Thailand Restaurant

• Restaurant website
• Location: Beaverton
• Price to fill up two people: About $35

For several years now I’ve been moaning about the westside burbs of Portland and their chronic inability to get past the whitebread suburban restaurant mentality, i.e., that the restaurant spectrum can be neatly encompassed by McDonalds-Hooters-Cheesecake Factory.

I stand corrected–Thailand Restaurant, wedged between a Fred Meyer, a gas station and Costco in one of the whitebreadiest burbs around, is so good it belongs on the east side of town.

Robyn, Jeff and I went there last week after Robyn said it had gotten high marks on Portland CitySearch. I was skeptical, but figured that one meal of mall Thai wouldn’t hurt me. Instead, I got a really delicious meal.

The Pad Thai was excellent, the spring rolls just right and the sticky rice with mango (it’s in season now) was on target. I had something that I’d normally call larb, a mixture of slivered beef, spices, rice and minced vegetables that they called something else (just ask for #65), which was addicting.

Service was fast and friendly, nice ambience, quiet surroundings. Don’t let the strip mall exterior fool you–this is a restaurant to put on your list.