Thai Flavor

They say variety is the spice of life. If you are tired of going out to the same places all the time, it’s definitely time to spice up your routine and head down to Thai Flavor. With all of their spicy (and not so spicy if you prefer) choices you won’t be disappointed. Thai Flavor is located at 2863 1/2 Erie Blvd East Syracuse, New York 13224 (the former Little Thai House) and is open daily from 11:30 am to 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm to 10 pm and closed on Tuesdays.
Lyn and I arrived at Thai Flavor on a rainy Wednesday evening. We are both relatively new to Thai cuisine so we were very excited about having the opportunity to meet with the owner, Khrongjai Thawbunta (Irene) so that she could explain all the best that Thai Flavor had to offer. Irene started out by explaining to us that as far as an authentic Thai cuisine experience was concerned we were in very good hands. She explained that for months she interviewed top chefs all over Thailand and has now brought Chef Tom to Syracuse to share his culinary expertise with us! Chef Tom is renowned throughout Thailand for winning first place in a cooking game show, preparing dishes for Thai royalty and for being named the top Thai chef in the world. Irene also told us that although Chef Tom is doing an excellent job, it is a lot of work for one chef to handle so she is in the process of bringing on another chef from Thailand.
Irene told us that she opened Thai Flavor about four months ago and that before doing so the interior décor and lighting has been renovated. She told us that after traveling the US she was surprised at how few authentic Thai restaurants were around. She knew that she wanted to bring a taste of Thailand to America by opening a restaurant like the one her grandparents had back in Thailand many years ago. Being Thai cuisine newbies, we asked Irene what we should order. We were told that she had handpicked everything on the menu as a sample of the very best Thai dishes. Irene also told us that in addition to having a delicious meal, we might also experience some health benefits from the fresh herbs used in many of her recipes. She explained that the fresh Thai herbs such as Holy Basil relieves the feeling of being bloated, Thai Sweet Basil relieves cold symptoms and green shallots clear nasal congestion.
After listening to all of the interesting facts and cuisine suggestions Irene had to offer, we finally decided on what we would order. At this point our mouths were watering with anticipation of the meal to come, so we decided to start with an order of Shrimp Rockets ($7) and Fried Thai Spring Rolls ($5). Each of the four Shrimp Rockets were made up of a tender shrimp stuffed with Thai herbs and crunchy peanuts all wrapped into a crispy and light spring roll served with a plum sauce. The mixture of flavors and textures can be described as nothing short of heavenly. As for the Thai Fried Spring Rolls, they were light and flavorful crispy delights, sure to satisfy anyone looking for a vegetarian appetizer option. Irene also recommended the Thai Dumplings ($7) which are Marinated minced chicken and shrimp, water chestnut & taro root, served with Thai black bean vinaigrette sauce. We didn’t have room for the Thai Dumplings that day, but will be sure to order them next time we visit Thai Flavor.
For the main course Lyn ordered a Thai favorite, Shrimp Pad Thai ($13). This dish, which consists of Thai noodles, egg, grounded peanuts, bean sprout, scallion and shrimp is always a crowd pleaser and a perfect place to start for those new to Thai cuisine. The flavors along with the soft noodles and the crunchy peanuts are further complimented when you squeeze on the fresh sliced lime it is served with. Lyn described this dish as “sweet and tangy, soft and crunchy.” Although these words seem to be contradictory, the truth is that this combination can be best summarized in one word “delicious!”
I was feeling a bit more adventurous that night and ordered the Tofu Delight ($10) which was sautéed eggplant, tofu, basil leaves and bell peppers in black bean sauce served with a side of rice. Everything in the dish was sautéed to perfection which resulted in a wonderful blend of flavors while also maintaining the individual integrity of each ingredient. The black bean sauce was unlike anything I had ever tasted before but definitely something I would like to taste again… very soon! Next time I visit Thai Flavor, I plan to order another house specialty: the Chicken Red Curry ($12), a spicy dish made with Chicken, red curry, Bamboo shoots and sweet basil all simmered in coconut milk. Irene also recommended a few other popular entrees such as Noodle Beef Soup ($12) which is noodles with stewed beef and Kao Soi Chicken ($17) which is sliced chicken breasts sautéed with red onion, scallion, and mixed vegetables in red curry sauce and served over a mixture of soft and crispy egg noodles.
We really didn’t save room for dessert but when Lyn saw that fried ice cream ($7) was on the menu, we decided to split one. The warm and chewy fried shell was a perfect complement to the cool and creamy ice cream. As if that alone wouldn’t be perfection in a dish, the whole thing was topped with rich chocolate sauce and strawberry sauce with whole strawberries in it. After dessert we went home with a little knowledge about Thai cuisine and very full bellies!
Whether you’ve never had Thai cuisine before, or you just can’t get enough of authentic Thai dishes then Thai Flavor is the place for you. Before you go be sure to check out their website “http://www.thaiflavorsyracuse.com”http://www.thaiflavorsyracuse.com and don’t forget to make reservations at 315-251-1366. If you don’t have time to sit and eat, place an order for takeout, pick it up and bring the Thai experience home with you! Either way, you must get to Thai Flavor as soon as you can because until you try it, you don’t know what you’re missing!

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