By Cory Kibler
The restaurant closes at 8:30 p.m. on weekdays, so we were able to get in right under the wire. The space is relatively small and very tidy. It is also mostly lit by natural light, which pours in through the large window facing East.
The decor was very minimal in style. In fact, it was a minimal dining experience overall: we were the only people there and there wasn't any music playing, which made for a somewhat silent dinner. This can be a good or bad thing, depending on your preference.
As is the case with most Thai restaurants I've frequented, Thai Garden had a very large vegetarian menu. To start our meal, we went with a vegetarian spring roll, which was crispy and hot and came with a bit of oil for dipping. We also opted to get a non-vegetarian starter in the form of a fresh roll, which was crab meat, cilantro and noodles wrapped in a rice-noodle skin. This came with an amazing spicy peanut dipping sauce.
While the fresh roll itself was not vegetarian, both it and the spring roll satisfied our hunger for Thai food that was flavorful, authentic, and fresh-tasting. Also, each item was right around one dollar, which was a huge plus. That's about a fourth of the cost of the same items at other various Lincoln Thai restaurants.
For our entrees, we ordered Tofu Pad See-Ewe and the Vegetable Panang. Again, the prices couldn't be beat--each of these entrees were about eight dollars and would have been double elsewhere. The Pad See-Ewe, which was rice noodles, broccoli, egg, fried tofu and a little bit of soy sauce, contained great flavors and textures.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only were the noodles the perfect consistency, but the dish was not over-seasoned or over-salted. I actually had to add some soy sauce to it, which was preferable to wishing there was less soy sauce on it to begin with.
The Vegetable Panang was served in a small beige ceramic pot alongside a bowl of steamed rice. Inside the pot were carrots, cabbage, bamboo shoots, broccoli and the Panang sauce. The vegetables and rice were prepared perfectly, but the Panang sauce, made out of curry and coconut milk, was much different than anything I’ve ever had before. It was thinner and a little oilier than I am used to and was much milder than other Panang sauces I’ve tasted. However, the flavors were excellent and it had the perfect amount of spice.
Our hostess/waitress attended to us very well all throughout our meal. I don't think we had to wait longer than five minutes or so for any of the food that we ordered and everything was served without any slip-ups.
Depending on your level of stringency of vegetarianism, you may want to inquire whether they use fish sauce in preparing their dishes, so that you can make sure your experience is wholly meat-free. For authentic, clean-tasting vegetarian (and non-vegetarian) dishes, the Thai Garden is an excellent choice.
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