AltThai

I know that there was a brief review of this downtown Arlington Heights Thai restuarant in the past, but I wanted to give an updated review.

My brother, brother-in-law and I stopped in last night. It is a great space that is noting like the previous Panda Express that used to be in the same space. We started out with their Spring Rolls, with a good peanut sauce and the homemade wontons. The presentation on the plate came with Diakon (sp?) and beets. For soups, we had their sweet and sour, which we asked for spicy and it sure came that way, the wonton soup and their spinach soup. These were generous helpings.

The main courses were tasty, the pad thai was presented in a very neat way and my brothers shrimp dish and my B-I-L had a really tasty chicken item.

One of the best things was the dessert and the mango and sticky rice. It was fantastic and and not to miss item on the menu....

A year ago we had no Thai places here in d'town Arlington. Now we have two! I've been to Bangkok Cafe a couple of times- they were S of here before. I stepped into Alt Thai to grab a menu, nice place. Is this a franchise?

grant wrote:A year ago we had no Thai places here in d'town Arlington. Now we have two!

And a third about to open. I have my doubts that downtown AH can support three Thai restaurants.

Earlier post on NW suburban Thais

HI,

When I was in Arlington Heights recently to visit Takkatsu with CrazyC, I was quite unprepared for the dynamic downtown life there. It took me 5 minutes or more to find parking, which gave an opportunity to go round the block a few times.

All the restaurants seemed teaming with people, there was a public concert on the square and lots of roaming people on the streets, which is not usually expected in suburban downtowns. Of course, I probably hit a particularly active night but I remember when it was pretty quiet in downtown Arlington Heights.

Regards,

I don't think this is a francise. From what I know, the owner was a software engineer before opening this restaurant.

following what Cathy said.. man, that parking was a PITA! most likely the #1 reason why i won't be back to takkatsu anytime soon...

There are three parking garages within five short blocks from Takkatsu- free of charge unless you really need more time, then just move your car. Parking is a problem here as everyone wants to park close to their destination. Just use the garage, it's safe.

Cathy2 wrote:HI,

When I was in Arlington Heights recently to visit Takkatsu with CrazyC, I was quite unprepared for the dynamic downtown life there. It took me 5 minutes or more to find parking, which gave an opportunity to go round the block a few times.

All the restaurants seemed teaming with people, there was a public concert on the square and lots of roaming people on the streets, which is not usually expected in suburban downtowns. Of course, I probably hit a particularly active night but I remember when it was pretty quiet in downtown Arlington Heights.

Regards,

I've had several homes "condos" right d'town here for 15 years and i've seen it go from the Billyclub "now Harry's" a Chinese place where Peggy's is, a crazy JP karaoke bar,a rug co, and really the list goes on. It is very cool now, big time. We have more than 25 restaurants here and a couple more coming. Lot's of new faces and happy ones at that. Lot's of fun around here year round.

I had to wait for almost an hour to get a table at Takkatsu when it first opened. The food was good though.

It's been a while since we've had any Thai, so MrsF and I decided to try AltThai. Pretty good, not as westernized as I'd feared they'd be.
http://www.altthai.com has their menu, by the way.

Starters: Tod Mun Shrimp $6.95 - like shrimp toast, uh, without the toast. The sweet and sour sauce was pretty much filled with cucumbers (an annoyance to MrsF who doesn't like cukes), so I got to munch a little sweet salad so she could dip her shrimp cakes.

Soup: Tom Yum Chicken $3.50 - a generous bowl, very flavorful. Although I asked for spicy, and assured that I like spicy, it was only what I'd call moderate. Still had heat, but far from the dangers I braved at Lotus of Siam where I literally could not finish it.

Entrees: Shrimp with Yellow Curry (not listed online, I forget the price) and Basil Noodles with Chicken $7.95. The shrimp dish was very tasty, and featured scrambled egg and pea pods, as well as peppers, baby corn, and probably bamboo shoots IIRC. Nice balance of flavors. The Basil Noodles was a somewhat sweet version of the typical thai Basil Chicken, made with ground chicken and soft sauteed rice noodles, with the basil as a flavoring, not the main ingredient like the more traditional dish. .

Overall, service was reasonable (far from fast, but compared to some downtown places it was quite quick), tastes were authentic and flavorful (if toned down a bit on heat). Prices are reasonable, and portions generous (we took home part of both entrees). Decor seemed to be mostly Ikea -- the flatware, mugs and plates certainly were, and the tables and chairs easily could have been too. It works: simple clean lines, nothing to complain about.

The check was presented along with a plate with a sliced strawberry, whipped cream and a ribbon of hershey's syrup. Somebody's been studying to be a chef, and not just cooking from home recipes, I'd guess.
I'll probably go back, it's just about the closest Thai to me now.

JoelF wrote:I'll probably go back, it's just about the closest Thai to me now.

Don't overlook Bangkok Cafe and Gumrai Thai, also in downtown Arlington Heights.

LAZ wrote:Don't overlook Bangkok Cafe and Gumrai Thai, also in downtown Arlington Heights.

I haven't heard anything about those other two, other than their existence in your previous post on NW 'burb Thai. Any good? Any standout dishes?

JoelF wrote:

LAZ wrote:Don't overlook Bangkok Cafe and Gumrai Thai, also in downtown Arlington Heights.

I haven't heard anything about those other two, other than their existence in your previous post on NW 'burb Thai. Any good? Any standout dishes?

Hey, I was waiting for you to tell me.

I had to run over to Palatine last night to pick up vehicle information for one of my drivers. Since I was going to be in the area (and not make it home for dinner). I stopped at Alt Thai for dinner.

I had the Tom Gha which was very acceptable and better than most that I have had recently. I always find the doup to be somewhat distracting as you have to fish out the lemongrass and other seasonings. It was quite rich and smooth.

The spicy catfish was pretty good/ I ordered medium and probably expected it to be a bit hotter than actually turned out to be. The catfish itself was quite flavorable and well presented.

I really enjoyed the place. Simple clean dining area with an interesting and functional china. I would go back.

The prices were very reasonable for the size of the portions which were more tahn adequate.