Bangkok Garden and Thai Restaurant Week

This week starting Monday, April 13 through this Sunday, April 19, Washington, DC area Thai restaurants are celebrating Songkran—the Thai New Year. Songkran or astrological passage, was used to follow an astrological calculation, but now remains fixed. This week just so happens to fall on some of the hottest days of the year in Thailand and traditionally people would sprinkle water on each other on the streets, signaling the end of the dry season.

Participating Thai restaurants within the MD/DC/VA area are celebrating with a week of promotions. Some restaurants offer a 10-percent discount via coupon while others drawings for prizes, cooking classes, spa services, even a Thai vacation. For more details about what restaurants are doing visit the Thai Embassy’s Web site.

On Tuesday night I went to Bangkok Garden, one of the participating restaurants in Columbia, MD. Even though I grew up in MD, I now live in Northern Virginia and rarely get over to MD restaurants anymore so this was a treat. The decor of the restaurant was beautiful with vivid yet dark colors (see photo on left). I noticed that there was also speakers and a small stage, although there wasn't a performance that evening. I was there really to spend time with old childhood friends and was less concerned with my meal, for once, but I sampled the chicken satay, drunken noodle with chicken, and their shrimp fried rice. The chicken satay was very good. The chicken was seasoned well, tender and not dry, and the peanut sauce was chunky and when dipping the chicken into the peanut sauce, it covered the chicken. I asked for the Drunken noodle to be less spicy and it was excellent. The fresh basil leaves were plentiful and it was delicious. The shrimp fried rice wasn't anything particular special but it was pretty good (see picture on right). The service was tentative. For 3 people including cocktails, our bill was about $80.00. I forgot to give them the coupon and they didn't offer the promotion of Thai week. There was no mention of it by our server.

Don't forget the Coupon!! 

Washington, DC
•         Asia Nine (L, D) 915 E Street, NW, Washington. Ph: 202-629-4355
•         Bangkok Bistro (L, D) 3251 Prospect Street, NW, Washington. Ph: 202-337-2424
•         Bangkok Joes (In Restaurant Promotions, No Coupon Needed) 3000 K Street, NW, Washington. Ph: 202-333-4422
•         Mai Thai (D) 1200 19th Street, NW, Washington. Ph: 202-452-6870
•         Tara Thai (D) 4849 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington. Ph: 202-363-4141
•         Thaiphoon (D) 2011 S Street, NW, Washington. Ph: 202-667-3505
•         Thai Tanic (L, D) 1326-A 14th Street, NW, Washington. Ph: 202-588-1795
 
Maryland
•         Ban Thai (D) 340 N Charles Street, Baltimore. Ph: 410-727-7971
•         Bangkok Garden (D) 4906 St. Elmo Avenue, Bethesda. Ph: 301-951-0670
•         Bangkok Garden (D) 5810 Robert Oliver Place, Columbia. Ph: 410-992-9553
•         Pana Thai (D) 7224 Muncaster Mill Road, Derwood. Ph: 301-990-8501
•         Tara Asia (D) 99-D E. Montgomery Avenue, Rockville. Ph: 301-315-8005
•         Tara Thai (D) 4828 Bethesda Avenue, Bethesda. Ph: 301-657-0488
•         Tara Thai (D) 12071 Rockville Pike, Rockville. Ph: 301-231-9899
•         Tara Thai (D) 9811 Washingtonian Boulevard, Gaithersburg. Ph: 301-947-8330
•         Thai Pavilion (L) 29 Maryland Avenue, Unit 308, Rockville. Ph: 301-545-0244
 
Virginia
•         Born Restaurant (L,D) 144 Maple Avenue W., Vienna. Ph: 703-255-5800
•         Chao Phra Ya (L,D) 2465 J-I Centreville Road, Herndon. Ph: 703-713-0103
•         Duangrats (D) 5878 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church. Ph: 703-820-5775
•         Mai Thai (D) 6 King Street, Alexandria. Ph: 703-548-0600
•         Rabieng (D) 5892 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church. Ph: 703-671-4222
•         T.H.A.I. in Shirlington (In Restaurant Promotions, No Coupon Needed) Campbell Avenue, Arlington. Ph: 703-931-3203
•         Tara Thai (D) 226 Maple Avenue W., Vienna. Ph: 703-255-2467
•         Tara Thai (D) 4001 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington. Ph: 703-908-4999
•         Tara Thai (D) 7501-E Leesburg Pike, Falls Church. Ph: 703-506-9788
•         Thaiphoon (D) 301 S. Joyce St., Arlington. Ph: 703-413-8200
 

Restaurants highlighted in BOLD I have been to more than one or two times and think the food is Excellent! I highly recommend Duangrats, Rabieng, and T.H.A.I. in Shirlington.