Noodles and Ginger and Basil, Oh My! Thai Basil Leaf, Arlington, Texas

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Thai Basil Leaf, 805 W. Park Row Drive, Arlington, Texas 76013, 817.277.0440

Hungry Chick’s Rating:  9 out of 10 chickens

Thai food has been one of my favorite cuisines since my friend, Michael, introduced me to it more than 15 years ago.  Looking back, I wonder how I survived so long without experiencing this delicious food.  So many years wasted when I could have been eating Thai food on a regular basis.

But youth is wasted on the young, so I didn’t first taste Thai food until my friend was trying to cheer me up as I was starting on the long and difficult journey to a divorce.  He took me to Bangkok Inn on Skillman in Dallas (which will be the subject of another blog post in the hopefully not too distant future), which is still my all-time favorite Thai restaurant — and believe me, I’ve tried many of them, both in the greater Dallas area and in virtually any city that I visit.  The hole-in-the-wall places are good (or better than good) a surprising number of times, as they are usually family run and the cooks know how to make authentic recipes that are not so hot that your head feels like it is going to burst into flames — unless you ask them to make it “Thai hot.”  Food is typically cooked to order, allowing you to not only select your dish but the meat you’d like in it, as well as determining what level of spice you will enjoy.  Such is the beauty of Thai cuisine.

Thai Basil Leaf is in an old strip center in Arlington, just south of the University of Texas at Arlington; it is also located right across the street from Arlington High School, so the intersection can be quite congested at times.  Thai Basil Leaf shares its space with another Asian restaurant right next door, as well as the awesome Nizza Pizza (which is a small chain, so I won’t be reviewing it here, although it is absolutely the best pizza in town, in my not-so-humble opinion), an Indian restaurant (that personally I do not recommend, but that’s a whole other story), a bakery, and a Boba tea shop.

The restaurant itself has recently been remodeled, with new paint / wallpaper on the walls and such, and the menus, which originally were presented in plastic folders with the pages encased in plastic sleeves reminiscent of a middle school book report, are nicely designed, laminated, and easier to read than their predecessors. It would appear that much of the remodeling took place behind the scenes, though, as many of the changes weren’t apparent when we returned after their month-ish long hiatus.  We missed them greatly while they were closed, so my husband and I did a happy dance when we saw that they were open for business once again.

We always order way too much food when we eat Thai food, and Thai Basil Leaf is no exception to this habit. They offer many appetizers, for starters. The chicken saute is excellent, as are the several soups.  Our favorites, though, are the steamed dumplings, served with crunchy garlic on top and a lovely dumpling sauce. I don’t know what is in it, but it is completely fabulous. We usually end up ordering some fresh shrimp spring rolls, as well, with peanut sauce.  (Did I mention that peanut sauce may be one of the very best things about Thai food?)  The rolls are called numerous things, depending on what restaurant you visit, but the ones that are wrapped up line an egg roll but then served fresh, not fried, are divine. Realistically, we could make a meal off of the appetizers alone (and my husband would probably approve of this idea, since he correctly thinks that we usually order way too much food), but what would be the fun in that with all the delightful entrees?

I am always torn between the Pad Thai, a noodle dish featuring your choice of meat (I prefer chicken or pork), green onions, bean sprouts, a special sauce, and egg (unless you, like the Hungry Chick, are not friends with eggs, in which case, they will leave them out for you. One of the many desirable qualities of Thai food!). The dish is served with ground peanuts sprinkled on the top along with a lime wedge that enhances the flavor when squeezed over the hot dish before diving into it. You can also order this dish with shrimp, beef, or tofu (although the Hungry Chick does not recommend ruining this fabulous dish with tofu! If you are a tofu eater, please disregard this editorial comment).

Another excellent dish is the Peanut Broccoli. As you might imagine from the name, this entree features broccoli and thinly sliced carrots sauteed with peanut sauce and your choice of protein.  It is presented artistically and accompanied by steamed white rice.

If you prefer curry, Thai Basil is sure to please.  Their Massaman curry, pictured above, is delightful with a tasty coconut milk base in which peanuts, bell peppers, onions, carrots, and potatoes swim along with, once again, your choice of protein.  My husband raves about the Spicy Basil and the Thai Ginger, and he likes both so well that occasionally we’ve joked about resorting to a coin toss to help him decide between the two.  Another new favorite, also pictured above, is the Pad Kee Mao, which combines flat, wide rice noodles with fresh chili garlic, broccoli, garlic, tomato, carrot, bell pepper, onion, and basil.

It is probably worth mentioning here that we rarely are able to finish the ample portions. That doesn’t usually stop us from ordering dessert, although we try to show a little bit of restraint by only ordering one to share.  Our all-time favorite is the sweet sticky rice with mango, which is available seasonally, depending on the quality of mangoes.  It is a delicious combination of sweet rice with sweetened coconut milk with sliced mango on top.  When that is not available, we also like the sweet sticky rice (noticing a pattern here?) with Thai custard. Admittedly, the custard is a rather odd shade of yellow, but if you can disconnect your color senses, it is delicious — a lovely way to end a meal.

The overall atmosphere of Thai Basil Leaf is pleasant, clean, and friendly. The restaurant appears to be largely run by one family, and the owner often comes and takes orders and visits with patrons personally.  Thai Basil Leaf is one of our go-to restaurants when we want a good meal for a reasonable price.

Hungry Chick gives Thai Basil Leaf only 9 stars instead of 10 because as good as it is, it’s not quite as good as Bangkok Inn. More on this in an other installment . . . soon.

Happy eating, readers!

Table decoration, because I think it’s adorable!
Massaman Curry with pork
Fresh Salad Rolls (with shrimp)
Thai Basil Leaf menu, page 2
Thai Basil Leaf, page 1

Comfortably Yum: Mi Canton Latino Restaurant, Arlington, Texas

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Mi Canton Latino Restaurant
1827 SW Green Oaks Blvd, Ste 149
Arlington, Texas 76107
817.375.0101

Hungry Chick’s Rating:  8 of 10 chickens

So my husband and I were running errands — everyone’s favorite time sucking, soul sucking event — and we decided it was time for something to eat.  We did our usual “where should we eat” dance, which always goes something like this:

“Are you hungry?” (Usually me)

“I could eat. Are you hungry?”

“I’m starving. What are you hungry for?”

“I dunno. What sounds good to you?”

“I picked last time. It’s your turn.”

“I pick going home and fixing something.”

“I’m afraid I’m entirely too hungry for that. It’ll be 2 hours until we eat. I’ll be dead on the floor by then. I think we need to stop somewhere.”

“Well, where do you want to go?”

About this time, we noticed a strip mall sitting adjacent to the Kroger that we’d never paid attention to before.  The primary business on this strip is Mi Canton Latino Restaurant, and with all of the brightly colored signs advertising various dishes, it’s hard to miss once it catches your attention.  Since I’d just been talking to a friend on Facebook that very day about starting a restaurant blog, this seemed like a sign from the food gods.  “Let’s go in here!”

With locations in both Irving and Arlington, Texas, I almost decided not to blog up Mi Canton Latino Restaurant, especially as the inaugural post for the Hungry Chick’s blog.  But it turned out that the place provides much of what I appreciate about a hole in the wall restaurant:  excellent food that’s individually prepared to order, a cozy environment that’s not a replica of the 27 others in town, and a friendly staff.  Mi Canton Latino Restaurant offers all of this in a relaxed atmosphere, complete with televisions showing Spanish-language programming in three corners of the dining room.

We were greeted with a blast of cool air when we opened the door, a well-appreciated welcome on a 100+ degree day.  To the left of the foyer is the sizable dining room. Booths line two walls, as well as either side of an island in the middle of the room with a large aisle running in a square between the two seating areas.  The hostess told us to sit where we liked, so we selected a booth by one of the plate glass windows.

Since the Hungry Chick is on a budget, we ordered water to drink so that we could devote our pennies to the wide variety of menu choices.  The options are extensive, ranging from a la carte items like pupusas and tamales to seafood and traditional Mexican dishes.   They also have a full section of the menu devoted to egg-based dishes like huevos estrellados and huevos rancheros, available anytime the restaurant is open, which will appeal to folks who like their eggs outside of breakfast hours (that would not be the Hungry Chick, who eschews anything egg-y.  More in the world for the rest of y’all). Since we were in a Salvadorian establishment, we honed in on the items that the menu identified as authentic Salvadorian food. The primary listings were in Spanish, with the English translation in smaller lettering underneath, and since the descriptions were a bit superficial, we weren’t 100% sure what we were ordering. It’s ok, though — we were here for an adventure!

We munched on chips and salsa while we waited for our food to arrive.  The first round of chips was the slightest bit stale, but when the second basket arrived, they tasted like they were freshly made. The chip baskets are small, a good idea, since we didn’t fall into the trap we often succumb to at Mexican restaurants — eating so many chips that we are nearly full when the dinner arrives.

I have loved pupusas since the first time I tried them at Gloria’s Restaurant, a local chain that is quite tasty, but pricey. These pupusas come in a wide variety of combinations, ranging from cheese, to cheese combined with pork, beef, loroco, or chicken.  In addition to a couple of pupusas, I couldn’t resist the fried plantains, which were absolutely delicious and came in the largest serving I’ve ever encountered. They split a whole plantain in half lengthwise down the center and then prepared it with brown sugar and cinnamon; it was still steaming when it made it to the table.  My husband ordered Tamales de Elote con Crema, a corn tamale served with Salvadorian sour cream, which is not as tart at the sour cream we are accustomed to in Texas and has a thinner consistency.  These tamales come either fried or steamed, and although the steamed version is perhaps healthier, the process of frying turns an interesting taste into an irresistible one:  crunchy on the outside with a soft texture on the inside.  Dredged through the cream, this was so delicious that I immediately ordered one for myself so my husband would be able to eat his food in peace.  He also ordered Enchiladas Salvadoreans, which would remind you of what Tex-Mex fans would call a tostada.  The base, though, was a stronger, crunchier version of a tostada shell and the vegetables on top included the homemade vinegar cole slaw, avocado and tomato slices, and a slice of fresh radish on top.

We finished off the meal with an Empanada, a fried plantain puff with a thick custard filling.  I wasn’t sure what to expect when we decided to order it, but it came out piping hot, and had a light but crispy texture on the outside that revealed an inch thick layer of custard that held together even after the pastry was cut open.  Like everything else, the Empanada was made to order. No heat lamps to keep food warm in this establishment.

We didn’t try anything that wasn’t absolutely delicious. My challenge now will be to try something different the next time I go back, since I have this bad habit of finding something I like at a place and ordering it every time I go there.  I’m thinking it would be a good idea to move off of the first page of the menu and sample some of the other yummy looking offerings.

The best surprise of all:  even with all the food we ate — and it was a lot, and we ate it ALL — we spent $15, including a decent tip (a little better than 15%). We laughed on the way home about how we couldn’t have eaten anywhere else for that small sum, except maybe Taco Bell, and the food surely wouldn’t have been nearly as good!

Hungry Chick gives Mi Canton Latino Restaurant 8 out of 10 chickens.

Sampling DFW's delicious, little-known dives, one cuilnary experience at a time