El Dorado County Foothills August 2018 Style Magazine

eat & drink
DINING SPOTLIGHT
Thai Rice
Spice is Nice
by SHARON PENNY // photos by DANTE FONTANA
Located in Cameron Park’s
Burke Junction, Thai Rice
has been making a spicy
splash since opening in
April. The décor and
ambiance, much like the
cuisine, is undeniably
Thai-centric: warm, inviting, and colorful.
My husband and I stopped by for dinner
on a recent Saturday, which coincidentally
coincided with a “Jam’n at the Junction”
party at the adjacent business, Pick-It Fence. The staff seated us in a
corner booth facing the window—so we could watch the excitement
outside—and thoughtfully turned down the restaurant music to allow
us to hear the band. Between us, we were a tiny bit disappointed
however: Though the music outside was nice, we were really digging
the Thai tunes!
But the food was the main, and most important, story. For appetizers,
we chose the curry puffs: deliciously flaky fried pastry triangles filled
with aromatically spiced mashed potatoes and a sweet and sour dipping
sauce. One bite was all it took to see why these Southeast Asian snacks
are so popular.
For entrées, we went with the spicy green curry and the himmapan
stir-fry—both with chicken—and a serving of rice to share. The curry
was bursting with flavor and chock-full of tender meat, bamboo slivers,
sliced carrots, bell peppers, and fresh basil. Green curry’s always
been my favorite Thai dish, and theirs did not disappoint. The stir-fry
included a rainbow of ingredients like red chilies, onions, cashews, bell
peppers, and chicken—all enrobed in a spicy garlic sauce—and hit all
“
the right flavor and texture notes.
THE STIR-FRY INCLUDED A RAINBOW OF INGREDIENTS
LIKE RED CHILIES, ONIONS, CASHEWS, BELL
PEPPERS, AND CHICKEN—ALL ENROBED IN A SPICY
GARLIC SAUCE—AND HIT ALL THE RIGHT FLAVOR
AND TEXTURE NOTES.
One of the (many) things I adore about Thai cuisine is the way heat
is always balanced with other tantalizing tastes (sour, sweet, salty, and
bitter) so that even when you’re eating the spiciest dish, the fire never
overpowers the plate’s other intricacies—and this was certainly true
of the offerings here.
My enthusiasm for green curry meant I had no room left for the fried
banana with coconut ice cream, but I wasn’t too worried: I’m already
planning a return trip to try their famous avocado curry, spicy eggplant
stir fry, and drunken noodles.
“
Top to bottom:
Himmapan Stir-Fry,
Curry Puffs,
Fried Banana with
Coconut Ice Cream,
Spicy Green Curry
HOURS: Noon-9 p.m.
(Saturday-Sunday); 11
a.m.-9 p.m. (Monday;
Wednesday-Friday);
closed Tuesday
TRY THIS: Curry Puffs,
Tom Kha, Som Tum,
Larb Tofu, Pad Thai,
Himmapan Stir Fry,
Spicy Green Curry,
Sriracha Fried Rice,
BBQ Steak, Fried
Banana with Coconut
Ice Cream
DRINKS: Beer and
wine
TAB: $$
HEADS-UP: Lunch
specials served
weekdays; two full
pages of vegetarian
dishes; protein choices
include chicken, pork,
beef, shrimp, calamari,
seafood combo, or
tofu; delivery available
via GrubHub
Thai Rice, 3300 Coach Lane, Suite B10, Cameron Park,
530-350-8265
40 styleedc.com // AUGUST 2018 // /styleedc /stylemediagroup /stylemediagroup /stylemagedcf