People Are Talking About the Thai House

By Antoinette May Herndon

For months friends have fussed and fulminated about the Thai House. Anybody, everybody, it seems, has been talking about this Valley Springs restaurant. Raving about it, nagging me to try it, to go there just once, to see for myself . . . .

“You’ve got to eat at the Thai,” one insisted.

“It’s not the way you think,” another promised.

“Never mind the outside,” they’d argue. “Try it once, then decide,” they’d challenge.

I was under-whelmed by the prospect. A store front eatery tucked away at the far end of a shopping center could hardly be the pearl of the orient they’d been describing. I didn’t think so!

Never say never.

One recent evening Valley Springs loomed large on the radar screen. It was an obvious rendezvous point with Charles’s daughter who’d be driving from Stockton. “What about that Thai place?” he suggested. I shrugged, why not? Marion was one of those people who’d sung the Thai House’s praises. I was prepared to watch her eat her words. Literally.

As we pulled up right in front, I

muttered, “One thing you can say for a shopping mall restaurant, there’s always parking.” It was the last cranky thing I said that night.

Once inside the door, the picture changed completely. The first waft of delicately spiced food, the first strains of soft sing-song music and I was a gonner.

The exotic ambience was right on. I forgot the gray cement outside, the cars, the garish mall signs. Slipping into a comfortable booth, with its hot pink napery, I thought of Bangkok: teeming canals, brilliant colors, the elegant Oriental hotel, the historic Press Club. Intrigue. Excitement. I’m such a romantic! And suddenly here was fresh inspiration. The Thai House gives off my kind of vibes.

OK, sounds and scents are magical things assuredly, but, let’s admit it, the true test is taste. “What’s good here?” I asked Marion.

Her favorite, volcano mushrooms, isn’t on the menu. You need to ask for this delicious “insider” specialty. Volcano mushrooms ($6.95) are stuffed with spices and steeped in a rich mushroom sauce. Charles also ordered a round of fresh rolls ($5.50) to share. This delicacy consists of vegetables, jelly noodles and shrimp

wrapped in a fragile rice skin and served with tamarind sauce. Delicious.

For a main course I ordered red curry duck ($9.95). The tender, savory duck is roasted with tomatoes, pineapples, bell peppers and basil leaves. I loved it. Charles’s choice was garlic shrimp, a bell pepper, onion and shrimp stir fried with garlic and pepper sauce ($10.95). Also a winner.

Marion, not so into spice, chose the mild flavored yellow curried chicken ($8.95), a delicate blend of coconut milk, carrots, onions, and chicken in a light curry sauce. The three of us shared a side order of steamed jasmine rice ($1)

Though the Thai House serves both red and white wine, we thought Singha, a Thai beer, ($3.50) was a better choice with the tangy dishes. I know it isn’t PC to comment on the wait staff’s looks, but what can I say? The young women serving those tasty dishes are easy to look at besides being prompt, thoughtful and attentive.

Like people say: you’ve really got to try the Thai House for yourself.

VITALS: Thai House. 200 Highway 12. Valley Springs. Phone: 722-8549 Credit cards excepted

amherndon@sierralodestar.com