Articles about Thai

All Hell Breaks Loose: Chef Kyla Phomsavanh Kicked Out of Thairiffic, His Family’s Restaurant

posted by Carol Shih | May 24th, 2012 2:40pm | filed under Breaking News, questionable behavior, Restaurant News, Thai | 38 Comments »

Thairrific, a restaurant which was opened in 2001 by Kyla Phomsavanh’s parents, is now at the center of major drama. On its website, ex-Thairrific Chef Kyla Phomsavanh writes:

For our loyal customers, Chef Kyla (myself) and Family (Original owners that started and built Thairrific 10 years ago) would like to thank you for coming to Thairrific.

However, due to changes internally.

My Family, Wonderful Wait Staff, and my loyal Cooks will no longer be present at Cedars Springs.


Phomsavanh was running the family-owned business until longtime regular customer Daniel Sikora bought the restaurant with his company, Crucial Pickles LLC, in December 2010. Sikora played the role of an investor and handled the marketing side, while Phomsavanh managed and cooked. All was going well until six months after Thairrific moved to its current Cedar Springs location. On May 2,  (what Phomsavanh thought would be) a negotiations meeting turned into a private ousting.

Jump for it.

Continue reading "All Hell Breaks Loose: Chef Kyla Phomsavanh Kicked Out of Thairiffic, His Family’s Restaurant"

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Chalk Talk: “Thai Me Up” Dinner at Malai Kitchen In Uptown Dallas

posted by Andrew Chalk | April 25th, 2012 9:25am | filed under Andrew Chalk, Thai | 4 Comments »

This week Malai  Kitchen, the Thai-Vietnamese restaurant in Uptown, held the first of their public “Thai Me Up” dinners: Five-course meals with beverages for an affordable $55. I attended as a guest on behalf of SideDish.

New York Strip Steak Over Sticky Rice with Chili Sauce

When construction began on Malai Kitchen in 2010, I was filled with a mixture of excitement and skepticism. Excitement that I would be living within walking distance of a restaurant serving food from one of the most exciting culinary areas of Asia, but skepticism that they would put out an eatable version. The spot was already jinxed: The previous occupant, Tom Tom Noodle House,  did not make it.

Continue reading "Chalk Talk: “Thai Me Up” Dinner at Malai Kitchen In Uptown Dallas"

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Good Asian Grub: Thai-rrific

posted by Allison Hatfield | February 21st, 2012 9:00am | filed under Best Gay Hangout Restaurant Evah!, BYOB, cake, Reviews, Thai | 1 Comment »
praram

Praram with shrimp

Thai-rrific was a North Dallas favorite until it moved to Oak Lawn last year. And since I live around there, I am sure glad it did.

Despite the Cedar Springs address, the restaurant fronts Throckmorton Street. Big windows provide a view of the well-lit dining room and its diners: concrete floor, tables topped with white paper over white clothes and black banquettes, two-tops and four-tops of boys from the hood drinking bottles of wine they brought in themselves.

We were seated at a half banquette/half table set up in a cozy corner and proceeded to fill our bellies.

We started with the pik gai yut, or stuffed wings. Our waitress said it was the house specialty. Essentially it was two large chicken sausages shaped like wings. What I mean by that is that ground chicken was mixed with cilantro, onions, rice, and lemongrass and kind of formed into wing shapes before being roasted and sliced and presented in a brown sauce. Lip-smacking good.

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Matthew Antonovich, Matthew Antonovich? Where are You? Louisville, Kentucky!

posted by Nancy Nichols | March 29th, 2010 3:41pm | filed under Celebrity Chefs, Closings, Openings/Closings, Restaurant News, Silly Reasons to Celebrate, Steakhouses, Thai, Wasted Calorie | 9 Comments »

This dude is crazy!

Good lord have mercy on my wicked soul. Chef Matthew “Fingers of TIE Flurry” Antonovich blew back into Dallas a few months ago with a long load of bull. In particular, a stream of wordy releases boasting his 12,000-square-foot Thai Steakhouse and club located “just a drive by the Arts, the American Airlines Event Center, Dallas World Trade Center and Dallas Market.”

First he claimed his concept would be in the most exciting neighborhood in Dallas. Then he hinted it would be near Highland Ranch. WHOOPSIE, he meant Highland Park.

Then POOF! He disappeared. The guy who boasted “God bless the recession I have found great deals on equipment, designers and food service experts hungry to put Dallas back on the map of best restaurants in America” just went away. His Twitter feed went dark. My inquisitive e-mails? Unanswered.

Hark! I found him. According to Louisvillemojo.com:

A new restaurant to be named Antonovich’s Tuscan Grille could open in the old Ferd Grisanti’s restaurant (12112 Taylorsville Road) as early as Derby Eve. If Matthew Antonovich and building owners Greg and Vince Grisanti can seal a deal, the “upscale casual” restaurant would serve freshly prepared Tuscan fare for lunch, dinner and private parties. Its Enoteca Wine Bar, complete with a wood-burning pizza oven, would also serve a social hub for the later-night 40 to 55 year-old crowd. To imagine it properly, Antonovich said to consider an amalgam of Jack’s Lounge, Mama Grisanti and Casa Grisanti.

More, could be here. Oh, what a lunatic.

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Where To Eat in Dallas Right Now: Naga Thai Kitchen & Bar in Victory Park

posted by Jennifer Chininis | February 25th, 2010 11:34am | filed under Openings/Closings, Restaurant News, Reviews, Thai | 2 Comments »

Papaya salad at Naga Thai Kitchen & Bar

Papaya salad

On Tuesday night, Laura Kostelny and I attended the media dinner for Naga Thai Kitchen & Bar in Victory Park. According to co-owner Jeffrey Yarbrough, he had Nancy to thank for spilling the beans about the restaurant’s opening; people showed up when the staff wasn’t quite ready to serve, but no one was turned away. So much for a soft opening, right?

But things are rocking and rolling these days at Naga, where Yarbrough and partners Tom Chawana (founder of Nandina), Lam Promwanrat (partner in Jasmine), and Kitti Lirtpanaruk (New York restaurateur with 20+ Thai restaurants) are serving some old favorites from the gone-but-definitely-not-forgotten Liberty, such as Annie Wong’s coconut chicken soup and spicy noodles. Continue reading "Where To Eat in Dallas Right Now: Naga Thai Kitchen & Bar in Victory Park"

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