, is quite beautiful, and we love the open layout and welcoming atmosphere in a city that’s looked too snoozy for too long.

Truly, downtown Wilkes-Barre needs more places like this, even if dorky disco balls are part of the deal.

IF YOU GO

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