Lai Thai Kitchen
Of the many joys in life my fiance has introduced me to, few compare to Lai Thai Kitchen. Nestled comfortably between a martial arts studio and a Dollar Tree, buried inconspicuously in an otherwise ordinary strip mall; that is where you will find my favorite restaurant on the planet Earth.
I've fallen in love with restaurants before-- many times have I become addicted to a dish and overeat it to the point of boredom. Like overplaying a favorite song, my culinary obsessions turn into self-fulfilling tragedies. But Lai Thai is something special.
This past weekend, for my 26th birthday, was by my estimation my 30th time I had the pleasure to eat here, and the food is just as enchanting as my first taste.
Their "Thai Iced Tea" with coconut milk is an incredible beverage; creamy and sweet, and always poses a great challenge to not finish it before my food arrives.
My go-to appetizer is their "Oh My God"; a cream-cheese filled and fried veggie roll served with mint sauce, appropriately named given the delighted "Oh my god!" first-time-triers squeal after the first, second, and sometimes third bites.
But the main attractions, for my money, are their impressive lineup of almost a dozen different curries, each of them among the best I've had in my life. There are sweeter ones, and some more savory, but you won't be walking away from any of them without having a strong, lasting impression on your taste buds.
My favorite is the Green Curry with Tofu, at a "7" on their 1-to-10 scale of heat. It was the inspiration for the life-changing meal in Corn Sausage:
Swimming in a sweet and savory green coconut milk broth are large chunks of fried tofu and eggplant. Bean sprouts and bell pepper soak around them. Made spicy by a pepper sauce and accompanied by ridiculously fluffy jasmine rice, the dish is both a beautiful work of art and a culinary retreat from reality. Though the heat makes their noses run,. to these two, each swallow is an absorption of heaven,. of peace,. and of a contentedness known only by the most comfortable heroes.
Lai Thai Kitchen has everything I love about food. Different, fresh ingredients playing together and off of each other to create memorable, delightful sensations. It builds strong memories for the mind to flash back to and instantly release waves of dopamine in anticipation for the next visit.
Anytime someone asks for recommendations, or when a stranger just barely within earshot wonders aloud what to eat, I have to speak its name. I have to tell them to go down Leonard, to that strip mall, to find that glorious place, because not to would be to rob them of one of the greatest joys that food might ever give them.