Edge of the City Review: Mint's Thai Kitchen

I ordered in tonight from the "new" Mint's Thai Kitchen which opened a couple of weeks ago on the lower level of the Austin St. Mall. I put "new" in the previous sentence because there are rumors flying that this restaurant is the same as the previous restaurant in that spot, Thai Austin, but just with a new name.

I think I ordered take out from Thai Austin once when it was open, pretty shortly after it had opened in fact. The one memory I have was a negative one - I ordered the Chicken Pad Thai and I remember the unpleasant discovery of crunchy pieces of egg shell mixed in with the rest of the food. Blech!

Anyway, tonight I ordered the same dish, Chicken Pad Thai, as a main course from Mint's. And lo and behold - no egg shells! And, what's more, it was very good. I like to order this classic Thai food dish to test out a new place when it opens. I've had so many Pad Thai's at so many places that I figure it is a good barometer of how things are overall at a new Thai place. This one I would rate an A. It wasn't unbelievably great; instead I would just call it quite satisfying. There was nothing to complain about.

The Thai Iced Tea came separated from the ice. Nice touch!

I should add, however, that I was at a disadvantage in relishing all the flavors of the Pad Thai because right before it I had eaten Mint's Shrimp Lemon Grass Soup (Tom Yum Kung). Now this was excellent, a definite A+. But I have to warn you all - this is one spicy soup! And this was really my only complaint with my first Mint's experience - their menu says this soup is "mild," but this soup was very spicy. I was literally sweating and my sinuses were cleared by this soup.... but in a good way. I would definitely order this soup again, but this time I would be prepared for HOT!

On the customer service side of things, when I ordered on the phone the lady told me it would take 15 minutes. I hung up thinking, 'ok, we'll see about that.'  But, amazingly, she was right on the money - it took 15 minutes to get the food.

Speaking of money, the soup, Chicken Pad Thai and also a Thai Iced Tea (also delicious and very much needed to offset the spiciness of the soup), cost me $16 (before tip).

If you haven't seen it yet (click here for my earlier post, menu included) Mint's has an innovative menu for a Thai restaurant, but with pretty reasonable prices. I especially am looking forward to trying their "From the Wok" selections, which include Vegetable Medley with Tofu, Shrimp Ginger & Garlic, and other dishes.

So, overall, Mint's gets an Edge of the City "A" for very reasonable prices and excellent food. I am just a little concerned about their slightly misleading menu. Other than that, a good, affordable new eatery for Forest Hills. Oh, and about that name - the food did come with chopsticks still bearing the name "Thai Austin." So, the mystery continues.