I'm thrilled that Nordeast finally has a Thai joint. Central is bursting with ethnic flavors (Vietnamese, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Indian, you name it), but for so long you couldn't find Thai food without driving to downtown, Uptown, Cedar-Riverside, or Rosedale (if you count Big Bowl). As a lover of all things Thai, this was unacceptable, and I couldn't have been more excited for Sen Yai Sen Lek's opening.
Mike and I walked down there on Sunday night, only to discover that they are closed on Sundays. However, a woman inside the restaurant saw us trying the door and burst out to give us a menu to take home. Very nice. We resigned ourselves to heading across the street to Adelita's for the time being.
We tried again last night, this time opting for take-out. I had been craving pad thai, so I ordered that, and Mike got the pad kee mao (wide rice noodles with garlic, thai chilies, thai basil, tomato and onion). I wasn't wild about my pad thai, but to be fair, I have yet to try any restaurant's pad thai that rivals what I make at home. It's a hard dish to get right: often either too saucy or too dry, too fishy, too bland, etc. Sen Yai Sen Lek's was of the too-dry, too-bland variety. But the Pad Kee Mao was delicious. Bursting with flavor and spice--scrumptious. I will definitely get that dish again.
One quibble with the menu: there is a severe shortage of vegetarian options. I'd like to see tofu or mock duck offered in addition to the meat choices in some of the dishes. And as someone who doesn't eat beef or pork, I found even the chicken dishes to be few and far between. Maybe they're open to subbing chicken into some of the beef dishes. It would be nice if tofu were an option as well. Also, my first choice at any Thai restaurant is always curry. I'm surprised they don't have a few standard curry options on their menu in addition to the daily special they offer. In any case, I look forward to trying the curry of the day the next time I'm back.
All in all, I'm excited about this new addition to our neighborhood. It's a family-owned operation, and I look forward to giving them my business often. I hope as they become settled in, the menu will expand even more and grow to embrace some vegetarian options and a wider curry selection. They're off to a great start, and I wish them luck!