Tara Thai: Rt 123 in the center of Vienna, next door to Panjir II in the odd, black granite bank-looking building. Lunch and dinner 7 days a week. About six months ago, my SO and I moved back to this area from Northern New Jersey, Morristown to be specific. One thing we have missed since we left is the "New Main Taste" in Chatham, NJ. NMT is famous around Bellcore and Bell Labs as benchmark Thai food, alas at benchmark high prices as well. But we had come to miss Thai food that good. I am please to say that based on the first visit, we need not pine for Chatham and the NMT any more. We didn't sample a wide variety of things, but what we had was excellent. I'll simply walk through the meal and comment. Drinks: I had the "Bangkok Sunset" - a curious blend of colada and mai-tai with rum, blenderized with ice. Quite yummy. SO had the "Bangkok Sunrise" - basically a Tequilla sunrise. Mine was declared hands-down winner by SO. First Course: Satay - chicken (no choice of other meats, or not obviously so - we didn't ask) 4 sticks in a serving - fine for two as appetizer. chicken was well-marinated and cooked to be moist and juicy (not dried-out as is often the case). The peanut sauce was very interesting - not just ground peanuts or peanut butter, but I think had some fruit added. Not my favorite satay sauce of all time (that's in Farnborough, England at a restraunt name "Satay"), but very good. served with grilled white bread toast as an interesting touch. Overall - very satisfying and quite good. Entrees: (1) Panang Curry with roasted duck a curried peanut sauce with sweet pepper slivers and ample Thai sweet basil leaves. rated "one pepper" on the menu. Great curries are the forte of NMT and when we saw this on the menu we had to try it. excellent choice. It was a bit hotter than I would have expected with a one-pepper rating, but it didn't so much burn as enlighten. The heat unrolled gently, building slowly to a deep sinus-clearing. Other dishes are rated 2-peppers and they will prepare as you wish, offering a "4-pepper" rating for the suicidal (or Donn Seeley of BSDI). As for the curry itself, it was wonderfully peanuty, the sweet lilt of the basil and the curry overtones floating along, riding the convections from the peppers. The roasted duck bits were moist, tender, and rich. Overall - excellent, especially for the congested. (2) Pad Thai cut to the chase: the best Pad Thai I can remember having at any Thai restraunt, full stop. It was *light* and intensely flavorful, even and especially after you've gotten all the goodie off the top and are down to the noodles and bean sprouts. In my estimation, the sprouts and the noodles were about equal in volume, probably contributing to the the lightness. It contained some nice shrimp and some diced red pork, along with a few other veggies and the sauce. Truly delightful and truly most excellent. NOTE: There is a vegetarian version of the Pad Thai available in the vegetarian section of the menu. Thai Iced Tea: served in *large* glasses and great Decor and Service: Moderne underwater motif. Interesting treatments of table tops and walls. Services was attentive and prompt. One minor mixup with the order but it was corrected immediately. Very friendly folks, but not oppressively so. Overall rating - excellent! Many more interesting dishes to try. They have a full page of appetizers including Larb. (go find out!) All in all, a very welcome addition to the culinary fare out here in the Vienna area.
Washington, DC