I've been in love with Thai food as long as I've been diagnosed with Celiac Disease. It was amazing to think that there were dishes naturally made with rice noodles! Later it dawned upon me that most soy sauces were made with wheat, so our Sunday Thai traditions were immediately dashed.
That's why I get excited any time I can find a Thai restaurant that uses Tamari or any other non-wheay soy sauce. In preparation for an upcoming trip, I used the Find Me Gluten Free app to research the restaurant options. I was over the moon to realize that there was a Thai food restaurant that could accommodate my Celiac Disease, gluten-free needs. They were even quick to answer questions I asked through their Facebook page, addressed directly by the owner. I was just as impressed with the seriously LARGE amount of choices on their
gluten-free menu!
We walked in for dinner on a sultry, summer Saturday night around 7 pm and were able to get a seat pretty quickly. (Added bonus, they sat me at a table next to an outlet so I could recharge my cell phone!) I addressed my gluten-free needs with our server, Josh, and he went through the menu with me about the best dishes to order. I decided to branch off from my usual, Pad Thai, due to Josh's recommendations. I ordered the Drunken Noodles with chicken and my lovely husband ordered the Pad Prik with beef.
Just before our waiter was about to leave the table, I realized there was an appetizer on the menu that I could actually eat! I ordered Bo Bia Sod, which are similar to Vietnamese spring rolls. I ended up eating these all by myself, as the do contain shrimp and are made early in the day. (My husband has a shellfish allergy.) They were so colorful and beautiful, I almost didn't want to eat them. Almost.
It didn't take too long for the rest of our order to arrive, and I was eager to try
Drunken Noodles for the first time. I was definitely not disappointed! After a day of eating ice cream and drinking hard cider, my body was definitely ready for this beautiful boatload of vegetables. The sauce had a tinge of sweetness to it that kept me coming back for more.
The
Pad Cashew was equally delicious, There's just something wonderful about sauteed bell peppers and mushrooms. I could seriously eat them all day. We made sure to order both dishes to be gluten-free, so we could share. We mentioned that it would probably be better for our waistlines if we didn't eat it all and saved some for the next day. But who are we kidding. You better believe that we devoured ALL of it. It's mostly vegetables, right?
I was amazed from reading on the
Midland Daily News that they currently run this business with a "kitchen [that] is about the size of a food truck." This is why during the week they close for two hours, to prep for the evening dinner service. All of this is about to change though,soon as they will be moving to a new location, in downtown Midland. This will triple their square footage and dining area. Their new location will provide a view of the Dow Diamond.
It's so exciting to know that this "
mom & pop" business, opened by a former computer engineer with a big dream, is having such great success. His daughter Sami said he wanted to open an eating establishment where it felt like diners had "been invited into his home." With such excellent service and care for my food-related health issues, it truly felt like I was being treated like family. I'm definitely looking forward to going back when they open downtown in late summer of 2016.
What restaurants on your travels have gone above and beyond? Where's your favorite place to get Thai or other Asian ethnic foods?
225 Wackerly Road
Midland MI 48640
989-486-9390
Hours
Monday - Friday: 11:00 - 2:30, 4:30 - 9 pm
Saturday: 12pm - 9 pm
Sunday : Closed
Labels: restaurant review
