Thai food is, hands down, one of my favorite cuisines. Its synchrony of bold flavors sings euphonic melodies as punchy flavors softly meld together. Thai food is one of those rare foods that unabashedly harnesses the full spectrum of flavors, entangling sweet and sour, spicy and salty, bitter and umami in ever-satiating ways. Coming from the Pacific Northwest where South Eastern Asian communities flourish and the food is equally as thriving, finding a good Thai restaurant in my new Astoria neighborhood was of paramount importance.
Enthaice did not disappoint. Its décor, although crowded, exuded inviting and homey spirits. From the plates adorning the wall to the dark wooden theme, Enthaice was already set up for success; clearly the innumerable (happy) customers were already in agreement.
Service (5/5): As soon as we arrived, the hostess was quick to find us a table. Although we were wedged between two other diners, we were just glad to receive immediate attention. Our waiter received our orders as soon as we were ready, and our food was out within about ten minutes. What makes their service memorable to me, however, is their attentiveness to my water. It may seem like such an odd thing to nitpick, but I am a one of those heavyweight water drinkers, and I find it especially rare to find a restaurant where the waiters can strike that median between never refilling water (help, I'm dying of thirst!) and constantly refilling it (please, I only took one sip...).
Food (4/5): We ordered Thai Iced Tea, Lychee Thai Iced Tea, Sauteed String Beans and Eggplant, and Pad Khee Mao with Shrimp.
Starting with the drinks, the Thai Iced Tea (4/5) was good, if not a little heavy-handed with the ice. The Lychee Thai Iced Tea (3/5), however, was the disappointment of the night. I love lychee and I love Thai Iced Tea, but for me this drink simply did not work. When two sweet elements are combined, some sugar must be detracted from the equation or diluted, perhaps by way of cream or water. Instead, the Lychee Thai Iced Tea tasted almost like bubblegum with the intense sweetness overpowering both the mellow bitterness afforded by the tea as well as the fruitiness of the lychee. The lychee brother of the Thai Iced Tea did not have condensed milk, and although condensed milk is also sweet, some creamy element was certainly necessary.
The Sauteed String Beans and Eggplant (5/5) was the real hero of the night. I love string beans, I love eggplants, and I love spice. The string beans had that satisfactory snap (although I personally felt that it could have done with a little more blanching) and the eggplants were perfectly cooked. No one likes picking up the slimy mess of an overcooked eggplant! The sauce was absolutely on point. It was sweet and full of savory richness that was accentuated by the peppery freshness of basil and the glowing hum of spicy peppers.
The Pad Khee Mao (or Drunken Noodles) with Shrimp (4/5) was delicious. The Drunken Noodles definitely had checks in all the right places: the noodles were well-cooked (no grainy, overcooked noodles for me!), there was just enough bamboo to add earthiness, and there was just enough char on the dish to sharpen all the flavors. You might ask, "Why the 4/5 then, David? Where is that final star?" Pad Khee Mao is perhaps my favorite Thai dish of all time. The sauce ought to be sweet, full of umami, and en"thai"cingly spicy. The char and the bamboo adds that touch of bitterness, the tomatoes add that little acidic sour sparkle, and the basil conducts the whole coalescence with its vibrancy. To me, it is the perfect representation of the beauty of Thai food, and as such, it is the one dish I always order at any Thai restaurant. Don't get me wrong, Enthaice's Pad Khee Mao is remarkable, but in the end, it faltered on two counts: springy, overcooked shrimp and an overly sweet sauce.
Cost (3/5): Perhaps this stems from my naivete (is food in NYC really that much more expensive?), but the food was quite a bit more pricey than I would usually expect. While I'm used to a $9 Pad Thai or Panang Curry, these dishes sat around $12 at Enthaice--33% more expensive! So while I left with a full stomach, my wallet left the night a little emptier. Regardless, given the interior, the service, and the food, this price is certainly reasonable.
Altogether, I would 100% come back to Enthaice. Honestly, I have yet to try other Thai restaurants in this side of Queens, but if Enthaice is the standard fare, I think I will be New York's newest content eater. read more