NICE LITTLE BISTRO WITH FAIRLY GOOD THAI FOOD.
++++++++A Mr. Sensitive exclusive: April 2014.........Mr. Sensitive compared the Thai Delight de Mesilla with Renoo's Thai Restaurant.....head-to-head. Here's how it all went down:
I ordered the exact same meal at each restaurant....Pad Thai with Pork and Miso Soup. Both restaurants charged exactly the same amount.....$9.99 for the meal. Interestingly, their costs on other dishes seemed to parallel each other also.
Renoo's Miso Soup had a very light chicken broth, some small cubes of tofu, and some chopped scallions. The flavor was quite subtle. The soup was passable.....rate it a B-. The Thai Delight de Mesilla soup had a darker broth, some scallions, but no tofu. It was slightly more flavorful , yet nothing to brag about. Rate it between a B- and a B. It was, in my judgment, slightly better than the soup served at Renoo's.
The Pad Thai at Renoo's came on a white dish with a little shredded cabbage on the side and some crushed peanuts and bean sprouts on the side as well. The Pad Thai sauce was just o.k. It seemed a little subtle. No robust flavor found here. The pork itself was not seasoned and seemed flavorless. They evidently believe that all the flavor should come from the Thai sauce alone??? Thus, the pork was bland. The pork was tender. The Pad Thai dish as a whole....not bad, but not great. Rate it between a B and B+.
The Pad Thai served by Thai Delight came with a much nicer presentation. Two types of shredded cabbage, some slices of carrots, and a slice of orange accompanied the dish, as did crushed peanuts and bean sprouts. The quantity of food at Thai Delight seemed greater....more food for your money. The cuttings of onion and the green parts of the scallions were larger in this presentation. Thai Delight put more sauce on the food, yet the flavor seemed quite similar to the dish at Renoo's. Like Renoo's pork, the pork served at the Thai Delight didn't seem to have any seasoning. It didn't taste all that good. AND, WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE....it appeared that the chef at Thai Delight, in addition to the slices of pork meat, took the mass of left over cuttings or crumbs from the cutting board and threw them into my meal as well. Consequently, there were some bits of crumbs or ground up bits of pork throughout my meal. This was not exactly appetizing. This was not a bad Pad Thai dish but certainly not a great one. Rate it a B.
In the final analysis, neither restaurant produced a great Pad Thai. I believe that the dish served by Renoo's was slightly better but it is a close call. Was either dish worth $10.00??? I am not so sure.
BOTTOM LINE: WILL I RETURN TO DINE? PROBABLY WILL NOW AND THEN. NOT A LOT OF OPTIONS FOR THAI FOOD AROUND TOWN.
The original review appears below:
Did you ever wonder at the number of restaurant reviewers on the internet who speak of "authenticity?" I wonder where they get their culinary experience to judge just what is "authentic" and what is not. I wonder.....???? I didn't realize that we had so many graduates of elite culinary schools or folks with such vast international dining experience roaming around Las Cruces! If you like something, fine, you like it. If you don't like something, fine, you don't like it. But where does the expertise come from to tell Urbanspoon readers that certain Thai or Mexican dishes are "authentic" or "inauthentic?" You will never find such anomalous and meaningless terms used in a Mr. Sensitive review.
(And, I do find it interesting that this culinary expert who speaks of the lack of "authenticity" at the Thai Delight is the same person who believes La Posta has outstanding food. What a joke.)
Now........let's get serious. Here's what you need to know:
The recently opened Thai Delight de Mesilla is operated by the same owner who opened the original a few years ago in Organ. The Thai Delight in Organ (Renoo's Thai Delight) is actually run by different people and has now left Organ for Las Cruces as of July 2013). This Thai Delight (Thai Delight de Mesilla) venue occupies the old building the Andele was in for many years. It has been redone and is now more attractive than when the Andele was there. The little bistro is clean and reasonably comfortable. I would regard the ambiance as about a B to a B-. It is certainly acceptable for casual dining....but don't expect anything fancy or sophisticated.
During all my visits the service has been provided by young women who did a very nice job...never by "teenagers clowning around" as one reviewer (a Mr. Bishop) would have you believe. The waitresses were not always the most professional waitresses, but they have always done a nice job, been very polite, helpful, and efficient. Rate the service a solid B.
On my first visit I ordered their "Stir Fried Cashew Nut" meal for $9.99. I understand that this is one of their more popular dishes; indeed, several others in the cafe ordered it while I was present. It came with a choice of a little salad or miso soup. I chose the soup.
The miso soup came in a little cup-sized bowl and was nothing more than a dark broth with a few traces of scallions floating in it. I did not care for the taste of the soup and would rate it only a C. It was "not" very good!
The entrée appeared on a nice sized plate with an accompaning bowl of white rice. It was attractively presented with a slice of an orange on the side of the plate. I had the option of beef, pork, or chicken. I chose the pork. There were not a lot of pork slices in this meal, but what the heck, it only cost $9.99 not $16-18.00. The pork was done very well and was quite flavorful. All the veggies...cabbage, broccoli, red and green bell peppers, carrots, and onions were stir-fried to perfection in a spicy brown sauce. Numerous cashews were added for crunch. The Thai Delight gives every diner the choice of mild, medium, hot, and Thai hot. I chose "hot." My meal was quite up there on the heat scale, but not too overwhelming. Just about right. The main meal...unlike the miso soup...was delicious. A wonderful meal for $10.00. Rate the main dish a B+ to A minus. Very good.
I have also sampled their Pad Thai and found it quite satisfactory. It could have had a little bit more flavor and some more pork in the dish, but the onions, pork, and noodles were cooked just right. WHILE THIS WAS NOT "EXCEPTIONAL" PAD THAI, IS WAS QUITE GOOD. Rate the meal a B+.
Another reviewer convinced me to order the PANANG CURRY which I did on May 8, 2012. This curry came in a bowl with a side of white rice. The curry bowl itself included slivers of red and green bell peppers, zucchini slices, and some pork in a creamy coconut milk liquid. This dish, when mixed with the rice, had a very nice flavor and was most enjoyable. My mistake, however, was to order it "hot," not Thai hot but the next step down. Wow, was it hot! Next time I will order the food "medium." Other than the rice and a few bits of vegetables and a few slivers of pork....the rice was the only thing of substance found here in this dish. For $10.00 there was not a lot of food for the money. But, it was different and I enjoyed the meal. Rate it a B+. Very good but not exceptional.
I do seem to feel that you do not quite get as much food for the money in this restaurant as you do in many others. But, this is a minor complaint.
The service this day in May 2012 was again quite pleasant and efficient. Rate it a solid B.
The menu at the Thai Delight I have found a little restrictive, and this, along with the mediocre soup and B decor, tends to hold the rating down a little. Nevertheless, this is a nice (yet casual) place to dine in a relaxed atmosphere. The food is good (but not exceptional) and a good value for the money. But, don't expect exceptional Thai food in this bistro...or any other one around Las Cruces as of this date. I would rate this bistro, regarding the overall dining experience....out of a possible five stars....FOUR STARS....meaning that it is quite good or well above average for the total dining experience. Give it a try if in Mesilla. It is a nice change from Mexican food.
BOTTOM LINE: WILL I RETURN TO DINE? YES....NOW AND THEN.
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