Siam River Thai and Sushi Bar

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Thai/sushi/Japanese joint on 163rd near the Intracoastal 8 theater.

What we had:

We did an appetizer night:

Mee Krob--(Thai) The lightest of crispy noodles toasted in a delicate honey sauce with shrimp, chicken and crab. This was a fantabulous appetizer; sweet, crunchy, savory... it was everything we wanted, and my favorite.

Interesting pork thing whose name I can't remember--(Thai) A bizarre (but good) ground pork/ginger/lemongrass/peanut/onion/acerbic lime + sauce mixture on a bed of iceburg with tomato and cucumber garnish. It was odd, odd but good. The peanuts (or Mee Krob) were essential to balancing the acidic pork.

Sakesu--(Japanese) Salmon, crab, cream cheese & scallion sushi roll wrapped in paper-thin cucumber with vinegar sauce. My DH was not a fan. While I enjoyed the roll, the vinegar overpowered the other tastes. I enjoyed the cucumber substitution.

Hamachi--(Japanese) Grilled fish collar with ponzu sauce. I'm not quite sure what fish this was from; some sort of flaky white fish, but it really doesn't matter. This dish was fabulous. The grilled outside leant just the right amount of smoky crispiness, giving a nice counterpoint to the buttery richness of the meat. And ponzu is awesome. This one was arguably our second-favorite, though a strong contender for first.


Décor:

We ate outside; the inside was tastefully done.

Service:

Not great at all--we waited 10 mins to be greeted. But, at least our server was apologetic.

Overall impressions:

We're totally going back. There are 2 separate menus (Thai and Japanese) and enough that excited me on both to say I need to go back at least 3 more times to fully experience the restaurant.

Company website; what Google says

Rating:

4 out of 5 salamanders

Try My Thai with Sushi

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Thai/sushi joint in the trying-to-be-renovated downtown Hollywood "hip" section.

What we had:

I had a gator dish; my DH had Pad Thai. The gator (the less spicy one on the menu) was great in the first bite... fried really well, the vegetables were spot-on, but got really salty toward the end. I'm hoping this was just an off night, because the basic flavors were really good. It just got way too salty, and I couldn't finish. The Pad Thai was the same way. The Thai iced tea, however, was great.

Décor:

It's in an old building, so beware of a slight mildew smell. The decor is dark, and done tastefully.

Service:

Not bad.

Overall impressions:

I'd like to go back. Next time I will definitely up the spice quotient.

No company website; what Google says

Rating:

3 out of 5 salamanders (with reservations)

Ver-Daddy's Taco Shop

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Hipster taco shop.

What we had:

A chicken soft taco, pork in chile verde soft taco and chicken crispy rolled taco. The chicken was deliciously spicy; just hot enough to sting the lips. The pork was spiced well and cooked to perfection. The tacos tasted fresh and light; the perfect balance between fast food and sit-down restaurant.

Décor:

We ate outside. We went during the MiMo festival, so there was tons going on outside.

Service:

We went during the MiMo festival--the owner or manager was walking around, passing out free rolled tacos while you waited for your order. He seemed genuinely excited about the product he was offering, and he had every right to--this place is fabulous.

Overall impressions:

Moe who? My only complaint is that this place is too far to walk to.

Company website; what Google says

Rating:

4 out of 5 salamanders