Lotus Thai Restaurant

Lotus Thai stands out from the former Thai Basil. The inside has been remodeled and updated. It feels very open and is definitely well lit. The staff is all very friendly and wonderful to talk to. The menu is definitely smaller, which by no means is a bad thing. We picked dishes that we are familiar with. We tried the panang gai, larb gai, som tham, fresh spring rolls, crab rangoon, Thai coffee, and Thai iced tea. First thing I will say about the food, is it is definitely different from Thai Basil and different than my Thai grandmother's cooking. (Thai Basil is how we used to scratch cravings for her cooking. She lives in Florida.) The fresh spring rolls and crab rangoons were good for starters. They weren't really why we visited. I personally liked the dipping sauce for the fresh spring rolls. To me it tasted like a soy sauce based sauce that had the umami of fish sauce, the zest of some citrus, and a hint of sweetness. The panang reminded me of the maesri panang curry paste, my grandmother uses. My husband got it as a level 10, the spicest they offer. They are not playing with this heat. The zucchini and squash are very interesting choices of vegetables for this dish too. The sweetness of the dish is something that we couldn't get past. The larb reminded me more of a satay. I'm not saying it isn't bad, I am just used to being able to taste more of the balance of fish sauce, lime, chili, and sugar. I did like the rice powder used for this dish. It seemed like it was toasted and ground with a mortar and pestle. It gave it a nice "crunch" texture. Next is the som tham. I like that they offer Shrimp and Beef as protein add-ins to this dish, but personally, have had it with shrimp or without shrimp. (Mostly without- that is how my grandmother makes it.) The som tham was probably my favorite. It balanced sweet, spicy, and crunchy fairly well. It will definitely scratch that itch if miss my grandmother's cooking. (Though she doesn't use green beans or shredded carrots. It will definitely do in a pinch.) I will ALSO NOTE Thai food prepartion/dishes varies on region. While I may not be used to my food being as sweet, that is not a reflection of this restaurant. Personally I'm used to more spicy/savory Thai food because of what my Grandmother and Mom made for us.

DELICIOUS! I ordered the Pad Thai w/ shrimp, a side order of fried rice, and fried gyoza. Everything was full of favor and fresh. I’m looking forward to trying more things on the menu.

I've been waiting for this spot to open since a couple months ago. The wait was worth it. I had the phad thai and one of their speciality drinks "nom yen" which is a sweet Thai milk drink that I devoured within minutes. Decided to go for the classic phad thai which was also devoured in minutes. Everyone should definitely check this place out! I'll be back :)