Lemongrass

Date
December 9, 2008

Location
On 14th Street next to Revolutionary Soup, right where Gumby's used to be
104 14th Street NW

What I ate
Spicy lemongrass chicken

Who went
Sara Bumgarner, Zac, Suzie, Rowlf, Larsen, Nora, Matt

Website
http://www.lemongrassuva.com/

ThoughtsMy food was really tasty. There aren't very many flavors and the best way to eat the food is to just mix it around with the rice, but the flavors that are there are delicious. The curry sauce came through strongly, just like I hoped, and the level of spiciness (5 out of 10) was just enough; it had a good kick but didn't stick around for a long time. I've gone twice before and haven't really experimented with the spicy scale, but I'm looking forward to edging towards 10. Matt said his 8 was a little disappointing.

The menu is not too complicated but still has a decent variety. There are a few appetizers - it looked like the calamari was a big hit - and traditional soups. The salads sound interesting, but I'm not sure I'd ever go there for the purpose of getting them. As for entrees, I don't recognize any offerings that don't have similar counterparts at most other Thai restaurants, nor do I notice any glaring omissions. They post a key in the menu informing the customer which dishes can be prepared vegetarian or vegan upon request, which is helpful.

The service was quite good; orders were taken quickly and food was out without much of a wait. This was quite nice since we needed to go somewhere that would be relatively quick so there was time to get to the Messiah Sing-In with plenty of time to get situated. We were in and out in just over an hour without feeling rushed. It took a little while for Nora's Thai iced tea and Erik's dinner to arrive, even though they were both ordered with things that were delivered to the table quickly, but that was the only gripe about the service.

The atmosphere is interesting. The space was obviously not intended to hold a sit-down restaurant, but they do a pretty good job spreading around the tables. They were able to seat our group of 8 right away and it looked like the staff could still navigate through space with ease. They could probably do with a little more light, but that's just nit-picking. A few people noted that the table decorations were half-hearted at best, but they do have a pretty cool 3-D, umm, art right by the entrance. All told, I think they do a pretty good job given the space they have.

Recap
Pros - Good food, quick service, relatively inexpensive
Cons - Not particularly unique
Overall - If you're on or around the Corner looking for Thai food, I highly recommend it. It's not necessarily a place to go when you're just hungry, but will definitely hit the spot if you're in the mood.