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| TARA THAI Restaurant |
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2010 - Volume 1 Issue 1
¡Comidas Sabroso!
Thai Cuisine |
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Article: Bob Skolnick
Photos: Joe Burgess |
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TaraThai, located on Mesa Street in the heart of the Cincinnati district in El Paso, has achieved a great following. The restaurant opened in early February and was voted one of the best El Paso restaurants in late spring. The restaurant is the creation of Sai Pituk, a young entrepreneur and mother with a passion for her native cuisine. Sai recently retired from the US Army in 2008 and opened TaraThai. The restaurant location is set back in a little strip center, but do not let that fool you. When you walk inside, you enter Thailand. The décor offers vivid colors, Thai masks and figurines, ambient woods and gold print table covers. It has a very stylish appeal.
Sai knew that the success of her restaurant was predicated on surrounding herself with a top managerial and kitchen team. The General Manager, Sergio Sanchez, a graduate of Scottsdale Cordon Bleu, met Sai in January upon his return to El Paso. The timing was fate and the synergy was instant. Sai also encouraged her relative Chantima Suebsang, a skilled Chef from Thailand working in Los Angeles, to make the move to El Paso. Chantima’s dedication and culinary skills are special and her approach, along with Sai’s, is to bring authentic Thai cuisine and true ingredients to the El Paso Restaurant. Sai matched Executive Chef Chantima Suebsang in the kitchen with Executive Sous Chef William Kob, also of Thailand and Los Angeles.
Ingredients are key to Thai cooking and Sai and Chantima have the items necessary shipped from Los Angeles and Thailand. USDA prime grade ribeye is used for certain beef items, while one dish utilizes the finest Kobe beef from Japan. The menu includes a complete selection of Thai appetizers such as Thai Egg Rolls, Sa Tay and Golden Bags. The Toms, or soups, have galanga, lemon grass and kaffir leaves and the salads are creative and traditional. The entrees are from the different regions of Thailand. The various curries are cornerstone to the menu. We sampled the Pad Thai with Prawns and Chicken, Yum Nua Steak, the Spicy Mussels, Keaw Warn Curry and the Golden Bags and Mummy Shrimp. Everything was great and each dish had its subtle blend of spices and herbs. We finished with the Thai Flan and Fried Bananas. The Thai Tea was a cooling beverage perfect for the menu.
Sai, Sergio and Chantima are currently in the process of expanding their operation to San Antonio, Texas, opening a second TaraThai along San Antonio’s famed River Walk. /// |
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