Bib Gourmand Choice: Thai Village

Bib Gourmand Choice: Thai Village

Intrigued by the Bib Gourmand list, having LA relatives in town, and in the mood for Thai, we went to Thai Village, a place on the BG list that I’d never been to before.

Outside, we wove our way among Small Bar hotties, drunk and coatless on that cold night, to ascertain that this, indeed, was the place.



Inside…pretty empty (not the case at other BG winners; called Cumin Saturday early afternoon and they were totally slammed; ditto Taste of Peru).



The guests ordered spring rolls, which seemed safe.



The first thing I noticed with the rolls was the lack of pop, vegetable energy, mouth-filling spices, bright fresh flavors. All that said, it was edible. The sauce added nothing. Overall, flat if inoffensive.

My sister-in-law ordered a dish called simply “Ginger,” with chicken, baby corn, onions in a “tasty sauce.




The same “tasty sauce” (the promised taste being predominately soy sauce) was used on The Wife’s Eggplant Basil. I’ll say this for that dish, the basil seemed to be right in season as it was very tough and chewy.

Both these entrées had a generalized flavor, almost like a dish of Schaumburg chop suey and similarly stewed, everything merging together into one indistinguishable mass of slightly salty, sometimes crunchy but usually mushy brown matter. I would bet that in a blind taste, if you asked the taster what cuisine he was sampling, he’d probably guess Chinese, based on texture and the heavy use of soy in several of the dishes.

One of the things I value about Thai food at any one of the truly excellent (and almost equally low-priced) Thai restaurants in Chicago is that flavors stand out, each ingredient leaps shamelessly to the center stage while being eaten, singing its identity and making you pay attention while you’re munching it, so there’s lots of dimension and many vegetable voices in even the simplest dishes. Both these dishes were heaps of food, some fresh, most barely identifiable, united under a fog of nondescript sauce, cooked to softness and ladled on the plate.

I ordered something I’d never had before: Gang mhoo tepo.



Advertised on the menu as pork with spinach. I asked for it “Thai hot,” and it came in a bland lagoon of coconut (and I have to believe some milk) sauce, lightly curried and with a little tamarind. This turned out to be the same sauce that was used the Panang curry.

Service was smiling (good) but a more than minor aggravation is that soup, apps and entrées all came out pretty much at once. I understand that this could be a cultural norm in some places, but it does not fail to frustrate and confuse me. And the food was kind of dumped on the table, with sauce smearing to the rims of the plates, tracing the velocity with which they had been slammed in front of us.

Also irksome, the place smelled bad, with a food smell, but not a good food smell, more like old sad stuff.

I have not been to Thailand yet, but I have been to dinner a few times with Erik M., and so I feel I have some sense of just how good Thai in Chicago can be. One marvels that this restaurant gets the Bib and not Tac Quick, or Spoon, or any of the other more obvious places. Actually, I was attracted to going to Thai Village because it was so unobvious, so ignored on this board, and now I know why.

Four of us ate, apps to entrees, for $60, and it’s BYOB. I understand that value is a big part of the Bib Gourmand system of selection, but I must say, I was kind of shocked at the mediocrity of the meal. I would be fascinated to know how the Michelin folks did their research, and I’m struggling to understand the equation that puts Thai Village in the same category with The Publican, Lula, Girl and the Goat, Kith & Kin, Perennial, Mado, Nightwood and The Bristol. Je suis confuse.

Thai Village
2053 W. Division
773.384.5352

David Hammond wrote:Four of us ate, apps to entrees, for $60, and it’s BYOB. I understand that value is a big part of the Bib Gourmand system of selection, but I must say, I was kind of shocked at the mediocrity of the meal. I would be fascinated to know how the Michelin folks did their research, and I’m struggling to understand the equation that puts Thai Village in the same category with The Publican, Lula, Girl and the Goat, Kith & Kin, Perennial, Mado, Nightwood and The Bristol.

Although I haven't been there, this choice, as well as a few of the others, baffles me as well. I think it's safe to say that Thai Village was NOT chosen because it's a better value than the Thai standouts around the city; as you note, the prices don't vary a whole lot from one Thai place to the other, with the sole exception of Arun's. But why Thai Village, of all places? It made me want to try it just to find out what it's all about, but your post confirms my worst fears about doing so. Thanks for taking one for the team!

Incidentally, assuming your "LA relatives" are from Los Angeles and not Louisiana, I'm surprised you would take them to a Thai restaurant here, since over half of Americans of Thai descent live in that city and there are lots of Thai restaurants there. Not that ours - our good ones, anyway - aren't equally good, but it's something they can certainly find at home. I hope they don't judge Chicago's Thai food based on this particular experience.

David Hammond wrote:Service was smiling (good) but a more than minor aggravation is that soup, apps and entrées all came out pretty much at once. I understand that this could be a cultural norm in some places, but it does not fail to frustrate and confuse me. And the food was kind of dumped on the table, with sauce smearing to the rims of the plates, tracing the velocity with which they had been slammed in front of us.

HI,

I fully remember Erik M. commenting long ago that Thai food is brought out as it is finished, which can mean all at once.

Serving food in courses is what we do, not what they do. It does not mean that some Thai restaurants haven't adapted their service to coincide with our thinking.

Slamming food onto a table is not acceptable just about anywhere.

Regards,

nsxtasy wrote:Thanks for taking one for the team!

Thanks, bro: I eat so you don't have to.

I gave City of Angels relations choices of several different cuisines: they chose Thai.

Cathy2 wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Service was smiling (good) but a more than minor aggravation is that soup, apps and entrées all came out pretty much at once. I understand that this could be a cultural norm in some places, but it does not fail to frustrate and confuse me. And the food was kind of dumped on the table, with sauce smearing to the rims of the plates, tracing the velocity with which they had been slammed in front of us.

HI,

I fully remember Erik M. commenting long ago that Thai food is brought out as it is finished, which can mean all at once.

Serving food in courses is what we do, not what they do. It does not mean that some Thai restaurants haven't adapted their service to coincide with our thinking.

Slamming food onto a table is not acceptable just about anywhere.

Regards,

Right, yes, I get the “cultural norm,” but that doesn’t mean I like it, of course, and when you have several diners juggling full plates to make room for more full plates as they arrive, well, I accept cultural differences but this one makes me very uncomfortable. I accept it but don’t enjoy it. Overall, in a relatively empty place, we felt hurried.

David Hammond wrote:Right, yes, I get the “cultural norm,” but that doesn’t mean I like it, of course, and when you have several diners juggling full plates to make room for more full plates as they arrive, well, I accept cultural differences but this one makes me very uncomfortable. I accept it but don’t enjoy it. Overall, in a relatively empty place, we felt hurried.

Personally, I don't mind the bring it when it's ready culture, but if they're going to do that I want a culturally appropriate sized table to house all of the food.

stevez wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Right, yes, I get the “cultural norm,” but that doesn’t mean I like it, of course, and when you have several diners juggling full plates to make room for more full plates as they arrive, well, I accept cultural differences but this one makes me very uncomfortable. I accept it but don’t enjoy it. Overall, in a relatively empty place, we felt hurried.

Personally, I don't mind the bring it when it's ready culture, but if they're going to do that I want a culturally appropriate sized table to house all of the food.

I probably should have asked for a larger table when we walked in; as it was, we were a little tight in a booth.

This selection for the BG list surprised me as I lived across the street from Thai Village when it opened. I tried to like it, I really wanted to like it due to it being located, literally, a stones throw from my apartment, but I just never understood the food there. It didn't taste like Thai in the way that Spoon or Opart did. When it appeared on the list, I was hoping that significant improvements had taken place, but it sounds like it's pretty much the same food they were serving back in '96-'97 when they first opened.

nsxtasy wrote: Thanks for taking one for the team!

Indeed!

Ursiform wrote:It didn't taste like Thai in the way that Spoon or Opart did.

Never been to Thai Villiage, but I must say Opart was puzzling. Three or four years ago, after reading encouraging reviews of Opart, I went five or six times in the span of just a few months and found Opart a full level below Spoon, TAC and Roseded. I went so far as order the same meal in the same afternoon at both Spoon and Opart and found Opart runner up each time.

As I said, this was a few years ago, Opart may have changed, but as it stands count Opart in the "interesting" Bib Gourmand category.

Oh, and Hammond, thanks for taking one for the team. After seeing Thai Village on the Bib list I would have had to try it, still may, but now it may take a year instead of a few weeks.

Enjoy,
Gary

Because I live around the corner, I've been there. The lunch special is adequate, the rest of the food decent @ best. There is one standout off menu item though, introduced to me by a Small Bar hottie, the rice nam sod which is very nice. I always say the best part about that place is the room itself, which I like the dark wood and tin ceiling. Perfect, if I could only get them to lease it to me.

G Wiv wrote:As I said, this was a few years ago, Opart may have changed, but as it stands count Opart in the "interesting" Bib Gourmand category.

Oops, sorry, should have been clear. I was referencing the Opart Thai of the mid-90's as compared to the Thai Village of the mid-90's. I actually moved Opart out of my rotation about 8 or 9 years ago as I agree, the food there is no longer particularly memorable, but there was a time when it was a much better restaurant than it is now.

Jazzfood wrote:Because I live around the corner, I've been there. The lunch special is adequate, the rest of the food decent @ best. There is one standout off menu item though, introduced to me by a Small Bar hottie, the rice nam sod which is very nice. I always say the best part about that place is the room itself, which I like the dark wood and tin ceiling. Perfect, if I could only get them to lease it to me.

I had intended to order the nam sod then neglected to do. I'd like to say I'll get it the next time I'm at Thai Village, but that ain't gonna happen.

$5.95 for the lunch special seems reasonable, and I'd probably take it over other options (e.g., Subway), but this food really challenges the value equation. Is mediocre food, even at a reasonable price, a good value? I don't think so.

Let me chime in for the Thai Village supporters. For me the $5.95 lunch special is an outstanding value that I go out of my way for at least twice a month. It comes with a nicely portioned appetizer, an often-times terrific chicken soup, and a well seasoned entree over a bed of rice. The Crab Rangoon appetizer was one of my favorites before I developed a Crab allergy, but now I settle for the House or Cucumber Salad. The soup is fantastic; a well-seasoned broth along the lines of a Tom Yum, with a perfect balance of ground chicken, lemongrass, cilantro and mild chilies. I usually switch between the Basil Chicken and the Red Curry Chicken as my entree. One of the problems I have experienced at Thai Village is that the chefs each have a different definition of what the word "spicy" means. Some days, spicy comes out as a mere suggestion of heat and other days its an oral three-alarm fire. Also, on occassion, service can be extremely laid back, despite the fact that it usually doesn't get overly crowded. No, it's not as good as Spoon Thai or TAC Quick or Sticky Rice, but the lunch special is a really well prepared meal for a fraction of what other places charge. I've been going for more than a decade and plan to continue doing so for years to come. I would propose that it's more than mediocre; I would say its nearly pretty decent.

Jazzfood wrote:Because I live around the corner, I've been there. The lunch special is adequate, the rest of the food decent @ best. There is one standout off menu item though, introduced to me by a Small Bar hottie, the rice nam sod which is very nice.

Thai Village's Rice Nam Sod was so nice I had it twice, once with Alan 'Jazzfood' Lake for lunch and once for dinner. Yep, rice nam sod was so good I took an order home for dinner. We had a just-fine Lard Nar and a truly horrid set of spring rolls, but as Alan says crisp rice nam sod is well worth a trip to Thai Village on its own.

Rice Nam Sod, Thai Village



Thai Village
2053 W. Division
Chicago, IL
773-384-5352

I went there once because I had a Groupon. It was worse than mediocre. And yes, I remember the restaurant had a bad smell to it. I had two other Groupons for the place, and just threw them away; I couldn't stand to go back.

DutchMuse wrote:I went there once because I had a Groupon. It was worse than mediocre. And yes, I remember the restaurant had a bad smell to it. I had two other Groupons for the place, and just threw them away; I couldn't stand to go back.

No off smell, service was efficient/matter of fact and I was able to get minced fresh Thai pepper after only one false start.

Thai Village is no longer BYOB.

I live around the corner from this place and have found one menu item that is kind of tasty; and that's their "version" of Panang curry. They make it different than any other Thai restaurant. It's more coconut sweet, and barely any taste of peanut in the sauce, if any at all. When spiced properly (ask for extra thai chilis) it's pretty yummy. It comes across as a "creamy" almost, but not quite, bland curry where the red peppers, chilis, bamboo, and basil pop through nicely. This is the ONLY thing I will eat here, simply because it is unique compared every other Panang offered around Chicagoland. Sometimes I even find myself licking my plate at home, and even swiping the sauce in the container with my finger to get every last drop. Everything else there is really darn "blah."

Like others, I really wanted to love this place; as Thai food is just about my favorite kind, and I'm practically neighbors with this place; but alas nope.

So, when I'm craving cheap "fast food" type stuff; I will sometimes coax myself to order Thai Villages Panang for takeout as it's about a 60 second walk from my apartment.

I will say, I was on tour for a minute and hadn't visited Thai Village for quite awhile, and my last stop there for takeout about two months ago was horrible. Not a single staff member looked to be above the age of 20, and although they were a little more than half full, they clearly stated my order would be ready in 20 minutes over the phone. I arrived 30 minites later, and was standing there by the counter near the kitchen for well over 35 minutes after arriving, feeling quite odd and uncomfortable with a dining room of hipsters starring at me. I would of just walked out and moved on; but they charged me for my order right when I walked in like it was ready; and I stood there like an idiot thinking it would come out any minute because, well, they charged my card for it like it was ready or about to come out! Rude, rude, rude.

If you have to try, or find yourself for some reason stuck in this subpar place, I recommend the Panang with your protein of choice.

-B

G Wiv wrote:but as Alan says crisp rice nam sod is well worth a trip to Thai Village on its own.

Crisp rice nam sod just as good today as a month ago, well worth a visit to Thai Village on its own. Tasty app of tempura fried sweet potato and a just-fine chicken penang. Polite efficient service, heat levels where we asked, in other words hot, and no problem getting a ramekin of minced Thai peppers.

Go to Thai Villiage for crisp rice nam sod, venture farther afield at your own risk.

Tempura Sweet Potato

Very confused as to how this got a BG. I lived two blocks away from it for a few years; went once, and never went back until this past winter, when I friend convinced me to go for their lunch special. It was just ok, and certainly did not inspire me to return. If you're truly craving Thai food and it must come from within a .5 mile radius of Damen/Division, it will suffice, if you're drunk. Otherwise, don't bother.

The room is quite cozy, though.