My Kinda Thai

So I was in Boston on business in the middle of an intense snow storm. I had food and shelter on my mind, in that order. There's a simple place I always stop by for a bite when I'm in town. My first visit was a little murky. It took me a while to locate the second floor Thai restaurant. The entrance is on a side street. The stairwell to the main cafe entrance is not inviting and being the always urban minded kinda cat I am, I was alert as I climbed the stairs ensuring there wasn't some unexpecteds' waiting for a vic'. But it was safe. I entered and let my guard down. It was time to eat!

This trip to My Thai Cafe, located at 3 Beach Street in Boston Massachusetts, I noted my entire experience so I could bring my review to you, the readers.

The owner greeted me and confirmed "for one?"

"Indeed." I said

He led me to the near corner of the cafe, where there are tall windows that gave a wide view of the intersection of Washington and Beach Streets. I found it 'peace' to be able to watch the snow and the bustling Bostonians during rush hour. The cafe had a chill though, which didn't work for me. It was already crazy cold and the restaurant doesn't carry a 'warm' feeling; the floors are made of generic bland tiles, the room had drab colors,  hard kitchenette chairs and tables, and dim, near dark lighting. I'm able to adjust to just about any situation so I was still at home and I was there for the food anyway! Who cares about the damn colors! Here's what I ordered and my grades:

Steamed Dumplings - Ground veggie-chicken, onions, asian vegetables, mushrooms, and spices, wrapped in wheat flour and steamed. I'm a huge fan of steamed dumplings. I prefer them pan seared THEN steamed. It gives them a better texture. These dumplings were only steamed, but were steamed well and still tasty. The combination of the fresh vegetables and well balanced spices made it easy to enjoy the dumplings without any dipping sauce, which for me, a sauce and condiment connoisseur, is difficult to do. Report: A well done Asian staple. B

Tom Yum - Thai soup with tofu, veggie-shrimp, mushrooms, tomato, celery, lemongrass, chili paste, lime leaves, basil, coriander, and fresh lime juice. Great soup. Do I need to write more? With lemongrass and chili paste, it's hard to go wrong; especially on a winter day. The spice had just the right 'burn' without robbing my taste buds of the other rich flavors. If I would change anything about this soup, it would be to heighten the galangal flavor. Galangal is a dried plant that's somewhat of a ginger. The flavor is unique and I missed it in this bowl. Still very on point without it. Report: small cubes of tofu and the small to medium sized shrimp kept this dish from being soybean soup. I appreciated it. Strong flavors. B

Krung Kaeng Massaman  - Sweet potatoes, peanuts, coconut milk, and onions stir-fried with a mild red massaman curry. This curry is unlike the traditional Thai style curry, It has Persian, Indian, and Islamic cultural roots and so the flavors are generally a little more mild. I ordered it mega hot! cause that's how I gets down. The star anise and coconut milk brought this plate home. The portion was generous, but not too large to finish for the starving man I was. The sweet potatoes were tender, but not mushy and gave the dish hardiness. The chef could've been a bit lighter on the peanuts. I thought they could've been omitted altogether, but still a strong dish. The fluffy rice was an excellent compliment to the richness of the Massaman. I've ordered this dish several times at My Thai. Good stuff.  Report: My opinion of this dish is strong. A-

Vegan Chocolate on Chocolate Cake - I made up the name for this American staple. It's not on the menu. You just look, point, and say "I want a slice of that." I ordered this dessert to go and enjoyed it in my Westin suite later that night...and even later that morning. This is a sweet very dense cake. You can almost smell the sugar. Unless you're a major chocolate consumer, I'd recommend sharing this dessert with 1 or 7 other people; there's plenty of sugary cocoa cake to go around. Also, it may be better served warm, as I mentioned it's very dense. Report: taste-wise it grades high, but the lack of air in the cake itself, takes something away. B-

See MyThai Cafe RDR Report Card below.

My Thai Cafe is a cool place. Nothing special as far as atmosphere, but comfortable. Take an afternoon date; she or he will dig it even if they're carnivores; or just bring your ipad and veg' out on your own dolo.  The employees are gentle and are not intrusive. You might think you're alone until a strange hand reaches for your empty plate and asks if you need anything else. You'll say "Yes. More please."

Peace.