Reviewed on 9/9/16
Our FriscoEats™ Mystery Diners were at it again on the 9/9. This time, we felt a little exotic, so our team visited Frisco Square’s Best Thai.
For those of you without a calendar readily available, we visited on a Friday night at 7 PM. We expected a long wait, especially because a high school football game was in full swing across the street at Toyota Stadium.
Maybe it was the game, or the small amount of taped off road construction in front of the restaurant, but the dining room was pleasantly full, not obnoxiously so. Two of our party of four had arrived a bit early and they were already seated when we arrived promptly at the stroke of seven. We immediately took our seats.
Moments after our greetings were accomplished, a beautiful and efficient young lady arrived at the table for drink and appetizer orders. We delayed the appetizers, but we eagerly pointed out the drinks we wanted. All of us but one wished to enjoy Thai fruity drinks of one sort or another, feeling appropriately native. All the drinks came out virtually immediately, and to a drink they were perfectly blended. That’s a great way to engage diners. It certainly worked on our group.
One of our group members selected two appetizers. Within minutes, we were quietly fighting over large but delicately wrapped cold veggie spring rolls, wrapped in rice paper. The sauce with which they were served contributed most of the flavor to the otherwise crisp but somewhat tasteless-by-design blend of veggies inside. When the dust settled, we had all eaten our entire portions.
The other appetizer was a more traditional egg roll, but filled with a unique mixture of Thai beef and veggies. They, too, came with a sauce that was somewhat less flavorful, but very complementary to the pre-main event snack.
At the conclusion of our appetizer course, the server took our orders of a Hot & Spicy chicken dish, a Cashew Nut Chicken plate, Pad Thai, and a Salmon Curry. All were served with either steamed or brown rice, except for the Pad Thai, which was noodle based.
When our friend ordered the Hot & Spicy Chicken, he was asked how spicy he wanted the dish to be. The choices were on a scale of 1 to 5. When he told our server that he wanted it as spicy as possible, she said, “Oh, you want Thai Spicy #8.” Upon delivery, the savory combination of julienned skinless chicken, crisp veggies and Thai spicy sauce was perfect for his aggressive search for hot.
The Cashew Nut Chicken was equally flavorful, but the portion size was so large that it was too much for our diner, who took hers home. We wondered what the Thai word for “doggie bag” was. Regardless, this particular diner is very sensitive about categorizing her meals by aroma. This meal’s aroma was “exquisite” and had the kind of hearty, welcoming traits that might make it the perfect meal for colder weather. Again, research was in order because none of us knew whether Thailand ever had a colder temperature season.
The Salmon Curry, like the Hit & Spicy Chicken, was aggressively spicy at the request of the diner. Combined with an abundant portion of steamed rice, it was definitely a satisfying portion that challenged the taste buds of our colleague. She pointed out that the curry set off the delicate taste of lemongrass and even the poaching of the salmon. After the prerequisite sharing of a bite, we all agreed that it was a dish we would order again.
Finally, our host had ordered Pad Thai. This is a dish that he has eaten all over the world, especially in his extensive travels. As we experienced with the other dishes, the chef had prepared this one in the traditional style, with hearty noodles and a rich Thai brown sauce that we enjoyed viewing as much as he enjoyed eating.
At the conclusion of the meal, we were so satisfied that it seemed superfluous to order a dessert. In an unusual choice for our gang, we passed on the sweet ending.
When the check arrived, it was commensurate with our experience and propensity for tropical libations, with tip, at just under $150 for the four of us.
One note: Parking at Frisco Square is at a premium, especially on football game nights, so we chose to park our cars with the Square’s Complimentary Valet. As we were leaving, a gentleman and his wife were arriving and tried to drop off their vehicle. The time was 8:55, and the valet attendant told the man that the stand was closing at 9 PM! This is something that Best Thai and the rest of the restaurant operators in the area need to fix.
Best Thai has other locations around the Dallas area.
View the menu for Frisco in our Menus section, or go to their website at http://www.bestthai.com/frisco.
Until next time,
Ciao!