EZ Thai has something for every palate
By DICKSON MERCER
Staff writer
Unless you don’t like Thai food, good luck finding something not to like about the new EZ Thai Restaurant.
EZ Thai opened recently in Prince Frederick Shopping Center, in the restaurant space next to Dreamweaver Cafe & Catering. This site once hosted a McDonald’s franchise. More recently, it was the home of vegan restaurant Eating to Live.
“Nice little spot,” I thought after entering the restaurant and sitting down. The interior is not fancy, but the design, including art on the walls, is nonetheless thoughtful. The carryout counter and waiting area has a bit of a lounge feel. Tables, many of which were set with vases of flowers, are arranged for groups of two to four.
The service impressed me. From what I observed, the servers are more than willing to answer questions regarding the menu.
Here comes a plate of crispy tofu, a $5 appetizer that could make a nice snack for as many people. The triangular bites are not too fried, just enough to live up to the appetizer’s name. Sweet and sour sauce mixed with crushed peanuts compliment it well - and I wouldn’t hestitate to use a spoon to scoop it out rather than dip.
Spring rolls ($4), one of seven appetizers, are always a popular starter at Thai restaurants. According to the description on the menu, these are crispy rolls filled cabbage, celery, carrots, mushrooms and cellophane noodles. Satay chicken ($7), skewers of marinated pork or grilled chicken served with peanut sauce and cucumber relish, are popular, too.
Before I get too far with this, though, let’s put something else on the table. Some people tell me they do not like Thai food, the national cuisine of Thailand, because they do not like spicy food.
True, Thai food is known for being spicy. But it’s also known for balancing all kinds of tastes: hot, sweet, sour, salty, even bitter.
The balance, I suppose, is what I appreciate the most. I do like a little bit of the spiciness (more on that later), too. Plenty of Thai dishes, meanwhile, particularly noodle dishes, are far more sweet than spicy.
It’s the Thai sense of balance that makes me more likely to order a salad (my wife and I will often split one) at a Thai restaurant than just about anywhere else. I did not try EZ Thai’s version, but I particularly like the zesty papaya salad ($7), which at EZ Thai is described as shredded green papaya, peanuts, tomatoes and string beans seasoned with chili and fresh lime juice. (Note the word “chili.”)
Same goes for Thai soups like Tom Kha, a coconut milk broth with lime leaves and juice, not to mention mushrooms and ginger. No, I didn’t order that, either. Sorry.
What I ordered was the red curry lunch special. As well, for a co-worker who was supposed to join me but turned out to be too busy, I ordered him a carryout order of the standard pad Thai, a beginner’s noodle dish that’s undeniably good (and usually not at all spicy).
Served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., EZ Thai offers 14 lunch specials for less than 10 bucks. (The exact price will depend on your protein choice: chicken, beef or pork; shrimp, scallops, squid or mussels; or vegetarian.)
Lunch specials even get a complimentary bowl of soup - and not of the kind that will test your appreciation for spiciness, either. The soup I received on my visit, anyway, was a simply satisfying chicken brother soup flavored with salt and pepper. Call it a tastebud stimulator.
Lunch special options include PP Steak, stir-fried beef with vegetables; fried rice; the pan-fried wide rice noodle dish known as Drunken Noodles; and my wife’s favorite, Pad Se Ew. While some Thai food eaters are stuck on pad Thai, my wife’s addiction is indeed this wide rice noodle dish in a sweet soy sauce with a choice of meat plus broccoli, carrots and eggs.
You’ll find these items and more on the dinner menu, which is broken down into entrees, curries, noodles and fried rice dishes.
EZ Thai serves four curries, including one my favorites: panang curry, which offers meat simmering in a red curry sauce.
There are specials, too, including a curry puff appetizer ($7) and deep-fried kingfish or salmon served with panang curry sauce or chili garlic basil sauce.
The red curry, served in a bowl with another bowl of rice on the side, was a delight. The sauce, filled with my choice of chicken (cut into chunks), strips of green peppers, basil leaves and lots of finely sliced bamboo shoots, was neither too rich nor too sweet nor too bland. As far as spiciness, this version will hardly make your eyeballs pop out (I did not even finish my glass of water), but it’s certainly spicy enough.
How about something sweet? Usually I’m too full to order dessert at Thai restaurants; in this instance I actually was. Still, I’ve always wanted to try the Thai dessert of sticky rice with mango. Now, I recommend you do the same.
This is a great summer dessert. Plus, how often do you eat mango?
EZ Thai’s version presents a dense square of coconut milk-sweetened sticky rice with four or five mango slices lined up next to it. It proved to be the highlight of my visit.
Back at the office, I did inspect my friend’s order of pad thai - took a bite, even. Pad thai, for any Thai restaurant, is like a measuring stick. EZ Thai’s, in turn, was of the saucier variety, which happens to be the kind I prefer. (In my mind, it tells me the chef’s aren’t slacking.)
As my friend simply put it, the dish was “on point.”
Which is a good way to describe EZ Thai.
