cucumber | Page 2 of 3 | Mass Food & Wine

Bo Luc Lat from Dalat Restaurant on Park Avenue in Worcester, MA

The menu at Dalat can be overwhelming at first. Over 100 items that are quite specific. For example there is beef with onions, but also beefs with broccoli. Then there is beef with onions and snow peas. And the options go on. Luckily for me, there was a little flap with six specials. I selected Bo Luc Lat which has stir fried beef chunks (yes, it said chunks) with onions on top of a fresh salad with a little bowl of rice on the side. The plate had cucumber and tomato slices on each side and some type of vegetable under the beef as the salad. I admit I am no expert on vegetables. Or Asian cuisine of any kind except rice. The beef was cooked in a syrupy brown sauce that was very sweet at first. Then I noticed it had a spicy kick. There was nothing on the menu specifying which dishes were spicy and which would be for me, so I had to drink a lot of water and half of my neighbor’s bottle of red wine. I also had to eat the rice despite trying to not eat carbs for the month of August. Despite requiring these modifications to my dining experience, I really liked the dish! It was spicy but the flavor was rich and delicious. The beef chunks were tender and well covered in the sweet sauce. This unassuming little restaurant had great food and I would return again- though I would ask if my selection was spicy!

When I found out that our Foodies group was going to Racha Thai, I was very intrigued as I had never eaten there and had always regarded it as just a “take out” food counter with a limited menu and only “so-so’ food. But, as is often the case I was very, very wrong as Racha Thai features a nicely decorated, albeit smaller, dining room and some of the finest Thai cuisine I have ever tasted. Before I went to eat I surveyed some friends, some of whom had great things to say about the food, and others had driven by but had never stopped to eat.

Upon arriving our group was seated and greeted by an extremely pleasant waitress. The menu was extensive, but I already knew what I was ordering for my meal. My dining companion and I, along with another couple decided to share a few appetizers and we chose the Mini Thai Rolls and Chicken Satay. Both came very quickly, accompanied by standard Thai peanut, cucumber and sweet & sour sauces. The deep fried Rolls deep were served hot and the Satay was moist, tender and perfectly cooked. The sauces were great and worked well with both choices.

For my meal, I chose the Pad Thai, which I know is not very adventurous but, one of my absolute favorite dishes of all time. As usual I asked to have it prepared “spicy’ and when I tasted it I was not disappointed, as it was the perfect balance of heat (from red chili peppers) and flavor. The very generous portion included both tender shrimp and chicken, perfectly stir-fried rice noodles and plenty of sprouts, crushed peanuts and scallions. This tried and true recipe was outstanding and certainly rates with the some of the best Pad Thai I have ever had.

On another note, I did try my dining companion’s Spicy Noodle entree (which she insisted on having prepared “extra spicy”) and found that to be similarly tasty as my dish. -JG