If you go
› What: That Esan, 4330 Ringgold Road, East Ridge.› Phone: 423-771-9718.› Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday, noon-9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.› Price range: $3.50 for spring rolls to $15.95 for Thai seafood soup.
The red curry was cooked with coconut milk, bamboo shoots, kaffir lime leaves, bell pepper and tofu.
Barry Courter reviews a meal from Thai Esan.Ours is not a big city, so when a new restaurant opens, people, especially self-professed foodies, tend to hear about it. I don't think Thai Esan has been open but a couple of weeks, and I've been twice. I know a foodie who went twice in one day last week. I might go again today and maybe again tomorrow.
It is located in the space where Mama's Thai Smile was on Ringgold Road near the corner of Moore Road. I liked that one as well. Thai Esan is not a perfect restaurant, nor is it perfect for all occasions. It has neither wine nor beer, nor is it a fancy place, so it's probably not going to be your top choice for a first date or a romantic meal.
Fortunately, good food and good restaurants are like mini vacations for my wife and me, and therefore count as a romantic night out. Forget the beach. We'll take a really good Pad Thai or red curry every time, and for our date last week, Thai Esan fit the bill.
THE MENU
Appetizers, salads, soups, stir fry, curry, noodles and rice fill up the four-page menu. As you might expect, appetizers include spring rolls ($3.50) and Thai dumplings ($4.50), but the cooks also offer fried meatballs ($4.95), satay, which is skewers of marinated chicken, beef or pork ($5.95) and golden puffs, which is mixed vegetables, pork, shrimp and chicken in rice pastry ($4.95).
Salads include Thai ($6.95), papaya ($7.95), larb, which is chicken, beef or pork tossed with Thai herbs and spices, shallots, onions and lime juice ($6.95), and Yum Voon Saine, which is clear noodles with pork, crushed pepper, lettuce, cucumber, onion, tomato and cilantro in a lime juice dressing ($6.95).
Thai soups are a specialty all to themselves, and Thai Esan offers five, including Thai seafood soup ($15.95) with shrimp, scallops and mussels with galangal, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass and lime juice. They also have Tom Yum ($3.95) a spicy soup made with galangal, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, lime juice, tomato, shallots, cilantro and shrimp. Always guaranteed to open the sinuses and make you smile.
There are 12 items in the stir-fry category and five curry choices, including red, green, yellow, masaman and panag. You can pay extra to add chicken, beef, pork, seafood, tofu or shrimp to either. There are seven noodle and rice choices, including Pad Thai ($8.95-$12.95, depending on choice of protein).
THE ORDER
Like I said, this was my second visit. For lunch during my first stop, I ordered the satay ($5.95), which was four chicken skewers marinated and served with peanut sauce and cucumber salad. I also got the red curry with tofu ($8.95). Served with a giant heap of steamed rice, the dish featured tofu cooked with red curry paste with coconut milk, bamboo shoots, kaffir lime leaves and bell pepper.
I was told ahead of time, and again as I ordered, that Thai Esan's spice scale might be a little hotter than some other restaurants', so I ordered mine two-peppers hot on the 0-to-5 pepper scale (five is considered "native Thai hot"). Both dishes were excellent. My only issue was that it was a lot of food. Not a bad thing, right? The satay featured big pieces of chicken about the size of a dollar bill that meshed perfectly with the sauces and cucumbers. It would be enough of an appetizer for two people.
For dinner, we ordered the papaya salad ($7.95) because my wife wanted to compare it to one she'd made the week earlier. Hers was good, but this one made her dance in her seat. No kidding. It came with fresh shredded green papaya, carrot and cabbage mixed with garlic, green beans and tomato in a lime juice dressing.
She got the Sweet Basil stir fry ($8.95) with chicken sauteed with bell pepper, basil, onion and mince chili sauce. I got the Pad Thai with chicken ($8.95), which is to Thai food what spaghetti and meatballs is to Italian food and the hamburger is to American food. It's the most-eaten Thai dish around the world, but not all Pad Thai is created the same.
Some differences are subtle, depending on how the noodles are cooked or how the ingredients are portioned. This was perfect. We ordered our main dishes three peppers hot, and the satay two peppers hot. Oddly, the satay was spicier than the entrees, but neither was too much for us.
THE SPACE
The space is simple, plain really, with just a few decorative pieces on the wall. There are six to eight tables and a counter centered along one long side wall between the dining space and the kitchen.
THE SERVICE
The staff is among the friendliest I've encountered anywhere, offering plenty of smiles along with any help required when ordering.
THE VERDICT
We can't wait to go back.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.