Thai one on -- Thipi Thai, La Grange

I love Thai food, but I don't get it nearly often enough. So when a friend wanted to meet for lunch, I was happy to suggest somewhere roughly in the middle in charming downtown La Grange -- the newly moved Thipi Thai (25 W. Calendar Ct., La Grange). It's very pretty and chic inside, with lots of elephants and red and sleek wood.

The menu is nicely varied, with specialties and old favorites and little peppers to indicate spice-heat level. I started with jasmine tea and tom yum soup and then decided on lemongrass beef. I will say that I'm used to Thai food being a few dollars cheaper per entree than this is, but for the quality -- and the lovely decor -- it's not unreasonable.

The jasmine tea was just the right temperature for drinking and I was offered refills promptly. The tom yum soup, while not quite as spicy as I've had other places, had a great flavor and was packed with mushrooms. And three lovely plump perfectly cooked shrimp, which I must admit I ate with my fingers. Hey, they still had their tails...

The lemongrass beef had great flavor, plenty of veggies, and the meat was pretty tender and well-cooked. It was served with just the right portion of rice and I admit it, I polished off the whole plate.I don't get to La Grange as often as I'd like, but the next time I need a classy place to meet someone in that area, you'd better believe I'll suggest Thipi Thai.

More Thai, or why tom yum is good for what ails you.

Inspired by my recent rememberings of Siriwan Bistro, I decided to spend my lonely Monday night checking out a Thai place closer to home. I settled on takeout from Thai Addison, which is on Lake Ave. in the Meadow Green shopping center -- a quick drive from home. And I could stop at Caputo's first, which is really worthy of its own post.

Thai Addison is a smallish restaurant, with seating for maybe 30-40 (I didn't count), and it looks like a little strip mall built in the '80s restaurant. Nice enough, but not overly prosh.

However, I wasn't eating in anyway, and the service I got just to get takeout was perfectly good. The takeout itself was scrumptious and just what I needed.

I got some old standbys - chicken tom yum and tofu pad thai. The tom yum soup - that glorious mix of basil, lemongrass, chili, chicken etc - was pure savory spicy deliciousness. The pad thai could have used a little cilantro, but it was still quite good, with the salty-sweet taste you want in pad thai.

Note: He asked how spicy I wanted my soup, and I said "a little spicy." It was perfect for my heat tolerance, but my tolerance is fairly high -- so if you don't want any heat, or just a tiny bit, make sure you say that.

I will absolutely be back to Thai Addison for some tasty takeout. (Boy, I want to go back to all of these restaurants, and there are still so many to try -- I hope we get to stay in DuPage County for awhile!)

Mmmm, Thai. -- Siriwan Bistro, St. Charles

This past weekend we visited the fabulous Palermo's with my in-laws, and I already wrote about that, so I won't bore you raving about my spinach-filled gnocchi.

Instead, I'm going to highlight a fabulous little Thai place tucked in a strip mall in St. Charles.

Siriwan Bistro is on Prairie St. near the corner of Randall Road, in the Jewel shopping center. I lived across the street from this strip mall, so I walked over there a lot. When I first moved in, the restaurant was a craptastic little Chinese place, with some really mediocre food. I had no intention of getting take-out there again.

But then things changed. Apparently the owners changed, but not the cooks -- odd, considering how much better the food got! Now it's a Thai restaurant, with a few Chinese dishes for those who just really want some lo mein.

There is space to eat in -- maybe 6 or 8 tables, nicely decorated with white tablecloths and silverware. And if you do eat in, service is quite good. Of course, you can always get take-out too. The prices are reasonable, though a bit higher than your average crappy Chinese takeout.

I never had a bad meal from Siriwan Bistro. So I can forget the previous life the restaurant lived. One of my favorite things was the Tom Yum soup, which is just fantastic if you have a cold. But it was all good -- noodles, curry, chicken and veggie dishes. (I never had a beef dish, but I'm sure it was good too.)

I miss living across the street from such a great hidden treasure. If you live in or near the tri-cities, do yourself a favor and give Siriwan Bistro a try.