Hey Patrick H. I like Lemongrass Too, too! I really am running out of opening lines for my reviews.
Food - What struck me as odd when first walking into Lemongrass Too (L2) was that all the employees were white. We were greeted by a blonde in athletic shorts, UA crosstrainers, and a L2 beater that had Ka Pow on the back; a white guy was at the bar; and our server was a brunette. Having been to Thailand twice, I thought it would be amusing to see how white people would cook Thai food, akin to having a non-Hispanic bagging your groceries at H-Mart. To my disappointment, I saw several Thai cooks in the kitchen, which was probably better for my taste buds anyway.
The food here is the closest to authentic Thai flavors I've had in the DMV. We ordered the calamari ($7.95) and shrimp tom yum ($4.95) to start. The calamari was some of the crispest I've ever had but the squid was a bit rubbery. The sauce it was served with was very light but went well with the dish. The tom yum was ok - it had plenty of zing but wasn't savory. For entrees we ordered the pork kapow ($10.95), tofu pad thai ($9.95) and shrimp pik kur ($14.95). The kapow had large pieces of pork in it rather than the minced/chopped pieces kapow typically comes with. The sauce was good but the pork was rather dry. The tofu pad thai was EXCELLENT and the shrimp pik kur had a decent flavor but I thought it could've used more kick.
While the flavors were relatively authentic, the hot peppers were not. For one, their dried red pepper was a spicier version of Korean gochu-galooh (red pepper flakes) rather than the super intense crushed red peppers Thai food is normally served with. The rest of the peppers were spicy but not spicy enough, as authentic Thai peppers make you question your existence as they make their way through your GI system.
Finally, the portions here are relatively small - Bangkok Kitchen (BK) in Odenton has larger portions. We went when the restaurant opened at 4p.m. on Sunday and heard our waitress say, "It's lunch," to a customer on the phone. This combined with seeing how small the portions were, I assumed we were served the lunch portions and prices. When the check came, we found out that it was not. Note: lunch portions are about $2 cheaper.
Service - Even though we were the only ones in the restaurant, we had to hail the server several times. Is this what Americans feel when they go into Korean restaurants? Curse you, karma!
Location - Upon entering, you will notice the 2 I's principle of Asian restaurant design: idols and Ikea. The interior is very nice (see pics) and is rather surprising for something near Annapolis Mall where the reigning design principle is kitschy. Oddly enough, it seems to be a casual restaurant as the servers are in jeans and Lemongrass t-shirts. I would not recommend this place for those w/ children in strollers as the tables are VERY close together and we would have had problems had we not been the only ones in the restaurant. And for those on dates, you're going to be VERY close to those next to you, which is par for the course in most places in DC, but seems odd in the vast plot of suburbia known as Annapolis.
A final note about this location: they are open from 11-10M-Th, and 11-11F-S and they stop seating at 3:30 for a kitchen break from 4-5. On Sunday, they are open from 4-10 w/out the kitchen break.
A great find in Annapolis! It's about 0.5 mile from the mall and it would be a great option if you're shopping there. But the skimpy portions and lack of spicy peppers keeps BK as my favorite Thai place in the DMV. The fact that BK is closed on Sunday's will likely keep me coming back to L2 for my Thai cravings. read more