J-Thai

Ratings Guide:
Half handshake, half chest-bump hug – 5 stars
Chest bump – 4 stars
Fist bump – 3 stars
High five – 2 stars
Handshake – 1 star
Fone and fone – 0 stars
Manly ass slap – ½ star



RESTAURANT: J-Thai
LOCATION: 3819 N. Southport



Steve Foley, who plays linebacker for the San Diego Chargers, said in an interview “Food is my favorite food. I don’t care what it is.” Well, I feel the same way. I like food. I like all kinds of food. I even like trying new kinds of food (which is a big change from when I was a kid). So, as you can imagine, it’s pretty tough to disappoint me.

But my friends, I have a story of disappointment for you. The other night we had some friends over, and decided we were going to go grab dinner. After much deliberation, we decided to check out Banana Leaf, which I ate at one time many moons ago. And when I ate there, I thought it was great. So, I was excited to go back, and the rest of the group was excited to give it a try. So we schlepped over there, parked the car illegally, and headed to Banana Leaf. Except it wasn’t Banana Leaf. Apparently it had closed, and instead we found ourselves standing on the doorstep of J-Thai. Needless to say, it’s no Banana Leaf.

But, we decided what the hell, we were in the mood for Thai, the place was empty (which is a bad sign, but good for us, because we had a baby with us, and his random screaming wouldn’t bother anyone), and we had made the trip, so let’s give it a try.

Now, there are essentially two menus: the Thai menu, and the Japanese menu. I stayed on the Thai side and ordered some steamed pot stickers and the green curry with extra chicken. Pot stickers were very average. The green curry was decent, and when I said extra chicken, they didn’t joke around, because it was LOADED with chicken, which is a big bonus for them. Someone else ordered the pad thai, and he said it was good, so I’ll take his word for it. My lady friend ordered sushi. She wasn’t happy about her decision. I had a piece of hers. I wasn’t happy about my decision to sample her decision.

Anyway, quick recap here – if you live close by and are in the mood for Thai, give it a shot, but don’t expect much. If you live more than three blocks away and are in the mood for Thai, see what else is close by.

Final rating: handshake with a manly ass slap.

Oh, and be warned, Banana Leaf is closed.