White Sand - Ventura, CA

After Scott surfed on day at C-Street we decided to head downtown and try a new restaurant, White Sand Thai has been on our list for a while. We sat outside to engage in people watching and to enjoy the nice weather.

I ordered the Egg Rolls first because I was hungry and was in the mood for something fried. They were very good. I liked the sweet and sour dipping sauce as it was very thin and not thick and gloppy. I would order these again.

Scott ordered the Thai Ribs that were on special and I am not going to lie... These babies were tough. Hard to pull away from the bone. Very chewy. I had one and it seemed to be stuck in my teeth for days. He ate them but I did not find it enjoyable.

For my entree I had the Wor Won Ton soup and it was ok. Broth mildy flavorful and wontons very small. I didn't mind just got very bored with the soup quickly so I bathed it in siracha sauce just to liven it up.

The patio seating was lovely, service fine but food just did not do it for me. 

Basil - Paso Robles, CA

After eating a few meals of ho hum flavor I had the feeling some Thai food would kick our taste buds into high gear! In the quad in Downtown Paso Robles there is a restaurant named, Basil. Kathy and i made our way there!

Green Curry for me, extra spice served with fish, basil and bamboo shoots. The Lunch Special was a deals with a cup of soup (not pictured) the curry, salad, wonton and white rice for me. The curry was a thick base, not my favorite but it did the job for an exotic flavor.

Kathy ordered the peanuty Panang Curry with chicken. She raved about the salad dressing. Very refreshing!

If your in the mood for something different and affordable go and check out their Lunch Specials!

Exotic Thai - Ojai, CA

So those of you that follow me, know that I a pretty much jumped on the Curry Train and am still aboard. I have got my Thai on at a few places locally and I have learned one thing. EXOTIC THAI is the best! I walk in, they know my table, my order - Green Curry with shrimp, a little bamboo, extra basil and medium spice. It is amazing every time and the servers are always polite. I challenge anyone locally to come up with a better place - If you do, I will gladly pay for your lunch!

Siam Elephant - Carpenteria, CA

I got my hair done in Montecito Sunday and I have to tell you, nothing makes me feel more beautiful than that! So as I made my way back to Ojai, I thought I would pull off into to sleepy old Carpenteria and grab a bite to eat.

The Siam Elephant caught my attention through Yelp a couple months back because of the Pumpkin Curry they had on their menu. Two of my favorite things combined!

I saw a Lunch Special for Curry, Appetizer and Soup. I went for that instead. The Curry was more of a gravy if that makes sense to anyone. It was thick, not like the curries I am used to with its broth like texture.

I guess I should have gone with my guy and tried the pumpkin.

Tipps Thai - Ventura, CA

Yep. As you can see I am still craving Thai...

Cruise on down to Ventura and saddle yourself up with a leaded drink. Mai Tai for me, Jamaican Me Crazy for my Mom.

Grilled Shrimp on a sugar cane skewer with lemon grass dipping sauce. Light and sweet!

Cashew Scallops, the reason I return again and again. The sauce is so savory, I wish they would bottle it so I could eat it everyday. The scallops are lightly fried and the cashews are a nice and crunchy. Perfect dish.

Now you g be the judge and tell me how right I am!

Rice - Ventura, CA

I am on a curry kick, pretty much everything coconut milk and spice. So now I have been stalking Thai Restaurants within Ventura County. I was in Downtown Ventura during the lunch hour so Rice had it coming!

The Curry Lunch Special came with a salad, not pictured, as well as soup. Think cabbage and a savory broth. Not much too it but it did have plenty of taste.

Red Curry with bamboo, green beans (random) and shrimp. It was sold to me as "spicy" but it really wasn't too bad. The rice was cooked perfectly and made its may into my curry in a hurry! Hey, that rhymed. The egg roll could have been left off the plate but i assume more hearty eaters enjoy it.

A lovely little spot for a quick curry, if in a hurry!

On Rice - Fairhaven, WA

After exploring my Uncle's beautifully landscaped place we decided to head into town and grab a late lunch and do a little window shopping. My Aunt recommended we try a lunch favorite of hers: On Rice located in Fairhaven. And so we set out on our way and went in for some Thai!

I have never seen Jennifer pass up on an opportunity to try a Thai Iced Tea and today was no different. Sweet and creamy!

All of our meals came with a house salad with Peanut dressing. It was seriously delicious. The dressing was very tasty and the lettuce extremely fresh.

Our waiter recommended we try the Crab Rangoons as a starter. They were just ok. The plum sauce it came with was more of a winner than the actual rangoon.

This was my order! I tried the Panang Curry which was a mixture of coconut milk, chili paste, herbs, bell pepper and sweet basil served with tofu as my protein. It was very good. It was served with white rice to cut the spice but I only ordered it with two flames so it was tolerable.

Rebecca ordered the Buddha's Wonton soup. Complete with Ground chicken and shrimp in wonton wraps served with egg noodles in a savory clear broth. She ordered it to be four flames so it was super spicy!!

Last but not least Jennifer ordered the Green Curry. The curry was made up of coconut milk, green peas, sweet basil, bamboo shoots and bell pepper - she got hers served with chicken and brown rice.

And now onto the shopping....

An Alpaca, of course I need a picture with it!

Jennifer found a cute apron...

And so did I!

ONTO SEATTLE FRIENDS!

Tipps Thai Cuisine - Ventura, CA

Downtown Ventura is pretty much my favorite place. So many cool restaurants, shops and plenty of walking hills. My old faithful, Yelp.com didn't have very good reviews of Tipps Thai Cuisine. Do I always believe the reviews on Yelp? Nope. Had to try it myself.

The Chicken Satay was the starter and it was tasty. The best part was the slammin' peanut sauce. Like the bowl clean, good. The main entree was the Shrimp Curry that was "medium" and had a hidden heat. The kind that sneaks up on you - Kung Pow! The steamed rice cooled things down a bit. Sensory overload!

Thai food. It intrigues me but it also kind of intimidates me all at the same time. I mean what do you order? Do you just keep trying different things until you find that "special dish" that you will love forever and ever? Tipps Thai was a pleasant, although I do not have much experience with Thai so I am not sure I am a very good judge of "authentic" Thai food. This was good, and I know good food. The restaurant was crowded, everyone had smiles on their faces and that is good enough for me.

Siam Thai Restaurant - Morgan Hill, Ca

I have only had Thai food a couple times in my life. The first time I had it I was a young 20 year old when Villa de Jerez in downtown Hollister was the Thai Restaurant. Does anyone remember when that was there? The second time was in Downtown Salinas before my sister's fashion show. And so I had to make it a third! I researched all things Thai food and decided Siam Thai Restaurant located at 17120 Monterey Street in Morgan Hill might do the trick.




The entrance to the restaurant is quite welcoming, open the door and the place is PACKED! Every table is full in the front room so we are led to the back. I don't mind, it is quiet and less overwhelming. I order a glass of wine to try and decipher the menu. Hundreds of things to order! With descriptions of ingredients I had never heard of before! Oh my....


Out came the soup I ordered: Tom Ka Seafood. The serving dish sure was pretty! It was a extremely flavorful coconut milk soup with prawns, scallops, calamari, mussels, galangal, mushrooms, fresh lime juice, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, cilantro and chili paste! Between two of us we shared the small order and that was plenty. I could only stand a small bowl of this, not because it wasn't good it just was so rich! At first, I didn't think it was spicy but by the bottom of the bowl I was starting to sweat!



Next up was the Prig Khing Beef, ordered to be "Medium" on the spice level. Ok, so I learned that Thai translation for Medium = Atomic Hot! Omg. Besides the heat the dish was extremely flavorful. The beef was sauteed with garlic, roasted sweet chili sauce, red curry paste, bell pepper and green beans. Next time, I am thinking MILD! The rice selection was Pineapple Fried Rice. I chose this mostly because it sounded like it would be tasty without scorching my taste buds. The fried rice was a delicious blend of prawns, chicken breast, Chinese sausage, garlic, onions, broccoli, tofu, raisins, cashews and pineapple. What a treat! I would definitely order this dish again. A meal in itself!

All in all my Thai experience was an educational one. I learned that I cannot tolerate spice like I used to! I used to be able to handle any kind of heat, now not so. The Pineapple Fried Rice was a treat, a recommended order to Thai food newbies. The restaurant seemed like a real favorite - I mean it was packed with people! I would like to return to try out more entrees. In fact they gave me a frequent dinner card with two entrees stamped... the 13th entree is free! That is pretty cool! Melissa Good Taste says 1.75 thumbs up.