To my mind, there are two types of restaurant experiences. Some restaurants experiences are purely functional. There are times when you simply need food to satisfy your hunger. You’re on a road trip, in the airport, or, as often happens to me, running late between appointments. Expectations are fairly low. As long as you’re not hungry when you leave the restaurant, you are probably satisfied. On the other hand, there are times when you are looking for more. Times when you don’t just want to eat, you want to dine. There are times when the meal is the destination, not just a necessary stop while focused on other things. When out with my fellow Worcester Foodies at Racha Thai, I am most definitely looking for the latter; I am looking for an extraordinary dining experience. Regrettably, my dinner at Racha Thai fell far short of extraordinary. While the plum sauce was sweet and tangy, the duck was overcooked and most likely began the evening in the freezer. Overall, the flavors were indistinct, and the meal simply didn’t taste fresh. On the other hand, the vegetables were clearly fresh, but unfortunately undercooked. This meal was perhaps fine for one of those functional meals; I didn’t leave Racha Thai hungry. Based on my experience, however, I could not recommend Racha Thai as a foodies destination. -JD