DINING REVIEW

Kathy Mader

We all know that really good things can come in small packages, and

you will find this to be especially true at Elizabeth Thai on Marine

Avenue on Balboa Island. This 3-month-old delight reminds me of the

little hole-in-the-wall (descriptive of size only, certainly not of

decor) ethnic treasures that big cities are famous for.

When I say small, Elizabeth Thai is teeny-tiny, with only two booths

and three tables, divided from the kitchen opening by only a decorative

Oriental screen. My family alone could fill the place and create a

45-minute waiting list.

They do have a teeny-tiny patio to accompany the indoors, with about

two tables of its own, but it also has a small bar open right to the

sidewalk to watch the world a la Balboa go by. This makes for a far more

interesting wait, and great table-side entertainment. And it certainly

adds to the charm of Elizabeth Thai.

The name comes from a daughter of one of the partners, probably

because it is much, much easier to say than the owner’s last name,

Insixiengmay. Try that! His first name is Van, however, and with wife,

Jit, and daughter, Linda, they keep the operation all in the family, and

that includes the recipes.

I confess that we did not actually eat in the restaurant, as we

ordered a major portion of the menu to go because “West Wing” was about

to start. But we were offered fried wonton skins and a Thai iced tea,

which is iced tea with sweet cream floating on the top, and a Thai

coffee, the coffee version of the same, as we waited.

The flavor of these drinks was foreign to my taste buds and took a

moment to appreciate. Ultimately, they could pass for dessert, which

actually added to my appreciation of them being served before our

entrees. I also confess that I know very little about Thai food, so in an

effort to increase my edification, we just plain went for it. I mean

really.

As always, I am drawn to appetizers first and foremost, and

Elizabeth’s has a truly unique and interesting selection. I should know,

we ordered four of them. We had chicken satay ($4.95), which is strips of

chicken on a skewer, marinated in a mixture of Thai spices and served

with a peanut sauce and a cucumber sauce.

We tried the house specialty, huge spring rolls ($4.50) with cucumber,

cilantro, rice noodles and white meat chicken served with the same peanut

sauce and an apricot sauce. The dumplings ($4.50), steamed wontons, were

pretty good but served with a hot, hot sauce that rocked my world.

The brass ring of appetizers was the “shrimp in a blanket,” ($5.50),

jumbo shrimp wrapped in wonton skins and fried. I think seven were in the

order, and we will be repeat customers for these alone.

Speaking of jumbo shrimp, these babies were everywhere; floating in

the tom kha goong, a spicy coconut milk soup with mushrooms (not for the

faint of heart), stuffed into spring rolls, fried into rice and wrapped

in wontons. Elizabeth Thai does not skimp on the shrimp, quality shrimp

at that.

I do have several friends who are just crazy about Thai food (this

would be the place, guys) and one thing I know is a must to order is the

pad thai ($7.95), a Thai food classic of rice noodles stir-fried with

eggs, chicken, shrimp, bean sprouts, onions and crushed peanuts. They

served up a veritable pound of this spicy and a little bit sweet Thai

tradition, and I can now see why it’s a tradition.

My husband, Brian, a traditionalist in his own right, ordered the

spicy combo fried rice ($7.99) with chicken, beef and shrimp fried with

basil, onions and chili. This order weighed in at about two pounds and

should save me from cooking for the rest of the week. The anticipation

and aroma from all this food was enough to kill me on the drive home. I

couldn’t wait a second longer to lay out this feast, “West Wing” be

damned.

The bottom line: Elizabeth Thai serves up good and impressively large

amounts of food. While the square footage may be small, there is nothing

small about the menu, the quality or the portions. Do like we did, go for

it.

* KATHY MADER’s dining reviews appear every other Thursday.

FYI

* WHERE: 216 Marine Ave., Balboa Island

* WHEN: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily

* PHONE: (949) 723-1507

* HOW MUCH: Inexpensive, but cash only!

* MISCELLANEOUS: Dine in, take out, delivery in Balboa Island and

catering available