Thai!

This is my first attempt to review a restaurant in the city and I'm just going for it. Lately I've been going to weekly girls nights with some close girl friends and we decided to try this Thai place near 2nd and South Street called Tamarind.

Let me start off by saying the place is small, but somehow looks like it could manage a busy weekend night and still manage to make the customers happy. The decor is a bit outdated, but gives one the right quaint feel one needs to sit and have a cost-efficient, delicious meal.

One thing I can say is that is BYOB, so most customers take advantage of that, especially because there is a Wine and Spirits Shoppe a few blocks West on South. The second thing I'd like to point out is that it is incredibly vegetarian and vegan friendly. I had many choices laid out for me on the menu and I didn't have to pay a lot for it either!

The ladies and I enjoyed a tasty meal together and with the fast and friendly service we could have been in and out in less then an hour, but there were five of us, so we weren't in a rush. My meal consisted of spring rolls (the vegetarian alternative to egg rolls) and though they were a bit greasy and I had to pat them down a few times, they were filled with flavor and had a nice crunch when chewing the cabbage and vegetables stuffed inside. The orange sauce on the side was so sweet and a perfect match for the rolls. Next, my entree was the tofu and vegetables sauteed with garlic and Thai red chiles and served with rice on the side. Well, I asked the waitress to make the dish fairly spicy for me and gave her the rating of a 4 out of a spicy scale of 1-7, so I didn't expect it to be that spicy. Apparently, a 4 is more like a 40 and the spiciness of the sauce burnt my tongue a few times and made my eyes water. My mouth was on fire! I wish I would've known how the scale worked- if my dish was a 4 who in the world could manage to eat a 7 dish?!?!

I was delighted and definitely pleased with my meal at Tamarind and would recommend the restaurant to those interested in a different spin on Asian cuisine right on South Street. Just make sure to be very specific of how spicy you want your food!