Road Tips

Zoob Zib - New York City

During my trip to New York City earlier this year for a dealer expo that my company was participating in, I had to be conscious in finding a place that my colleague can eat as he's vegetarian.  In a city like New York, it's not likely to be a problem.  We found a Thai noodle restaurant just around the corner from our hotel and we ended up heading there for dinner one evening with a couple former colleagues of ours.  This is the story of Zoob Zib Thai Authentic Noodle Bar.  

Ekachai Jui is a native of Thailand and immigrated to the U.S. a number of years ago.  His first job was as a busboy, then as a server at the Thai Pavilion restaurant in the Astoria neighborhood in Queens.  Jus worked at Thai Pavilion for four years before moving on to Jaiya Thai on 3rd Avenue in Manhattan where he was the general manager from 2013 to 2015.  In 2015, Jui was hired away from Jaiya Thai to become the general manager at Topaz Thai Authentic on W. 56th in upper midtown Manhattan, just a couple blocks south of Central Park.  

Topaz Thai Authentic is one of the more popular Thai restaurants in midtown Manhattan and Ekachai Jui was the general manager there for two years before he was once again hired away with a chance to buy an existing Thai restaurant on 9th Ave. between 35th and 36th Streets in West Midtown Manhattan.  Zoob Zib Authentic Thai Noodle Restaurant had been enjoying brisk dine-in and carry-out sales for a number of years before Jui and his wife Buukhana took over management of the restaurant in 2017.  The owner of Zoob Zib was looking to sell out and the couple were more than eager to take over ownership.  The deal was completed in the summer of 2018 and the couple have upgraded the facilities including a full remodel of the kitchen during the pandemic.    

We walked into Zoob Zib located at 460 9th Avenue (see map) around 7 p.m.  The restaurant is in a small cramped space with little room between tables.  We had to wait about five minutes before the staff was able to clean off a table for four in the middle part of the restaurant.  As we waited, I noticed that we were the only non-Asians in the place.  And while we were dining, a lot of Asians came in to pick up to-go orders - a brisk business for Zoob Zib.  To me, that's a sign of a Thai restaurant that serves good food.  

When we were finally seated and given menus to look over, we each ordered up a Singha beer.  I like the Thailand-based beer and I'll occasionally bring home a six-pack of Singha bottles if I find some when I'm out "beer-hunting".  

It didn't take me long to figure out why Zoob Zib was so popular - it was a completely authentic Thai restaurant with curry dishes, half-roasted duck entrees, noodle wok selections such as Pad Thai, and fried rice plates.  There were a lot of interesting items to choose from on the menu.  

But in the end, I ended up with my old standby - the spicy basil and beef.  I asked the waiter what their definition of spicy was and he said, "Oh, we can make it spicy."  I told him to tamp down the temperature on mine.  I couldn't afford to be hung up with a stomach issue with the expo going on.  

I sort of wish I hadn't asked him to turn down the heat on my spicy basil and beef.  It was a little tame for my standards and I think it would have helped the overall taste of the meal.  It's not that it wasn't good - it was, but the beef was sort of bland in taste compared to the veggies, basil and rice mixed in.  It was certainly a lot of food.   

While my Montreal colleague got the vegetarian plate with fried rice, one of my former colleagues got the barbecue pork with vegetables and rice.  The barbecue pork came on a side dish and he just added the cut up barbecue pork to the rice and veggies.  He said he thought it was very good.    

Our other former colleague ended up getting something similar - the grilled chicken and vegetables over fried rice platter.  It featured grilled chicken strips and a medley of wok-cooked veggies.  For good measure, he got a small bowl of the chili sauce on the side.  "The chili sauce is killer here," he told me as he had been to Zoob Zib on previous occasions.  

Everyone had a lot of food on their plates, and while we each made a significant dent in what we were served, there was no way that we were able to finish what we had.  When we were asked if we wanted to take our leftovers, I declined as did two of the other guys who were staying at our hotel.  However, my former colleague lives about a 45 minute car ride over in New Jersey and he jumped at the chance to take his remaining food home.  "Heck, yeah," he exclaimed.  "And if you could give me a little more of the chili sauce, too, that would be great!"  

It was pretty easy to see why Zoob Zib was popular with all kinds of ethnic backgrounds, it was a cultural experience in authentic Thai food.  I wish I hadn't told my server to tone down the spiciness, but my basil and beef entree was still very good.   My friends who dined with me were also very happy with their selections that evening.  And the number of people coming and going during our time there was mind-boggling - lots of to-go orders and people waiting for tables to turnover.  Zoob Zib was a fun place to go to while we were in New York.   

Sriracha Thai Bistro & Oyster Bar - Moline, IL

There's a new-ish development - The Mills at Riverbend Commons - along the river front east of downtown Moline that we've driven by a couple of times in the past few months.  There's a couple three restaurants on the ground floor of the complex that also has condominiums on the upper floors.  One of the places that we've seen has piqued our interest, and one recent evening we decided to head over to try the Sriracha Thai and Oyster Bar.  

Jun Ling Zhang - who goes by the American-ized name of Kevin Zhang - is the man behind the Sriracha Thai and Oyster Bar.  He also is the guy who owns one of our all-time favorite places for Thai Food - Tantra Asian Bistro in Davenport.  (Click here to read Road Tips' entry on Tantra - which is pretty sparse in words since I wrote it over 10 years ago.)   Kevin is a friendly guy who grew up on Mainland China before heading to Switzerland to attend a hotel and restaurant management school near Lucerne.  

After school, Kevin moved to Los Angeles to learn the English language and to work in a number of American and Chinese restaurants.  He ended up in Davenport in 2001 and opened the Fuji Japanese Steak House.  He soon settled on Thai food and opened Crazy Wok in Davenport about 13 years ago.  He changed the name to Tantra Asian Bistro soon after opening a second location in Dubuque about 8 years ago.  (The Dubuque location is closed, but Kevin Zhang is still involved with the Tantra Thai Bistro in Muscatine.)  

The Mills at Riverbend Commons started accepting tenants for both business and residential about a year ago.  Sriracha Thai and Oyster Bar opened in October of last year.  Zhang named the restaurant after - of course - the ever popular hot sauce that originally hailed from the coastal Thailand city of Si Racha.  Sriracha sauce dates back to the 1930's and was said to be concocted by a Thai housewife to use on seafood.  I've been told that the Sriracha sauce used in Thailand has a different texture and is not as hot as the Sriracha sauce found on store shelves in the U.S.    

There was plenty of parking on a cold winter's evening when we pulled up to Sriracha Thai and Oyster Bar along River Drive in Moline.  (see map)  We entered the building and immediately saw a refrigerated case with seafood and oysters.  We like oysters on the half-shell, but they only had a couple of different varieties in the case that evening.  We talked about getting some, but decided to pass on this visit.  

The bar area was stylish with contemporary lighting and low-back seats at the bar.  We decided that we'd come back some time to get some oysters-on-the-halfshell and mai tai's at the bar.  

The dining area was elegant and contemporary in its design.  Chandeliers hung near the front of the dining area and along the windows while the side and back are of the restaurant featured reduced lighting.  It was very similar to the look and feel of Tantra Asian Bistro over in Davenport.

In fact, the young lady who waited on us that evening used to wait on us at Tantra.  My wife recognized her and asked if she was the same person.  "I sure am," she exclaimed.  "I remember you guys, too!"  She said that when Kevin opened Sriracha Thai that she jumped at the chance to move over to that restaurant.  "It's a lot closer to my home over here than it was for me to get over across the bridge to Davenport," she explained to us.  We ordered up a couple of mai tai's to get us started that evening.  

The menu at Sriracha Thai and Oyster Bar was also similar to the one at Tantra with the notable exception that there seemed to be more fresh seafood available at this place.  It featured authentic Thai dishes as well as grilled lamb chops, grilled duck breast, and a number of stir-fry dishes.

And that's what my wife and I did that evening, we went with a couple of stir-fry entrees.  She went with the black pepper garlic with beef strips.  It featured a bed of garlic seasoned cabbage, broccoli and carrot cuts in a tangy brown sauce.  The brown sauce is the key to the dishes at Tantra and she said that this was just as good.

I went with my staple broccoli and beef dish that I get almost every time I go to Tantra.  However, it didn't have much of the brown gravy sauce with this dish as what I normally get at Tantra - or what my wife got.  I don't know if they forgot about the sauce or if they serve it this way at Sriracha Thai, but I was mildly disappointed in the dish.  The beef was tender and lean, and the broccoli was cooked perfectly with a bit of a crunchy snap with each bite.  I only wish that I would have gotten more of the delicious brown sauce that makes the broccoli and beef at their sister restaurant in Davenport so very, very good.  

So, other than the lack of the brown sauce provided on my broccoli-beef stir-fry, I felt our initial experience at Sriracha Thai and Oyster Bar was pleasant enough that we'd like to go back again at some point.  My wife enjoyed her black pepper garlic with cabbage, carrots, broccoli and beef.  The service was very good and the atmosphere was elegant, but comfortable and unpretentious.  Sriracha Thai and Oyster Bar is a wonderful addition to the restaurant landscape in the Quad Cities and it gives us another option for Thai food, even though it's similar to its sister restaurant Tantra Asian Bistro. 

Sawatdee Thai Restaurant - Bloomington, MN

It was a cool and rainy fall evening on a recent trip to the Twin Cities and I was in a food funk.  I get that way from time to time when nothing really sounds all that good to me.  A lot of times when I get in these types of funk, I usually turn to Asian food.  I hadn't had Thai food for quite sometime and I saw that there was a Thai restaurant - Sawatdee Thai Restaurant - the wasn't far from my hotel in Bloomington.  I ended up going there for dinner that evening.  

Sawatdee Thai Restaurant is actually a small chain of restaurants owned by Thai native Supenn Harrison.  Born in Thailand in the late 1940's, Supenn was a biology teacher in Thailand in the late 60's and early 70's. She came to Minnesota in 1972 as a foreign student at the University of Minnesota studying for her Masters of Arts in Education.  Supenn's plan after college was to get as far away from Minnesota as possible.  That is, until she fell in love with fellow Minnesota student - and Iowa native - Bruce Harrison.  They were married and eventually raised two daughters, Jenny and Cynthia.  

After Supenn graduated from Minnesota in 1974, Bruce and she went back to live in her native Thailand.  It didn't take long to see that the job market was tight and they ended up moving back to Minnesota.  There, she worked as a surgical equipment technician at a local hospital.  From time to time, she would make her native Thai food and bring it in to work for her co-workers to share.  They especially liked her egg rolls and one of her co-workers suggested she look into having a booth at the Minnesota State Fair.  She secured booth space in 1976 and Supenn's egg rolls were an instant hit with fair goers.  

She continued to do temp work and teach here and there - as well as working the booth at the state fair -  for three years before a small cafe became available to purchase.  The Harrison's bought the Gopher Grill in Minneapolis' Uptown area in 1979.  It was your typical greasy spoon - burgers, breakfast, comfort food - and it didn't take long for Supenn to figure out that in order to make money at the restaurant, she had to change some things.

Pictured right - Supenn Harrison.  Picture courtesy Andrew Zimmern.com

Coming to the realization that the Twin Cities was void of any Thai food restaurants, Supenn replaced the flat grill and deep fryers with woks.  She changed the name to the Siam Cafe and she introduced Thai food to thousands of people in the area.  When they were told what they were eating, many patrons thought that Thai food was from Taiwan.  

The Siam Cafe was a huge hit and Supenn began to realize that she had an opening to turn her passion for cooking Thai food into something much larger.  In 1983, the Harrison's sold the Siam Cafe for a healthy profit and looked toward St. Paul to start their next venture.  They found space in what was a former warehouse that was being turned into a retail and condominium location and opened the first Sawatdee restaurant later that year.  The Thai term for "hello" is "sawasdee", but it's pronounced "sawatdee", so they went with the phonetical spelling of the word for their restaurant.  

Food critics and patrons were all in agreement that the flavors served at Sawatdee were exquisite and unique.  The Minneapolis Star Tribune food critic gave Supenn Harrison's restaurant 4 stars and it became a destination for many diners around the Twin Cities.  In 1986, Supenn sold the restaurant to her sister and she opened a second Sawatdee on Washington Ave. in Minneapolis in April.  This space, too, was located in what was formerly a warehouse that had been renovated.  Suddenly, loyal diners from Minneapolis didn't have to venture over to St. Paul to get some of Supenn's wonderful food.  

In 1990, Supenn opened a third Sawatdee in Bloomington, a fourth Sawatdee - more of a bar and cafe - was opened in 1994 in the Minneapolis Warehouse District, not far from the present day Target Field and the Target Center.  More Sawatdee restaurants were opened - either owned by Supenn or franchised by her - and today there are a total of five Sawatdee Thai restaurants in the Twin Cities and another one up in St. Cloud.

The Sawatdee in Bloomington is located in a strip mall on the east side of Lyndale Ave. at 85th Street.  (see map)  I was able to park in front of the place and went in to the restaurant.  I was greeted by a young girl - who also turned out to be my server - by the name of Daija.  She was a pleasant girl and very friendly in a laid back kind of way.  

The restaurant is pretty basic with the kitchen in the back part of the restaurant, some booths along the walls and tables in the middle.  She took me to a booth near the front window.  There were a handful of Asian people eating in the restaurant that evening - a good sign that the food is most probably authentic Thai food.  She gave me a menu to look through.  

They don't serve beer at Sawatdee, so I was just going to have water with my meal that evening.  Prices weren't terribly out of line, either.  I usually just go with beef and broccoli when I go to a Thai restaurant - pretty unspectacular, I know.  Actually, they had some things on the menu that I'm not certain I've ever seen at a Thai restaurant.  They had something called Tod Gratium Prig Thai - stir fried meat (your choice of beef, chicken, pork or shrimp) seasoned with garlic and black pepper.  I almost got that.  They also had a ginger stir fry with either chicken or pork and it came with sliced fresh ginger, Chinese mushrooms, chopped onions and chopped celery.  That sounded pretty interesting, as well.  They also had beef in an oyster sauce with broccoli and green peppers.  That was pretty close to my old stand-by of beef and broccoli.  

And that's what I ordered from Daija.  She asked me what temperature as far as spiciness that I wanted my food.  They had six different levels - a mild with no spice, a mild with spice, a mild-to-medium, a medium, a medium-to-hot, and a hot.  I ordered up the beef and broccoli with the medium sauce.  She said, "Uh, that's pretty spicy.  Will you be all right with that?"  I told her that I would.  I couldn't imagine a "medium" being all that hot.  

She brought my food out and I took a bite.  Well, she wasn't kidding about the level of spiciness.  Medium WAS hot!  It wasn't "burn-your-face-off" hot, but it was spicy enough to get my attention.  The beef in the oyster sauce was very good - tender and flavorful.  The broccoli and green peppers still had a "snap" when I would bite into them.  I usually don't like cooked green peppers as they have a tendency to talk back to me later on.  But these were very fresh and it was almost like they were quickly heated up in a wok and served that way.  Piling the beef, green peppers and broccoli on to a small bed of steamed rice was an Asian comfort meal in the making.  I had no problem finishing all of the beef, broccoli and green peppers.  The oyster sauce was so good that I wanted to tip up the plate and drink it down.  Had I been home alone, I would have done it.  

The meal I had at Sawatdee was a definite "spot-hitter".  After being in a food funk for a couple days, Thai food always seems to help break me out of that mindset and the food at Sawatdee was some of the best Thai food that I've ever had.  Not that I'm an expert on Thai food - far from it.  But I know what I like and the beef with broccoli and green peppers in an oyster sauce was very tasty.  The service I received from Daija was friendly, prompt and informative.  And believe me, if they say medium is sort of spicy at Sawatdee, they really mean it!   But the overall value of the meal was the big thing.  I got a lot of food for $11.95 plus tax plus tip.  Sawatdee was a great find for Thai food in the Twin Cities.   

Thai Place - Shawnee Mission, KS

As I've said a few times before, I don't eat as much Asian food when I'm on the road as I'd like.  Many of the places I've eaten in literally soak their food in Mono-sodium Glutamate, and MSG and I don't get along very well.  So, it's with a little trepidation that I seek out a good Chinese or Thai place while I'm on the road.  However, this time in Kansas City I found a very good little Thai restaurant - Thai Place in suburban Shawnee Mission (see map). 

Thai Place is owned by the Liberda family, whose mother, Ann, founded Thai Place in the 1991.  Ann came over from Thailand in the mid-70's and initially worked as a beautician after she came to the U.S.   Ann then ended up working in a restaurant called Bangkok Pavilion in Overland Park.  She was a sharp looking, sassy woman who interacted with the customers with ease.  

Ann left Bangkok Pavilion in 1990 and a year later she opened the original Thai Place restaurant in Overland Park.  Helped by her sons Michael and Ted (who is the head chef for all the Thai Place restaurants), and daughter, Chiara, Ann Liberda's empire has now risen to five locations across the Kansas City metro area.  A lot of the local's call it the best Thai food in town. 

The original Thai Place is situated in a strip mall on the south side of Sante Fe Road in Shawnee Mission.  It's set back from the street, so - of course - I drove by it the first time I went there.  Once I figured out that I'd gone too far, I called up On-Star for turn-by-turn navigation and the service took me right to the place.  Since then, I've figured out that I've got the turn-by-turn navigation, I may as well use it. 

The interior of Thai Place is very cozy, white linen table cloths are on the tables, there's Thai artwork on the walls, the light fixtures are interesting to look at and there's a small area toward the back of the restaurant.  I was seated in a booth and was given a menu to look through.  One of the things Thai Place prides itself on is the eclectic and unusual Thai food they have to offer.  After he graduated from culinary school about 10 years ago, Ted Liberda has spent a number of years researching authentic Thai foods to add to the menu.  

Now, I'm not a very adventurous guy when it comes to Thai food, but some of the things they had on the menu were very interesting.  They had four different types of curry dishes that I normally don't see on menus at other Thai restaurants.  They had 16 different types of seafood stir fry, including a squid-jalapeno dish, along with a flash fried Chilean sea bass topped with Thai Place's famous spicy Sam Rod sauce.  

They also featured vegetarian dishes, along with regular rice and noodle entrees, salads, soups and appetizers.  But I was looking for something like my old stand-by - spicy basil beef.  But - oh man - they had some other interesting beef stir-fry dishes, too.  They had a tantalizing jalapeno beef stir fry  - beef stir fried with jalapeno chunks and onions.  Thai Place also featured a beef mushroom stir fry with three different types of mushrooms and scallions.  (I have GOT to quit writing this blog on an empty stomach!)  And they had a garlic beef with roasted garlic, scallions, and white pepper all served over chopped cabbage.  Oh boy!!!

But it got down to choosing between the Ginger Beef (ginger, bell peppers, onions and fresh mushrooms), or the Beef Scallions (scallions, onions and dried chili peppers).    When my waiter came back to take my order, I told him I was torn between the two.  He said, "If you wish, we can combine the two."  He suggested getting the Ginger Beef and adding the scallions and dried chili pepper.  I asked if he could also have the chef sprinkle some white pepper on the top and he said it would be no problem.  He also wanted to know if I wanted fried rice or steamed rice.  I went with the fried rice.

It wasn't long - less than 15 minutes - before my food showed up.  It was a heaping plate of beef and vegetable stir fry served with a healthy side of fried rice.  I eagerly devoured a couple slices of beef and the taste was, well, it was remarkable.  The vegetables were perfectly cooked, the dish was a potpourri of taste sensations and although it was a little spicy, it didn't detract from the overall taste of the food.  In a word, the food was outstanding.  

I don't know what it is about Thai food, but it's so good that I usually end up over-eating each time I go.  It could be the ginger, it could be the sauce, it could be some mind-numbing drug from Southeast Asia they incorporate into the food.  Whatever it is, it's great.  And so addictive.  Each time I look at all the food they bring out and I think, "There's no friggin' way I'm going to eat all of this."  But each time, I do.   

I didn't have any alcohol with my meal and it still ended up being $18 bucks before tip.  While I thought the prices at Thai Place were a little high, it was still a great meal.  In a city where steak and barbecue rule, I'm glad that I was able to find a restaurant like Thai Place.  They have so many things to choose from on their menu, I'll be able to go back time and time again and try any one of the wonderful and interesting food Ted Liberda's come up with.

Kin Khao - New York

After our experience at The Ear Inn, we walked a few blocks to the east to the SoHo area of Manhattan to have dinner at Kin Khao, an upscale Thai restaurant. (see map) Now, I think the world's greatest Thai restaurant is Crazy Wok (now Tantro Asian Bistro), not far from our house here in Davenport.  So Kin Khao would be a great measuring stick for "the Wok". 

Kin Khao, which means "eat rice" in Thai, is one-third of the Eat Rice group of restaurants in Manhattan.  The other two are Kelly and Ping with one in Soho and the other in the Bowery.  Kin Khao opened in 1991 and has been a favorite destination for Thai food for New Yorkers for years. 

We were able to be seated immediately in a big circular booth just past the bar area.  We could easily see into the kitchen to see the chefs preparing food for the patrons.  The atmosphere was classy, yet muted with a darkened dining area that made it feel cozy.  The place was about three-quarters full, but it wasn't loud at all.  It was a nice experience. 

The menu at Kin Khao was similar to other Thai restaurants I've been to, but they had the menu divided into regions of Thai cuisine.  They had Northern Thai food, coastal Thai entrees, and Central Thai food.  There was a lot to choose from. 

One of our guests, Fred Z from Los Angeles, is a vegetarian. Fred was a little worried that he wouldn't be able to find much in the way of vegetarian on the menu, but it turned out Kin Khao had a good selection of vegetarian dishes, as well.

Before we started, we each ordered drinks.  I ordered a Singha, the most popular beer in Thailand.  However, Todd's girlfriend, Jennifer, ordered up Kin Khao's specialty drink for the evening - a Mojito.  Simon and Todd followed my lead with a Singha, while Fred stuck with water.

I was interested in a number of things on the menu.  They had a grilled pork dish with garlic, chilis and onions that looked interesting.  I also kept looking at the sauteed shrimp with garlic and black pepper.  As our waiter began to take our order, I was getting ready to order the sliced steak with a lemongrass marinade until I noticed the sliced beef cooked with Thai basil, garlic and onions.  Since that was about as close to my favorite meal at Crazy Wok back home, I'd see how well Kin Khao did theirs.  So I ordered that. 

After about a 20 minutes wait, our orders came to the table.  The presentation was nice, the food looked good and it was time to dig in with the chop sticks.  My sliced beef with basil was good, very good.  Not as outstanding as the beef with basil I get back home at Crazy Wok (Tantro), but it was certainly very good.  The chilis did give it a nice little kick. 

Frankly, I can't remember what everyone else got, but they were all pleased with their offerings.  Including Fred who is very particular about his vegan foods, but he was overly happy with his dish. 

Kin Khao used to be a lot more popular back in the 90's, but I'm sure it still holds its own against other Thai restaurants in Manhattan.  For New York, I thought the prices were very reasonable, but still much higher than what you'd find in the Midwest.  Still, I'd recommend Kin Khao for a very nice Thai dinner and a great atmosphere if you get to New York.   

(Update - Unfortunately, Kin Khao in Soho is closed.  Actually, it closed not long after we ate there.)

Tantra Asian Bistro (Formerly Crazy Wok) - Davenport

(Update - Crazy Wok went through a facelift in 2008, added space to double their capacity, changed the interior to more of a contemporary Asian bistro look and changed their name to Tantra Asian Bistro.  It's still just as good as it was when it was called Crazy Wok.  Maybe better.) 

I've had a few people say to me, "Why don't you talk about Quad City restaurants?  Don't you go out to eat when you're home?"

Well, yes, we do.  Almost too much, it seems, given that I would rather cook at home than eat in a restaurant most nights.  But with our schedules out of whack lately - and the fact that our kitchen has been going through an excruciatingly slow remodel process - we've found ourselves eating out more often than not over the past couple of months.

One of the places that we've found is a little Thai restaurant called Crazy Wok Tantra Asian Bistro on E. 53rd St. in Davenport (see map).  Now, over the years, I haven't been too hip on Thai restaurants.  The first Thai restaurant I ever ate at - the old Sri Lanka in Minneapolis - was "burn-your-face-off" hot.  Well, actually, that was over 20 years ago when I ate there and I've since garnered an appreciation for spicy foods.  I'd always said that I'd like to go back and try it again, but they've since closed up.

We have another Thai restaurant not far from our house - Exotic Thai - that Cindy really liked.  She took me there one night and I was not impressed with it.  I thought the portions were small for the price and I just didn't care for the taste sensations - or the lack of taste sensations - that I thought Thai food should have. 

Cindy continued to go to Exotic Thai, especially when I would be out of town.  Earlier this year, Crazy Wok Tantra opened up and Cindy gave it a try one evening when I was traveling.  She was instantly hooked. 

About a week later, she brought home some of their spicy basil and beef for me to try one Saturday last spring when we were working in the yard.  The taste sensation was out of this world.  I told her that, yes, I wanted to go try this place out.

We went there soon thereafter and I ordered the spicy basil with beef again.  It was even better than the stuff she brought home.  It wasn't all that spicy (then again - what's spicy to us is frigging red hot to others), and there was a great after taste in the sauce they used with the beef and basil.  It was outstanding.

We went there again a few weeks later and I had the ginger beef.  Although it was good, it was not as good or flavorful as the spicy basil and beef.  Each time we've gone back, I've gotten the spicy basil and beef.  And the last time I went, I asked them to spice it up even more and to add garlic.  The bottom line on the taste?  It was out of this world.

It turns out that one of the partners in Exotic Thai - I only know him as Kevin - is the guy who started Crazy Wok Tantra.  He's a very nice guy and is always appreciative when we come in. 

Cindy told me that she's since gone back to Exotic Thai and she said, "Oh, I can tell a BIG difference between the two.  Crazy Wok (Tantra) is so much better.  I won't go to Exotic Thai again."

Actually, you can order the spicy basil dish with either beef, chicken or pork.  But I always go with the beef.  I just want to lick the plate clean, it's so damn good.

The big thing about Crazy Wok Tantra is that it's elegant, but not pretentious.  The atmosphere is comfortable.  They don't allow smoking any where in the restaurant.  There's linen table cloths on each of the tables.  The service is always good.  They do have Thai beers and a nice little wine list.  And their bathrooms are the cleanest bathrooms I've ever been in at a restaurant. 

Crazy Wok Tantra is one of those great little Quad City secrets that I've just outed here in Road Tips.