Krua Thailand

It had been a few years since I'd been to Krua Thailand at 432 University Avenue West. Maybe because this restaurant--like many on University Avenue--has an unobtrusive street presence, it is easy to bypass. It has an old, weathered sign--not a flashy neon one. But Krua has been a reliable Thai eatery for years, and it was good to stop in again.

Christian, our Wisconsin friend Craig, and I needed to do a little planning for a fall canoe trip, and we figured that Thai food would stimulate our brains. Krua boasts a menu of authentic Thai dishes "rarely seen at other local Thai restaurants," according to its menu. Krua's entrees cover a variety of categories: fried rice, soups, fish dishes, stir fry, curry, and noodle dishes, all in the $9 to $14 range.

Krua Thai Papaya Pad Thai

Volcano Stir Fry

Panang Curry

Craig tried the Panang, a curry in sweet peanut sauce, and declared that it was worthy of his highest rating. The peanut sauce was truly outstanding. Christian opted for the Volcano Stir-Fry, spiced to the max. It indeed was a mountain of veggies and pork, erupting with flavor. (Note: For many dishes, patrons can choose seafood, shrimp, beef, chicken, pork, mock duck, or fried tofu, with prices varying by the selection.) I remembered having been told once by a Thai food afficionado that Krua had the best pad thai in the Twin Cities. So, I tried this, with a twist: the Krua Thai Papaya Pad Thai. Excellent, with wonderfully crisp noodles.

Krua's delicious food inspired some very profound canoeing discussions. For example, our canoeing expert Craig was previously unaware of the dangers of "aerated water" (such as the roiling water at the base of a waterfall), which Christian informed us has so much oxygen that it can cause a canoe to sink deeper into the water. Of course, floating a canoe under falling waters poses its own hazard... and I suspect that canoeing at the base of a waterfall with the paddlers' stomachs filled with Krua cuisine would be sure death (but a tasty one).

Fasika Ethiopian Restaurant

This is the first review by request (or should I say goading), by Central Corridor Construction Club's Mary Morse:  Fasika Ethiopian Restaurant, 510 N Snelling Ave, (651) 646-4747.

Central Corridor work is clearly apparent and does not help to alleviate Fasika's already
dire parking situation.

I have to say that based on prior experience, the BARF-SUAVE crew was not enthusiastic about this assignment. In the 1980s and 90s both Joel and I sampled some African restaurants. In Minneapolis, we ate at Odaa and found the food rather bland. When I spent a couple of months mountaineering and traveling in Kenya and Tanzania, I had the same experience. I have to admit that the food I ate was often from lunch counters and street vendors, more aimed at filling the stomachs of hardworking men and women and not home-cooked dinners or restaurants. In Nairobi I found the discrepancy between the wide variety of foods at local markets and the fare offered at food stands most puzzling. Basic nutrition seemed to trump the culinary arts. If you have experiences that disagree with my own, please keep in mind that I was traveling on a shoestring budget.

We got to Fasika at around 6 PM and found the place bustling, with most of the tables already occupied. Mekan, our friendly waitress led us to a table and brought menus. I pled for the Ultimate Combo, covering beef, lamb, chicken and various vegetable dishes, supposedly feeding two to three. After about ten minutes of pondering, we made that selection and added two Hakim stouts for good measure.

Ethiopian cuisine gives the expression "finger foods" something to chew on ...

A large platter of food, a good two feet in diameter and truly looking like a painter's palette arrived rather quickly and was set between Joel and me. Next to the platter, a dish of Injera, the traditional Ethiopian spongy bread was deposited. It was then that Joel noticed the utter absence of silverware. I ripped a piece of Injera and used it to grabbing food off the platter. Joel immediately followed my example. If the food platter was our palette, the Injera was our tool and the insides of our stomach (and the vicinity of our mouths) the canvas. We were laying it on thickly!

We should not have worried, all foods were deliciously spiced. Flavorwise,  the dishes could be divided into two broad categories. The Key Wot dishes, having the Berbere sauce as its base, had the spiciness of the key ingredients of pepper, garlic, onion and other spices as well as a hint of acidity as if from vinegar. The Alicha Wot, or curries tasted very much like some Indian cuisine. Out of the spread, we did not come across anything we did not like, however, the beef Key Wot and the Gomen greens were BARF-SUAVE favorites.

Fasika Ultimate Combo, as written up by our kind server Mekena:
Beef Key Wot, a beef stew cooked in Berbere sauce. Berbere is a combination of peppers, garlic, onion and spices, dried and ground together.
Beef Alicha Wot, curry
Lamb Key Wot
Lamb Alicha Wot, curry
Lamb Tibs. Tibs are marinated pieces of meat.
Dorow Wot, chicken stew.
Misir Key Wot, lentils
Misir Alicha, lentil curry
Atkilt, veggie curry with potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage and peppers
Gomen, greens, mostly spinach
Kik Alicha Wot, peas with berbere sauce
Fosolia, green bean and carrot curry
Shiro Wot chick pea flour cooked in berbere sauce.

There was way too much food for the two of us, there would have been plenty for three, possibly for four of a smaller appetite. I had the leftovers packed to take home and even after my family pillaged the box over the weekend I had plenty left for a good lunch on Monday.