Thai cuisine

Searching for Thai Take Two and White Chocolate Passion Fruit Scones by Connfessions of a Reservationist

Place: Searching for Thai Take Two at Thai Star Café

I drive by Thai Star Café, this small restaurant on my daily commute and finally thought enough was enough. Sometimes I do not know what I would do without Pad Thai. I was not so sure if I made the right decision as I pulled into the parking lot, but once I saw the neon Singha beer sign on the window, I knew it was worth a shot.

The restaurant itself looks a little like a combination between a basement and an Asian grocery store. The corner next to the register lies imported Thai goods from fish sauce to curry paste to Thai noodles. I had an extreme urge to get chicken satay and coconut soup in addition to my noodles, but I do not think I could stomach all of it for the evening. I was determined to grade the noodles.

The verdict? It was the closest to the Thai noodles I would get from Charm NYC on West 96th Street and Amsterdam, but does not beat the Woodside Wonder, Sripraphai. The dish needed just a little more sauce and a little more spice to it but overall tasted what I would consider authentic.

The polite customer service assured me that I will be back hopefully to eat the rest of the menu.

Thai Star Café
1155 Hammond Drive
Sandy Springs, GA
770.817.9800 Phone
www.goforthai.com


Schoko: White Chocolate Passion Fruit Scones

I purchased three Ritter Sport Sommersorte white chocolate bars while I was in the German-North Georgia town, Helen a couple of weeks ago and wanted to do something with it since it probably was going to get old very soon.

I was desperately craving scones around the same time and decided to put two and two together with a scone recipe from my friend in England. I am not sure where he got it, but I did have to make some slight changes to get it where I wanted it. In the end it tasted perfect. I chopped up the chocolate to where the scone tasted of passion fruit but just enough to leave chunks of white chocolate melting in your mouth.

The only reminder I would give to this recipe is not to knead the dough too much or the texture will end up slightly compressed.


Makes 3 Large or 6 Small Scones

1 ½ C Flour

Pinch of salt
1/4 C Unsalted Butter, cut into small cubes
1 Ritter Sport Chocolate Bar, 100g chopped. I used the Sommersorte but you can use any to your liking.
2 T Sugar
½ C Milk

Pre-heat oven to 425 Degrees Fahrenheit. Grease baking sheet.

Mix flour and salt. Pour cubes of butter into bowl and rub into mixture using your hands or a large fork until blended like a cornmeal.

Stir in chopped chocolate bar, sugar and milk until mixture forms into a soft dough.

Bring dough onto a floured work surface and very lightly knead. Pat into a round and divide into three or four round portions with hands. Place on baking sheet and lightly brush scone surface with milk. Sprinkle with sugar.

Place in oven for 15 minutes until risen and golden brown.

Cool and serve with butter and clotted cream if desired.

Searching for Thai, unkown Julia, and weekly recipes, hopefully by Connfessions of a Reservationist


Weekly Menu
In Search of Good Thai
The Julia I Did Not Know

Weekly Recipes, Hopefully


In Search of Good Thai

The cuisine I could devour any time of the day, every day would be Thai. I just cannot get enough of it. The vegetables, pork, seafood, curries, spices, peanuts, coconuts, peppers, the possibilities are endless when it comes to Thai cuisine in addition to their eccentric looking but savory desserts. Since I am so used to being around so many of them and living next door to the most re-known and authentic Thai in all of NY, I knew any Thai restaurant in Atlanta is going hard to compete with.

Only tried two and a half so far down south:


1. Asian fusion to-go: It is near my home and has a spicy, peanut and coconut sauce that goes fantastic with shrimp, mixed vegetables, and rice. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the name and does not have a web listing.

2. Tamarind at Colony Square: It was not bad for this midtown location. The sauce for the Pad Thai tasted a little sugary, but I will give them brownie points for serving Singha beer in an iced Singha glass.

½. Thai Peppers: A Japanese-Thai restaurant in a strip center by the local mall. It does not really count since I have not been there in almost a decade but it is considered where I first experienced Thai cuisine.

You can guess there was not much before I moved, and I have much more work to do. However, some acquaintances and friends mentioned several sure bets:


The King & I: near Piedmont Park

Kokai Thai Bistro: Norcross

Thai Chili: Briarvista Shopping Center


I know I will not be able to enjoy some of the miracle creations that I have been spoiled to experience in New York, but I can at least get my hands into other interpretations of the cuisine alone. In any case, please let me know if anyone out there knows of a good place to go!

The Julia I Did Not Know


I am not usually into trendy media but after seeing Julie & Julia, a long discussion with my parents, and reading the introduction to Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I discovered some interesting things I did not know yet, knowing I still have a long way to go in perfecting the art of modern dining:

Electric and gas stoves are both desirable.

Even though its fussy to deal with, copper is the ideal material for pots.


Wood spatulas are better than wood spoons. Yes, common sense.


Enjoying oysters with sweet wine is a thing of the past.


The sweeter the wine, the colder it should be served.


I left one industry to another with only one thing in common: the French vocabulary.


Weekly Recipes


I will start to include my weekly trials of certain meals every Friday, particularly dinner if I get home at a decent hour during the week. Feel free to contribute your own if you are itching to share something.

The Woodside Wonder by Connfessions of a Reservationist




I am a former Manhattanite who recently moved to Queens, not realizing Sripraphai (See-Pra-Pie) or better known as " The Woodside Wonder" was only a couple of blocks away from my new home. I got hooked the moment I tried it and everyone laughed at me when I began spreading the word, not knowing so many people from all five boroughs make the effort to come to this place. I dine at a variety of Thai restaurants in New York, and Sripraphai wins my award for most authentic Thai cuisine. It is a definite must if you love spicy food and personally the most satisfying pad thai yet. Irresistable desserts are always on display next to the to-go counter. It even has a surprisingly spacious outdoor seating area which is essential during the warmer months.

I will admit the service is not as sharp as their Manhattan competitors, they are closed on Wednesdays, do not deliver and do not accept credit cards which is probably a good thing now anyway. The menu "novels" are a little overwhelming but educational if you are brand new to Thai cuisine. If you are a Sripraphai virgin, I would stick with one of their recommendations like one of their salads, pork dishes, or pad thai. My only recommendations to them: Make the interior design a little more consistent, get that website running, and consider hiring servers from Manhattan. They know how to please the neighborhood visitors.


Sripraphai
6413 39th Avenue (between 64th and 65th Streets)
Woodside, Queens 11377
718.899.9599