Photos by Evie Carpenter
Grade: B
A new Thai Basil has made a home on a corner of the first floor of the historic Art Deco-style Orpheum Lofts building in the heart of downtown Phoenix.
Despite the non-assuming exterior of the 114 W. Adams St. location, a majestic-hued dining room of purple, gold and chocolate brown awaits just beyond the front door. Dark wooden tables and chairs, muted gold walls and Thai woodcarvings and art work adorning the walls make the dining room intriguingly inviting, save for a weird mix of Thai rock blaring from the speakers.
The menu rings familiar, being virtually identical to the one seen at other Valley-wide Thai Basil sites, offering a modular approach: choose a preparation style like curry and pair it alongside a choice of protein (chicken, beef, pork or tofu). All dishes can be made to order vegetarian style as well.
On the dinner menu, typical Thai favorites include an assortment of noodles, curries, grilled dishes and stir-fries: rice noodles with pork and vegetables ($9.95); red curry beef ($9.95); barbecued Thai chicken ($9.95); and seafood stir-fried with Thai basil and garlic sauce ($14.95).
I dined on the Siamese chow mein, a good-sized helping of Chinese-influenced egg noodles, stir-fried with onions, cabbage, carrots and broccoli. It was flavorfully light, with a balanced blend of sweet and sour. All lunch specials are served with a choice of chicken, beef, pork or tofu at a set $7.95 unless you choose prawns for $9.95. A spring roll and cup of vegetable soup are served alongside both options.
The pad thai is a classic. Its generous portion of spicy pan-fried noodles mixed with fried egg, chicken, and tofu is served with plenty of crunchy bean sprouts, ground peanuts, and slivers of green onion. For those with a spice penchant, it certainly could be spicier. The Thai basil chicken, however, offers a good mix of flavors, textures and spices but is nothing too out of the ordinary.
Staying true to traditional Thai cuisine, dishes balance sweet, sour and salty flavors. For the faint of heart (like me), know that hot means hot when ordering.
Perfect for students, Thai Basil is open for lunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., dinner, 5 to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday; lunch and dinner, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday.
Contact the critic cksilves@asu.edu
