Alas, I have not been a good blogger this month! And I have stuff to post, too--reading and writing goals for the New Year, book reviews, etc. I'll get to them another day. For tonight, I'd like to extol my favorite restaurant: Sisters Thai, on University Avenue in Fairfax, VA.
Sisters Thai is an easy three-block walk from our house. It opened last spring, and we've eaten there probably half a dozen times since then. I've had places before where I've liked eating, but this is the first time I've ever absolutely fallen in love with a restaurant. The best word to describe it is cozy. Delicious works too, unpretentious might not be out of line, but cozy is the most apropos. I'm not sure if it's the way they knew us by our second visit; or because I've never had a bad meal there; or because the sauvignon blanc is just perfectly sweet and tangy to match with spicy food; or the way people draw little pictures and write quotes in the blank spaces on the menu; or the way each table gives you a different view of the full bookshelves, Thai artwork, toys, and photos decorating the place; or the way the staff is extremely friendly but just a little bit inattentive--not so much as to annoy, but enough to allow for conversation; or just the whole laid back vibe of the place.
So tonight when we arrived (just Lee and me, the kids are at a Tae Kwon Do parents-night-out party), it was Friday night and we hadn't made reservations so we sat at the bar for a while. The owner of the place, a charming and disarmingly cheerful lady, came over and chatted us up for a few minutes (!), remembered that we have two kids (!!), and brought us our wine and frozen green tea slush herself (!!!). We had also realized since our last visit that the Thai menus decorating the wall are actual menus, different than the normal menus they bring you, with a list of Thai street food options. So as many times as we've been here, and there are still options we don't even know about! I had roasted duck on rice, and Lee chicken soup with rice noodles. Nothing fancy, but everything is so good! A perfect balance of food, atmosphere, and service, and all done so joyously you don't realize until afterwards how much work must have gone into it. Quite reasonably priced, too--not cheap, but the bill always seems to be a little under what I expected. If you find yourself in Fairfax at some point, I highly recommend a visit to Sisters Thai.
No comments:
Post a Comment