Tep(id) Thai

I received a flier a while back from Tep Thai in Glendale. Not only was it gorgeously designed, it showcased the beautiful renovation that they had gone through.

That should have been my red flag right there. I was drawn to the design of the direct mail piece and my subsequent viewing of the web site (www.tepthai.com), which really didn't showcase images of food. I should have been able to guess by this alone that it was going to be another one of those "love the space... but something's missing" experiences. But their tagline is "Angelic Cuisine!" It had to be good, right?

Here's to guinea pigging... I took my friend who likes Thai food with me for lunch. He had helped me with some things related to my move, so I thought the least I could do was buy lunch. We parked in the lot right next door, and walked in. Little late for lunch, so we were seated immediately. The space is gorgeous. Simple, yet clean, modern, but retaining a sense of warmth. Kudos to whoever designed the interior here. I really was getting excited. The waitress was the standard young pretty Thai who was polite to a fault. No complaints there. I ordered a Thai iced tea, and put in an order of Angel Wings (again, it's "Angelic Cuisine," right?) and an order of Tom Yum Koong to start.

Angel Wings -- These are breaded and fried chicken wings that are stuffed with pork, prawns, cellophane noodles, etc. Normally very flavorful and satisfying. I took my first bite here and thought that the breading was a little heavy handed (i.e. very thick) and that the filling was next to tasteless. The sauce that came with it was a very sweet glaze that didn't add to anything. I was able to finally enjoy this dish once I figured out that it only had a flavor other than sweet if I added the garlic chili paste that sat on the table. While not bad, nothing to rave about here.

Tom Yum Koong -- Hot and Sour Soup with Shrimp. This was barely palatable. There was way too much lemongrass and tamarind that made you think you were drinking a warm cup of Sour Patch Kids gummy treats without the sweet afterwards. Not spicy enough, and the shrimp was rubbery. Pass on this one unless you like the idea of drinking a citrusy warm vinegar.

After the first couple appetizers, I was getting over the lovely decor. At the point in which there are plenty of other Thai restaurants in the neighborhood that are far cheaper, the fact that it's prettier just stopped cutting it for me. Onto main courses.

My friend ordered the Thai BBQ Pork. While it wasn't inspired, it was definitely the best thing ordered so far. The meat was well flavored and moist, but again, there was nothing special about it. In fact, I bet that the Thai takeout two doors down from Tep Thai does it better, with a bigger portion for half the price.

Pad Thai -- This is definitely a Thai restaurant staple... and I've had quite a few variations thereof. I like this dish, there's a bit of everything here from starchy to crunchy to sweet to fresh to pungent. And I like the fact that after the app and soup we had earlier, I wanted something a little less heavy in the protein department. Mistake. The noodles were gummy from being overcooked, and the flavoring seemed like the person who cooked it was following a cookbook for the first time. The various components just didn't gel together, and it was really more of a blob of a dish to me. For a place that professes to serve "Angelic Cuisine," this dish made me want to tell them to replace the "Angelic" with "Amateur." In all honesty, I've had some do it yourself instant Pad Thais that were far superior to this.

All in all, this wasn't a great experience. I'm not going to say that it's not worth going to, but I think the flavoring and presentation of the dishes really caters more to an American palate than an authentic Thai one. If you're looking to try Thai food for the first time, this might be the kind of place that will make you interested. Most of the stuff is bland and non-threatening. If you're into Thai or SE Asian cuisine at all, you'll feel like I did after picking up the $50 lunch tab with no alcohol for two... You just paid for pretty.

Tep Thai

209 Wilson Ave.
Glendale, CA
818.246.0380
www.tepthai.com

Happy Eating!