Thai Kitchen (3009 Guadalupe St)

Last week I dined with a lovely friend at Thai Kitchen on the recommendation of a reader poll in the Austin Chronicle. The encounter confirmed my suspicion of reader polls: the food was bland and depressing, as reader-poll winners generally are. I should have known better.

The winner of a reader poll will be one of the following: (a) a chain with many locations, or (b) a single business in a very conspicuous and high traffic location (say, for example, on Guadalupe Street right near the university). The flavor must at least be inoffensive, but that's all it need be.

The problem isn't with cretinous readers, but rather that the law of large numbers asserts itself here and, as noted above, it is far more influenced by factors other than taste. Take French food as an example. In a reader poll of a news or general interest publication, the winner will most likely be Mimi's Cafe. It's not that most people think Mimi's is authentic French; they know it isn't. It is, however, the only French food that a majority of the population eats on anything like a regular basis. So, when going down the list of Bests, most folks will enter Mimi's in the "Best French Restaurant" field, because (a) it's the only thing that pops into their heads, and (b) they don't want to leave the field blank. A few die-hard French foodies might give some well-reasoned votes for their favorite bistros, but they'll be drowned out.

So, reader polls generally don't pick the best restaurants. Now, where was I? Oh yes, Thai Kitchen.

The building: ramshackle white stucco, with two small windows onto the dining room, one of which is darkened with painted-over graffiti. The interior: plain white walls with Thai and Chinese hangings, plain tables, and mismatched banquet chairs. The dining room and tables were clean, though.

I ordered the vegetarian red curry, while my brave companion had the squid in red curry, both of which came with spring rolls and choice of soup or salad. I had the salad, she the soup. The hot and sour soup was served in the Chinese style, which surprised me. I'm used to Thai hot and sour soup being clear, spicy, with a strong citrus flavor. This was a salty, bamboo shoot-laden affair with lots of soy, pretty much what you'd get at a Chinese takeout place. The salad consisted of ice-berg lettuce, grated carrots and a tomato wedge, all slathered with peanut sauce. The sauce was a bit sweet, and it was spread pretty thick, but otherwise it was fine.

The spring rolls were browner than I prefer, and they were filled, as far as I could tell, with just cabbage and sprouts (some basil and cilantro would have helped a lot).

The curries were identical, outside of the squid and tofu. I love Thai curry, and this place satisfied my craving, but... Well, the coconut-based sauce was rich and smooth, the vegetables crispy, and the tofu cubes fried to perfection. Despite all that, the sauce was bland (bland curry?), and I think that is what disappointed me most of all.

I do give high marks for the very friendly and prompt service. It was the best part of the meal. The prices are also modest, and that's no small thing nowadays. And, if this tepid review somehow intrigued you, here's their info (compliments of the Austin Chronicle):

3009 Guadalupe
Austin 78705-2817
512-474-2575
Hours: Sun, Noon-12am; Mon-Thu, 11am-12am; Fri, 11am-2am; Sat, Noon-2am