Thai House...a personal favorite spot in my hood

8657 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(310)274-5492
Lunch: Mon-Fri 12PM-3PM
Dinner: Sun-Thurs 5PM-10PM
Friday: 5PM-11PM
Saturday: 1PM-11PM

I laughed the other day when I realized I hadn't put one of my favorite local Thai places up. Thai House has been open for a quite a few years now and I've been blessed to live within relative walking distance of it. But really what is "walking distance" in LA? It's been interesting to watch how they've slowly been adding to their clientele and have really made it a great community dinner spot. Funny thing I've noticed recently about many Asian spots about our town is their very generic in their choice of names. I mean how do you distinguish one Thai House from another Thai House? Just makes me wonder why they chose the names they did. But I digress.

The walls covered with young artists artwork, the exposed roof, and the kind of a trendy overall warehouse atmosphere gives this place a pleasant feel that makes everyone feel at home. Now, while I can personally vouch for a good portion of the entire menu let me show off some recent highlighted plates that were pretty killer.

We started off with a bowl of their Coconut Chicken soup which had creamy Thai spice and lemongrass broth with galanga and fresh mushrooms. The coconut cream coupled with lots of tang thanks to the lemongrass and galanga are great. It's also hearty, with the healthy sized crimini mushrooms that float around in it. After having this a couple of times I need to ask my wife to snag me some of this soup next time I'm sick. It's big on taste and the hints of heat give it enough zing to put it within reach of most heat sensitive palates.

I test many places out with their cashew chicken to get a feel for how they make some of their basics. Their's consists of good sized hunks of tender, juicy, sauteed chicken coated in roasted red curry sauce (not too spicy), with scallions and water chestnuts to even out the plate. It's solid and worth getting when you can't decide on what to get.

Their Spicy Beef Thai Yumm has thinly sliced tender NY beef strips on a bed of fresh greens with tangy lemon grass vinaigrette and crisp red onions. Everything's lightly dressed, but there's plenty of extra if you decided to douse the meat and greens like we did. This is such a great plate when you're feeling like you want something more fresh but still want some meat.

Other plates of note include their Panang, Pad Thai, their Catfish Special (crisped whole catfish falling off the bone with a teriyaki and lime sauce), and their Angel Wings (chicken and pork stuffed in chicken wings). Every time I come back I wonder why I don't come here more often. The prices are pretty good, the place itself is always a pleasure to be inside and the service is good. Oh and theirs that whole walking distance thing...maybe I'm just lazy. Have a great 3 day weekend guys!

Free Drink Refills: No
Entree Price Range:Lunch specials range from $7.50 to $9 while dinner prices range $8 to $15
***********************************************************

A funny thing heard at a wine shop at their cheese section. A customer picked this up and the person at the counter said "Yeah made from real pug's milk". The customer was like "really"? Some people are so gullable.