It is possible that us Unadventurous Queen Anners still know Thai
Dear Seattlest Jay,
I’m unsure about your need to bash Queen Anne and its residents because you went to two mediocre restaurants. What happened to taking a fair and accurate sampling? I’m more than a little offended by the recent statement you made in your review about Racha:
“Chinoise and Racha are almost bookends on the blahness of Queen Anne Ave. Safe havens for unadventurous Queen Anners who don’t realize they’re missing good, realistic, hole-in-the-wall pho, Ethiopian, and other ethnic eateries.”
I’m confused. Do you think that just because we live in Queen Anne, those are the only restaurants we dine at and we’re incapable of knowing and exploring what other neighborhoods have to offer? Cause I know hole-in-the-wall Pho and Ethiopian food. And perhaps before you talk about how us Unadventurous Queen Anners don’t know what hole-in-the-wall is, you should try a restaurant in Queen Anne that isn’t part of a small conglomerate of King County Thai places.
Here’s my recommendation to you–Tup Tim Thai or Thai Kitchen–two restaurants that Thai connoisseurs rave about. Thai connoisseurs that actually live in Queen Anne, and have dared to enjoy Thai in their own neighborhood as well as outside of it. Cause I’d hate for you to lump us all into one Unadventurous category. Enjoy!
Hole-in-the-wall = good?
How Stranger-esque!
And if by “conglomerate” you mean “ownership who have been running Thai restaurants in the area since before some of your readers were born, and did it well enough to open a bunch more,” well, yeah, I guess.
The truth is that there are a ton of good Thai restaurants in this area, and both Racha and Tup Tim Thai are among them. It’s great to have both large and tiny good restaurants, because you can turn to them both for different occasions.
As for Ethiopian and Pho places, wake me up when there’s one that ISN’T a hole-in-the-wall.
More evidence besides Thai, Pho and Teriyaki joints, plz. I know they exist: the Thai places are good, I’m sure, but citing a variety of sources will convince all sides.
Queen Anne isn’t bad, but a lot of the joints are too pricey for my own good. The pricing at most places is close to Belltown level. The top of the hill has more accessible and better options IMO than LQA.
Is today Metblogs vs. The World Day? Not that I’m complaining. I actually like it. =)
And as for Pho not being hole in the wall, I never really considered any of the Than Bro’s a ‘hole in the wall’. Maybe the U-Dist one….
I wouldn’t call either Pho 900 or Pho Cyclo on Broadway hole-in-the-wall — they both seat at least 60.
oh wait, this post is all about Thai. nm.
Couldn’t agree more about Racha, but y’all are missing out on Orrapin on top of Queen Anne (and right next to Chinoise). Whenever I bring people who haven’t been, they are pleasantly surprised with the food, service, and that it’s so affordable.
I usually get the Jungle Pork, but from Phad Thai to red curries I have yet to find a stinker. I especially enjoy the service - it’s attentive and caring, with plenty of privacy.
The only problem I’ve ever seen with Orrapin is that it doesn’t get the respect it deserves.
I was stretching it on conglomerate. I’ll admit. I just wanted to make a point that Racha is part of a small chain of restaurants, so the hole-in-the-wall=good point from Seattlest was mute.
Agreed. The Than Brother’s pho places that I’ve been to are not hole-in-the-walls. It’s all about their cream puff…
I haven’t been to Orrapin other than for a drink at their bar. I’ll have to make a point to go to dinner there sometime soon. Thanks for the recommendation! Perhaps Jay would like to try Orrapin too…