My quest for good Asian food in KC continues. A rundown of my recent frustrations: - North Dragon (on Oak Trafficway in Gladstone): Nuh uh. This is just bad suburban Chinese food. I went with the General Tsos chicken, and it was just overdone, with mushy breading, and didnt taste good at all. The hot and sour soup was passable, but nothing more than that. - Tasty Thai (right off I-29 right by Platte Woods): Cloying is the word. The Thai iced tea was WAY too heavy and sweet. The Pad Thai, likewise, was underseasoned and heavy. I didnt even finish it. It got a little better as I got used to it, and it was certainly a cut above North Dragon, but if I ever go back, Im getting something else. - Lulus Noodles (in the Crossroads): The Thai iced tea was unmemorable. I considered getting the Drunken Noodles but went with the Pad Thai--like getting pepperoni at a pizza place just to get a feel for their style. I ordered it spicy, and when it arrived I was confronted with a mass of rice noodles, while the tofu, scallions, and bean sprouts lay mostly underneath. There were flecks of red pepper about, but I got the impression that the dish was cooked and the spicy elements added near the end--the noodles were mostly quite bland, and the tofu and egg likewise lacking in panache. It wasnt terrible, but it felt rather...half-hearted, dare I say? New Peking in Westport is still my gold standard for Chinese food in KC, but Im still looking for good Thai. Having eaten at Thai House in Lawrence innumerable times over the last few years, I grew used to their Pad Thai, which achieves a fine balance of creamy, spicy, and savory--something neither Tasty Thai nor Lulus quite nailed (both also were quite lacking in crushed peanuts, which is a criminal omission where PT is concerned).
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 04:27:10 +0000