Some food for thought... Basil Thai

So, a couple weeks ago, Megan, Emmy, and I decided to take a little trip to a restaurant. We wanted something close, but exotic as well. Then, it dawned on us: why not Basil Thai Cafe? Where is that? It's only about 3 miles away from campus on Loop 323. I had never been before, as I had never had a chance to go before. No one I knew liked to eat Thai food, and honestly, I didn't even know there was a place to eat Thai food in Tyler in the first place. I had always heard good things about the place, so all in all, I was really happy to get a chance to finally go.

So, we all piled in my car and made our way to Basil Thai. The restaurant itself is kind of hidden in plain sight; there's a nail shop on one side and a Shipley's (YES) on the other. We walk in and I look around; the place is quiet, clean, and cozy. Not cozy in that tiny, crowded apartment kind of way, but in a way that means it has character. The tables were big enough for four people to have their own eating space; a father and his three boys were sitting beside us and had more than enough room at their table. The menu was up high on the wall in front of us, so we had no problem seeing what we wanted to order. The specials and new dishes were written on a dry erase easel, which I thought was pretty cute.

It took me a while to decide what I was going to order, one because there were so many choices and combinations, and two because I had never eaten Thai food before. So, I stuck to what I knew: chicken and ginger. Megan ordered tofu and vegetables, and Emmy ordered chicken satay and red curry. The cashier and waitstaff were incredibly polite and fast. They made sure we had eating utensils, different sauces, napkins, rice... Man, did we have rice. And the portions were perfect and way more than you would expect for the price you'd be paying. Megan and I spent no more than $10 and got a ton of food. Emmy ordered more than we did and barely spent $15. Needless to say, our take out bags were pretty heavy. When I found out you could order by phone and then come pick it up, I was sold on this place. If you want really good food for an even better price, your best bet is going to be Basil Thai Cafe.

So, after we returned to the office (my car smelled like amazing Thai food the entire night), we laid out our spread. This is what we got:

From left to right: Red curry with rice, chicken satay (Emmy), tofu with vegetables, rice (shared between Megan and I), and ginger chicken and vegetables (me).

Emmy's red curry, rice, and chicken satay.

Megan's tofu and vegetables, rice for both of us, and my ginger chicken and vegetables.






Once we sat down and started eating, the rest of the night was spent feasting. The food was so good. Nothing was too spicy, too cold, or too bland. At the end of our meal, the only thing left was rice. Man, was there rice...