Thai X-ing:
I'll break this review down into three sections:
1) Location/Ambience - Thai X-ing is in a row house in northeast DC. You can very easily walk right by the front door because of how inconspicuously it is marked. The main entrance to the restaurant is on the main floor and it is very easy to miss. My friend and I walked straight upstairs without realizing we had missed it. The atmosphere is as homey as any restaurant in DC. The service is authentically asian which comes with being able to understand about every other sentence based on which server you are talking to. In addition, I had a table that was both by the door AND the coatrack. Since there is no waiting area, I had people standing right on top of me my entire meal. I'm sure other people's experience was not this bad since I had the absolute worst seat in the restaurant. Make sure to request a table away from the door, if you can but the feeling in here is cramped no matter where you sit. I'd give the location/ambience both high and low marks and a 2 of 5 star score.
2) Service - The service is very average. The server even admitted forgetting a course (salmon cupcakes) for my table and the table next to us. We also saw another table getting served a fish entree that we never got either. Would have loved to try it. No-menu restaurants are cool in my book but not when you end up coveting the neighbor's dishes. I needed extra napkins, refills on our water pitcher and clean silverware and there was no one around most of the time. Some of the help speaks no english and simply nod and smile. For spending over 30 dollars a person, I'd say the service here falls short. 2 of 5 stars.
3) Food - The food was delicious. I understand why people come here in spite of the other issues with the restaurant. The first courses were a spicy shaved cabbage/radish dish along with a bowl of lemongrass soup. Initially I thought the soup had a big piece of soft potato in it along with a meatball but it turns out it was a big piece of melon! Very tasty. Subsequent courses were classic thai and heat was consistently medium with each dish. I like spice but can only take so much before the sweat is an issue :) But the dishes are not "mild" by american standards so you are warned. By the time I was to the hybrid drunken-noodle-pad-thai dish, I was full. Dessert was a sticky rice coconut concoction steamed inside of banana leaves. I didn't care for it too much because of the heaviness when I was already full but it was extremely sweet. Almost forgot! The best dish was the pumpkin curry. Actual full pieces of pumpkin cooked in a delicious curry sauce. The smell was divine and I really liked this dish. I'm not even a fan of pumpkin. Food score - 4 of 5 stars.
This restaurant is BYOB and savvy patrons brought bottles with them and cracked them open as soon as they sat down.
Reservations are not easy to make as you need to leave your phone number and they call you back at their convenience.
Overall, I rate Thai X-ing as one of the better Thai food experiences in DC but overall, I rate it a 3 of 5 stars.
I'll break this review down into three sections:
1) Location/Ambience - Thai X-ing is in a row house in northeast DC. You can very easily walk right by the front door because of how inconspicuously it is marked. The main entrance to the restaurant is on the main floor and it is very easy to miss. My friend and I walked straight upstairs without realizing we had missed it. The atmosphere is as homey as any restaurant in DC. The service is authentically asian which comes with being able to understand about every other sentence based on which server you are talking to. In addition, I had a table that was both by the door AND the coatrack. Since there is no waiting area, I had people standing right on top of me my entire meal. I'm sure other people's experience was not this bad since I had the absolute worst seat in the restaurant. Make sure to request a table away from the door, if you can but the feeling in here is cramped no matter where you sit. I'd give the location/ambience both high and low marks and a 2 of 5 star score.
2) Service - The service is very average. The server even admitted forgetting a course (salmon cupcakes) for my table and the table next to us. We also saw another table getting served a fish entree that we never got either. Would have loved to try it. No-menu restaurants are cool in my book but not when you end up coveting the neighbor's dishes. I needed extra napkins, refills on our water pitcher and clean silverware and there was no one around most of the time. Some of the help speaks no english and simply nod and smile. For spending over 30 dollars a person, I'd say the service here falls short. 2 of 5 stars.
3) Food - The food was delicious. I understand why people come here in spite of the other issues with the restaurant. The first courses were a spicy shaved cabbage/radish dish along with a bowl of lemongrass soup. Initially I thought the soup had a big piece of soft potato in it along with a meatball but it turns out it was a big piece of melon! Very tasty. Subsequent courses were classic thai and heat was consistently medium with each dish. I like spice but can only take so much before the sweat is an issue :) But the dishes are not "mild" by american standards so you are warned. By the time I was to the hybrid drunken-noodle-pad-thai dish, I was full. Dessert was a sticky rice coconut concoction steamed inside of banana leaves. I didn't care for it too much because of the heaviness when I was already full but it was extremely sweet. Almost forgot! The best dish was the pumpkin curry. Actual full pieces of pumpkin cooked in a delicious curry sauce. The smell was divine and I really liked this dish. I'm not even a fan of pumpkin. Food score - 4 of 5 stars.
This restaurant is BYOB and savvy patrons brought bottles with them and cracked them open as soon as they sat down.
Reservations are not easy to make as you need to leave your phone number and they call you back at their convenience.
Overall, I rate Thai X-ing as one of the better Thai food experiences in DC but overall, I rate it a 3 of 5 stars.
