Who Else Wants to Eat Great Thai Food with Me?

Those of you who know me really well, where is the first place I want to go on the rare occasion I treat myself to lunch anymore? Even if I have been there already that week? For those of you who don't know me that well, you probably figured it out from the title of the blog :)

Thai Taste!

It's funny, when I worked uptown (and was making considerably more than I am earning now) we went out to eat just about everyday. The $5 a day lunch quickly escalated to the $10 a day lunch and sometimes even more. Ahh, funny how we spend what we earn! I like to go out once a week now and stick within that $10 budget. I try and meet up with an old Observer buddy. Went a couple of times recently with the "Hubs" while he was out of work and yes, one of those times was Thai Taste.

I understand that Thai food is an acquired taste and I'm very lucky in that respect because 99% of my friends enjoy Thai food too (excluding Laura & Debmac!), including my 16 year old son. Now I have tried just about every Thai restaurant in Charlotte and even one in Boone but to me, no one even comes close to Thai Taste's quality, taste & price. I used to work in the Dilworth/Southend territory and the East Blvd location was in my territory. They saw me at least once a week. Then they opened one near my house which they call Thai Taste University and they know me just as well there! On East Blvd they would just ask, "The Usual" but I now have 3 dishes that I choose from - just to keep them guessing! I hate to be predictable!

Lunch is definitely the better bargain. I have been for dinner too but I prefer lunch because your $9 includes a bowl of delicious Gaeng Jerd soup (clear chicken broth with green onions, napa cabbage, clery & mushrooms), jasmine rice, spring roll & iced tea. I very rarely finish the portion and usually end up bringing some home with me, so more than enough food!

My old "usual" was Pud Puk and what I consider the healthiest of my 3. It is stir fried mixed vegetables with a light brown sauce; low in oil. I get with chicken and 1 star. At one point in my life, when I was younger, I used to get 3 stars. Times, they do change!

My 2nd choice is Gaeng Dang (please be careful of this pronunciation - I make my son very nervous every time before ordering. OK on purpose because at 16, everything mortifies him and I feel it is my mission to do everything possible to embarrass him) Gaeng Dang is your choice of meat/seafood/vegetarian in a red curry sauce with coconut milk, bamboo shoots, sweet basils, green beans, peas & carrots. I just spoon the sauce over my rice, add a little soy sauce, and chow!

My third choice and the dish that I recommend for all 1st time Thai virgins is the Pud Thai. This is a pretty standard dish for all Thai restaurants and once again, I feel Thai Taste does it best. Pud Thai is Thai rice noodles sauteed with spices, bean sprouts, green onions, grounds peanuts and egg (or no egg) Once again I get chicken, but my friend Suz always gets the shrimp which I think is also very good, but they leave the end of the tails on and I don't have the patience to "detail" because at that point, I am so ready for my Thai food!

Lunch is served 11-2:30 daily. They are closed on Sunday which we found out the hard way when we were Jonesing for Thai only to drive there and find it closed :( Also, the Dilworth location is closed for lunch on Saturday. The only one I haven't been to is the Matthews location but I don't see why the food and staff would be as exceptional as they are at the other two!

The staff is always exceptional, especially Robert at the University location

You can check out their entire menu at: www.thaitasteuniversity.com