As I’d mentioned in a previous post, there was a time not too long ago that I thought there was no good Thai food in St. Paul. (Obviously, this was before I’d discovered Bangkok Thai Deli and Bangkok Cuisine.) So imagine the joy I felt when On’s Thai Kitchen, the most positively reviewed restaurant in 2011*, opened up just a short walk from our house in December 2010.
On’s was started by the woman behind Bangkok Thai Deli so you already the pedigree is good. All the usual Thai food suspects are there and super — green chicken curry, Thom Ka, spring rolls — but I’d really recommend heading over to the “On’s Special Dishes” section of the menu and think outside the coconut. Last Saturday night, after a week of camping in South Dakota, we were craving something you wouldn’t cook on camp stove. We got out the On’s menu and ordered the Pla-Louee-Suon, which is a crispy filet of fish with mango and lemon grass sauce. It was out of this world. The fish was fried, but was nowhere close to being greasy. The mango and lemon grass had a sweet/sour thing going on that made you want to keep eating way past when you were full. There is a whole fish option, instead of a filet, that I would do next time.
That section is a little pricier than the others, but the dishes comfortably feed two. The place is very reasonably priced. And it’s right near the Turf Club. What more do you want? In fact, you could make a whole evening out that whole block. Grab some food at On’s, buy some birthday gifts at AxMan, catch some music at the Turf Club, and then…well…there are other intriguing retail opportunities on the block as well. Something for everyone on the Avenue.
*I’m totally making that up, but it was the It Girl of restaurant reviews for a while there.
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