I eat a lot of Thai food. It’s easy to make substitutions, the dishes are usually made per order, the ingredients are fresh and flavorful and it’s usually reasonably priced. I have certain dietary restrictions, so eating out can be a definite challenge. As Nathan’s review said, Thai Kitchen is pretty standard fare/atmosphere. I enjoyed our Tom Kha Gai, however it was overfull of fresh button mushroom slices. I’m all for fresh ingredients, but they were raw and I prefer the straw mushrooms normally used. Also enjoyable are onions in this flavor combination but except for two stray pieces, it was oddly absent. The broth was rich with an excellent lemongrass flavor, however I have had better at several other places. We ordered this with three stars and unfortunately as a lot of thai restaurants count on the peppers added that sink to the bottom, the spicy was missing from this dish.

My entrée was the garlic chicken. It was that…garlic and chicken with cabbage. For ordering 3 stars, I was very disappointed as there was no heat at all to the dish. I thought the menu description also listed rice, but I was apparently incorrect. They lost points with me for not including rice with an entrée, which seems a normal assumption that they would have included it. Service lagged a bit for having only 5 tables full and three waitresses working. While our server was polite, she seemed to be rushing us through our orders. After seating she immediately asked us for a drink order without giving us time to peruse the menu—unfortunately an annoyance to me.

All in all, I’m sure we’ll go back since it’s 2 blocks from our apartment, but I’ll definitely be seeking out some of the other dishes (and possibly trying four to five stars) on the menu in hopes there may be a hidden treasure somewhere.

Cafe Neo, Located in Northern Spokane, is looking to bring some big-city flavor to the little city.

While I was recently in Spokane (I currently live in Kirkland) I partook in the dining experience that is Cafe Neo. Located in a newly-built business strip across from Whitworth College, Cafe Neo is unassuming from the outside. However, when you enter you feel as though you've been transported to a location much more upscale than Northern Spokane. The interior is well-decorated with modern art and colors, an open seating area with 8-10 tables as well as another more secluded area with about 4 tables and a "bar" consisting of 3 low couches around a small table.

I started off just before the end of Happy Hour with a Tequila and Tonic which was well-priced for Patron. For appetizer we had Bruschetta with Pesto and Tomatoes (not the official menu name), which came out artfully arranged on a plate and drizzled with oil and vinegar. It tasted just as good as it looked.

For the main course I ordered the Idaho Rainbow Trout, which may not seem extravagant, but I hadn't been across the mountains in a while and missed inland fish. The service was quick and my order arrived well ahead of what I would have expected from any restaurant. The fish came with roasted potatoes, and was smothered in an arugula and "brown-butter" sauce. The fish was excellently cooked, falling apart on the fork and not tasting like ordinary trout (this could also have been because it was from Idaho, but I attribute it more to the staff's preparation). The brown-butter sauce went along perfectly with both the fish and potatoes, creating a wonderful flavor. The entire meal was a delight. Cafe Neo had lived up to what I had heard about it.

To finish things off, for dessert I had a fried banana and some blood-orange sherbet. Quite the interesting combo, but just as delicious as everything else I had experienced that night at Cafe Neo.

If you're looking for a special night out or an elegant lunch and are able to get to north Spokane, check out Cafe Neo; you won't be disappointed!