It's a downtown mainstay, and even if you don't remember having seen it before, trust me, you have.
It's Downtown Thai, Charlottesville's best-known Thai restaurant, located on Water Street. The atmosphere is pleasant, the service is strong and the spices are even stronger (but only if you want them to be).
Upon being seated in the restaurant's well-spaced dining area, you might hear traditional Thai music wafting from the speakers. As the peak dinner hours arrive, though, this will give way to voices of Charlottesvillians who often come in knowing exactly what they want, recognizing and conversing casually with the waiters. The repeat business might give one an idea of the reliabile and consistent food and service here.
Granted, for this particular visit, we arrived early, which meant lightning-quick service, but in past visits, the servers have never failed to perform well. Although our waiter looked like he could have just as easily worked at Ruby Tuesday, he was exceptionally knowledgeable with regards to menu items and what they did or didn't have in them. He even identified every vegetable in the cucumber sauce that accompanied the satay, which I found rather impressive.
The satay, an appetizer of skewered chicken with a mild but pleasant curry served with peanut sauce as well as the cucumber sauce, goes for $7. With enough pieces to easily serve two people's appetizer needs, it's a solid opening course for a date or for just catching up with an old pal. At $4, the crispy egg rolls might be a better call if you're thinking of ordering a starter on your own.
When we ordered our main dishes, the waiter asked what strength of spice we wanted on them, if any (the standard offerings are one through five). I only had the courage to try up to a three, which I can roughly equate to the spices on the steak or chicken at Chipotle -- that is, nothing at all to a hot food fanatic, somewhat significant to someone who can't stand spicy foods in the slightest and just enough to give it that extra kick to most people in the middle.
One of the central features of Downtown Thai is a pillar near the middle of the restaurant that is covered in Polaroids of past patrons. When I inquired about this display, the waiter explained to me that you can make it onto the wall if you order a dish with a spice level of 10 or higher. Remember what I, a self-proclaimed spicy wuss, said about spice level three. Anyway, all over this pillar are people fresh from finishing off their powerful meals, most looking proud of themselves, surrounded by supportive friends and family.
At the top of the column are the true champions, whose pictures are surrounded by construction-paper flames. These individuals, who look fatigued and confused in their shots, managed to eat their food prepared with a spice level of 50. When I asked what this entailed, the waiter, wincing, said dishes with 50-spice in them are pretty much covered in a layer of the stuff. I would imagine this is rather painful to watch but a perfect challenge of one-upmanship in a community of highly competitive college students.
My meal of choice was the pad Thai, thin sauteed noodles with shrimp, chicken, bean sprouts, scallions and egg, topped with ground peanuts. There is no question, at $12, this is everything pad Thai should be. The ingredients came together ever so smoothly, and the portion size was just perfect for someone who hadn't had a bite since lunch (aside from the satay, which was also delicious). My friend went with the chicken panang curry, which is a thick curry made with coconut milk. Although I didn't eat quite as much, it was also a very strong choice, likewise at $12.
After a thoroughly satisfying meal, I asked the manager a bit about the history of Downtown Thai. His English wasn't perfect (which I guess, in a way, further contributed to the authenticity of the place), but he said Downtown Thai had been in its present location for the past 10 years or so. After three excellent visits, I plan to stop by again. If you're downtown near dinnertime (they also offer lunch, take out and catering), you ought to as well.
Restaurant reviews represent the opinions of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Cavalier Daily or its staff
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