Rich with coconut milk and tender chicken and aromatic with lemongrass and galangal, tom kha is a classic Thai main-course soup.
I love food from around the world, and I intend to try as much it as I can, within reason. With a possible exception for aged, fermented Greenlandic shark. But ask me to name a favorite, and I’d be hard-pressed to single out just one.
That being said, Thai cuisine clicks off quite a few boxes for me. It’s colorful, aromatic, full of flavors that sing together in at least four-part harmony. Specifically, I’m thinking about the four flavors that Thai cooks seek to hold in balance in every dish: salty, sweet, sour and spicy.
Thanks to its location on the western side of Asia’s southeastern flank, Thailand’s many regional cuisines draw influences from India’s many spices and peppery fire. In kinship with China, its cuisine musters an array of stir-fries, rice, and noodle dishes … and Thais share the Chinese custom of greeting others with a friendly “Have you eaten yet?” And it mirrors neighboring Indonesia’s love of coconut milk and the attention-getting flavors of lemongrass, ginger-adjacent galangal, and more.
But be assured that Thai fare is in no way derivative. Thai cooks assimilate all these influences into an ancient tradition that’s all its own, including the happy Southeast Asian custom of turning hearty soup or salad dishes into a filling main course.
There! Now can you see why I get excited to hear the news whenever a new Thai place opens up around town? One of the most recent arrivals, Take Thai, is a good one too. It’s a shopping center spot on Factory Lane in the far East End with an assortment of standards and a competent kitchen that offers what strikes me as comforting Thai home cooking.
The growing commercial district surrounding the Gene Snyder Freeway’s intersection with LaGrange Road looks new and suburban neutral, the kind of shopping center where you’d expect to find corporate chain dining. Indeed, there’s a Subway, a McDonald’s, and a KFC nearby, if that’s your style.
But in addition to Take Thai you’ll find Old School N.Y. Pizza just around the corner, as well as new eateries including White Buddha Japanese, Oishii Ramen, Mariscos Los Plebes Mexican seafood, Brix Wine Bar, and a branch of El Nopal; plus Load It, a baked potato bar, coming along soon. I might have to wander back that way soon to check out some of those places; and a trip to Middletown for another new spot, Amazing Thai is definitely in the cards.
Right now, though, I’m still savoring the tasty memory of a good meal at Take Thai. ...
Read my full review on LouisvilleHotBytes:
https://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/take-thai
You'll also find this review in LEO Weekly's Food & Drink section this week:
https://www.leoweekly.com/food-drink/we ... d-16977875
Take Thai
12908 Factory Lane
365-3791
https://takethaiky.com
https://facebook.com/TakeThaiKY
https://instagram.com/takethaiky
Noise Level: Conversation was no problem during a lunch hour with a few tables occupied and sound levels in the 65dB range.
Accessibility: The new shopping center space appears accessible to wheelchair users.
