Hot Thai
You do not have to endure the civil unrest in Thailand to enjoy really good Thai food for Lunch in the Gump. Located in the old Union Station down on the river (300B Water Street), Lek's Railroad Thai is consistently rated as one of the top-ten places to eat lunch or dinner in the Gump. Even the fussy Shadow Pup raved about the place for dinner on her Sup in the Gump blog not long ago. (Did you know she was pictured on the DeJaVu CSN&Y album?)
Shadow Pup with her peeps David, Stephen, Graham and Neil at the shooting of the album cover.
But I digress. This blog is primarily designed to address luncheon concerns although a good argument could be made that given the proclivities of the LITG Gang, we ought to be rating bars in the Gump also. Lek's is a good example of a good restaurant that has one of the neatest bars in town but does not attract a bar crowd because the restaurant is so popular. For those concerned about mundane things like money, the lunch menu lists numerous curry and other entrees for $7.50 to $8.50 and they all come with soup and one of the best spring rolls around. Those in a hurry will be pleased to know that if you order off the lunch menu, you will in and out in less than 30 minutes from the time you sit down--which might be a problem because the place usually has a line to get in which moves pretty fast for the very reason stated above. And for those concerned about your carbon footprint, Lek's is on the "Lunch Trolley Express" route and is near the inter modal bus facility.
Now as far as food taste and quality is concerned, Lek's is outstanding. I like curry and their Musmin Chicken Curry and Red Curry Chicken are my personal favorites. The latter is served in coconut milk with bamboo shoots and red peppers. No, they do not serve milk steak just because they use coconut milk in several dishes.
Red Curry Chicken Half-Finished or, if you are an optimist, half-full.
Now if you always want fried chicken, cornbread and collards cooked in fat like that lard-ass Bama Bing, this is not the place for you. But if you occasionally want good portions of spicy Thai food that will not put you into a grease coma, Lek's is a nice change of pace.
Side effect of food coma as demonstrated by Darla
I, for one, am a lunch renaissance man. I can enjoy The El Paso Chile Company, The Davis Cafe & Lounge (another lunch/bar spot) and Lek's all in the same week. Lek's also has a real sushi bar that appears popular with the Maxwell AFB Air War College students from Thailand. At least the mid-level officers. If you are new to sushi, I would recommend--despite the name--The Bama Crunch Roll.
Specify "Thai Hot" if you like more of these.
Lek's is open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 PM for lunch M-F. I have to go with Shadow Pup and give this place a five pepper rating. She is, after all, an Lh.D.
Hey what are you basing your comparison on? Have you had Thai food somewhere else other than Montgomery? Have you tried any of the authentically prepared Laos style dishes from Green Papaya? I go right along with some of your reviews, but Lek's has consistently dissapointed me. Their salty, sweet, fishy, spicy, sour, ballance is all off compared to green papaya's. Thai Gratiem, heck even ala thai east is better than this dump. I guess it's because you guys primarily focus downtown eateries? I have to agree that they are the best thai downtown- but do yourself a favor and try some of the other thai places in town and I guarantee this one will pale in comparison.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments. We're not food critics, just local ex-cons and parolees (and one dog) who like to eat lunch and write about the experience. We've all traveled extensively and eaten in some of the world's best joints (including Thailand), but not lately, since we have all been forced to surrender our passports. Anyway, none of those places are in the Gump.
ReplyDeleteMany people have suggested Green Papaya and we are trying to get clearance from our parole officers for a trip there.
Thanks for the defense Bama Bing. You may be a lard ass but I'm glad you've got my back. By the way, where is the Green Papaya?
ReplyDeleteGreen Papaya? I don't know where it is but with a name like that it must be someplace to take your girlfriend but never your wife.
ReplyDeleteI've mapped the location of green papaya here on the montgomery map, along with a few other suggestions.
ReplyDeletehttp://maps.google.com/maps/user?uid=116208821714205239657
Actually, our sister site "Sup in the Gump" recently reviewed Green Papaya very favorably (with a very funny review from Shadow Pup, or was it Tojo? Can't remember). The lunch group will be going soon. Thanks for the recommendation.
ReplyDelete