It was early afternoon on New Year's Eve, and Christian and I decided to treat a publicity-shy friend of ours (we'll call him "Craig") to a University Avenue lunch. We scoped out several possible venues, but we headed for an old favorite (Cafe BonXai) we hadn't visited in a while. At this location (1631 University Ave.), we were surprised to find On's Kitchen. The new owners took over in early December 2010.
"Craig" was pleased to get a shot at some Thai food. In the area near his hometown (we'll pretend it's Washburn, WI), there aren't a lot of Asian food options. On's Kitchen--unlike its Thai-plus-more predecessor, BonXai) specializes exclusively in Thai cuisine. We were the only patrons in the restaurant, but it was 1:30 pm on a pre-holiday afternoon in a newly opened venue.
What a pleasant surprise! Staff in the restaurant couldn't have been nicer, service was prompt, and the food was terrific. Our appetizers (egg rolls with a pad thai sauce and chicken satay with a peanut sauce) had us salivating in no time. After reviewing a menu that included more than 60 salads, soups, and entrees, Christian settled on pad thai ($7.99), Craig had the fried rice (khao pad, $7.99), and I had the spiced pork and rice (khao ka-mu, $8.99). The spiced pork came with hard-boiled eggs and a steaming bowl of soup; the spiciest of its ingredients were on the side and could be blended into the main dish as much or as little as desired. All of us were VERY pleased with our selections. Even "Craig"--whose chosen profession (it may or may not involve a U.S. intelligence agency) usually requires him to be fairly restrained and circumscribed--was downright effusive. We vowed to On's staff that we would spread the word about our new find--which is what we're doing now. Try it soon, and then wander down the block to Axman Surplus (which is how we spent our New Year's Eve afternoon).
Saying there are few Asian food options near Washburn is putting it mildly - there are two extremely Americanized Chinese restaurants in Ashland, but that's it unless you head to Duluth, as far as I know.
ReplyDeleteOn's Kitchen is *amazing* - I'm so happy to have them in our neighborhood. The green papaya salad I had on my last visit was quite tasty and a new experience for me. It won't be the last time I order that one!