![\"Photo](\"http:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_3917.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo by Karen Salkin, as is the big one at the top of the page.<\/p><\/div>\n
But when a pal recently mentioned Emporium Thai restaurant to me, my mouth began watering for their delicious food, so I knew I had to get a group together to head over there for dinner, and did so last week.\u00a0 And we had a wonderful time, on every level.<\/p>\n
Even more important than the scrumptious food, to me, is the peaceful, pleasant atmosphere, and the cheerful, caring service.\u00a0 We had adorable Honeybee helping us all night, but Kevin made occasional appearances to check on us, too.\u00a0 (And he\u2019s French and Spanish, so I got to try-out my repressed romance language skills on him.)\u00a0 They were both lovely, and had excellent menu suggestions.<\/p>\n
<\/a>This fountain is just part of the interior of Emporium. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n
Emporium has been around for almost eighteen years, so they really know what they\u2019re doing!\u00a0 This is a true family enterprise, and I feel that few know Thai food like the Sungkamee fam.<\/p>\n
On the food front, we were fans of just about everything we tasted.\u00a0 And, trust me–we tried a lot<\/em> of dishes! My \u201cassistant reviewers\u201d for this one were Lisa, Carolyn, and Paola.\u00a0 All four of us have totally different taste, but we were in total agreement on our admiration for all things Emporium.\u00a0 So, let\u2019s get to the highlights of what we sampled, in order.<\/p>\n Lisa was the only one who had an alcoholic beverage.\u00a0 She said her\u00a0Thai Basil Mojito, which came in a martini glass with a basil leaf garnish, was \u201cthe perfect choice\u201d for this type of food.\u00a0 She added that it was \u201cflavorful\u201d and \u201crefreshingly satisfying.\u201d<\/p>\n Healthful brown fried rice. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Then we got into the food.\u00a0 Going out of order for a second, I have to tell you that I really appreciate that they have a \u201cPremium Healthy Choice\u201d section on the menu, in addition to all the other fare.\u00a0 From it, I ordered the Royal Thai Fried\u00a0Brown<\/em>\u00a0Rice Veggie and added chicken to it.\u00a0 I can\u2019t tell you how happy that made me!\u00a0 I\u2019m such a\u00a0fried rice fan, but can\u2019t eat white<\/em> rice anymore, so this one was just what the doctor ordered. (Literally!) And despite the moniker \u201cFried Rice,\u201d Emporium only\u00a0boils<\/em>\u00a0it, never fries<\/em> it!\u00a0 And\u00a0this<\/em>\u00a0one is just as tasty as the one on their regular menu!<\/p>\n Back to chronological order now.\u00a0 We started-out with almost every appetizer!\u00a0 And loved them!\u00a0 Carolyn said, (of\u00a0all\u00a0<\/em>the food at Emporium, not just the starters,) \u201cI appreciated the flavors, textures, and spices in\u00a0all\u00a0<\/em>the dishes.\u201d\u00a0 She also pointed-out how fresh the garnishes are on every plate; they\u2019re each a side dish on its own!<\/p>\n Thai buffalo wings. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n The highlight for\u00a0me\u00a0<\/em>was the Thai Dumplings with chicken, which were crispy potstickers.\u00a0 Speaking of crispy, so were the Veggie Egg Rolls, which had an \u201cenjoyable herb,\u201d according to Paola, who is actually a chef herself.\u00a0 Her fave was the \u201cso creamy\u201d Cream Cheese Wonton Rangoon, about which she exclaimed, \u201cOMG!\u201d\u00a0 The other three all loved the Thai Buffalo Wings, which they said had the \u201cperfect spice level,\u201d and the Chicken Lettuce wraps that were sooo different than the usual ones found at other Asian eateries.\u00a0 Carolyn said the way it was served was \u201cunique and unexpected.\u201d<\/p>\n Coco Mango Salad with Shrimp. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n The only salad we tried was the Coco Mango Salad with Shrimp, (which also featured peanuts and coconut,) but that\u2019s all we needed in that category. It was not so much a “salad,” per se, but rather salad fixings\u00a0in a lettuce cup. \u00a0The ladies said this \u201cinteresting combo of ingredients\u201d was \u201cvery light, fresh, and delicious.\u201d<\/p>\n While\u00a0they<\/em>\u00a0went with a duo of curries, I was very happy with my Pad Thai.\u00a0 It had been my favorite menu item at Emporium back in the day, and I was thrilled to find that it still tastes exactly the same.\u00a0 Yu-um!<\/p>\n The Pad Thai. (I don’t have a pic of the curries because the ladies gobbled them too fast!) Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n I don\u2019t eat curries, but at the suggestion of Honeybee, my pals tried the Southern Curry with Jasmine Rice, which is their signature family recipe.\u00a0 I cannot even portray to you just how nuts they went over this dish!!!\u00a0 It was the highlight of the meal for all three of them.\u00a0 Lisa said the flavors were \u201cout of this world,\u201d and deemed it \u201cdefinitely a must have!\u201d\u00a0 They also enjoyed the UCLA Curry, which features pumpkin.\u00a0 (If\u00a0I<\/em>\u00a0ate curry, I would have dug right in with them because I love that school!\u00a0 It\u2019s one of four colleges I went to, and actually where I met Mr. X!)\u00a0 They said that both curries were \u201csaucy and creamy, the way that curries should be.\u201d\u00a0 And I must laud Emporium for having a very wide variety of spice levels, all the way up to \u201cLava!\u201d\u00a0 Very good of them.<\/p>\n While the girls worked on\u00a0the curries, I tried the Pad Prix King Crispy Pork with string beans.\u00a0 The sauce was just right for me, and I really enjoyed the taste of the pork, as well.\u00a0 And I was thrilled to be eating hearty vegetables!<\/p>\n Mango with sticky rice. (Do you think the heart-shape on the rice was because they love me?) Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n All the food was perfectly filling.\u00a0 We were totally full and satiated, but didn\u2019t feel sick, as I often do with other big meals.\u00a0 It was all just spot-on.<\/p>\n At the end, I shared some almost-secret information with my guests, and they were thrilled.\u00a0 So, I\u2019m letting\u00a0you<\/em>\u00a0in on it, as well.\u00a0 Desserts are not on the printed menu at Emporium, but since I\u2019m in with the in-crowd, I already knew of the main one.\u00a0 It\u2019s mango with sticky rice, which I\u2019ve craved ever since this restaurant introduced me to it all those years ago. Discovering it this time elevated me in the eyes of my pals because they went nuts for it!\u00a0 I\u2019d be happy to give you their comments, but all I could make out was a lot of \u201cmmm mmm\u201ds!<\/p>\n The secret Thai doughnuts. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n But even I<\/em> didn\u2019t know about their\u00a0other\u00a0<\/em>dessert, Thais doughnuts.\u00a0 Since my very first job in Los Angeles was at Stan\u2019s Corner Shop, the famous donut place in Westwood, I\u2019ve never been able to even look at one ever again, so I sat-out this treat.\u00a0 But the other three went absolutely bonkers over them, especially the dipping sauce that accompanied the pastries!\u00a0 I\u2019ve rarely seen anything like it.\u00a0 I heard a ton of \u201cOMG\u201ds as they devoured the puffs.\u00a0 (But afterwards, Lisa did mention that she was glad I don\u2019t eat them so that she \u201cdidn\u2019t have to share!\u201d\u00a0 Nice.\u00a0 But I totally understand the feeling.)<\/p>\n Our server, Honeybee, in front of the photo of her beloved late grandmother, Supis. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n As we were (finally) leaving, John, the handsome owner, arrived straight from a catering event, so we were able to learn more about their family, especially the late matriarch, Supis.\u00a0 There\u2019s a giant color photo of her high above the bar, so they feel like she\u2019s still presiding over the dining room.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure that it\u2019s comforting for everyone to see her ever-smiling face up there.<\/p>\n My friends and I had such a delightful time at Emporium that we kept lingering.\u00a0 The whole evening was culinarily delectable, mentally and visually interesting, and beautifully relaxing.\u00a0 There\u2019s no problem if a customer is in a rush, though.\u00a0 The entire staff is very accommodating.\u00a0 Just let them know exactly what you want, and they\u2019ll deliver the correct service.\u00a0 With a smile, of course!<\/p>\n Emporium Thai \u00a01275 Westwood Blvd. \u00a0310-478-2838 \u00a0www.ethaicuisine.com\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" EMPORIUM THAI I have to tell you right up front that I\u2019ve loved this place for years! My friends and I used to go here quite often back in the day, after the tapings of my television show,\u00a0Karen\u2019s Restaurant Revue.\u00a0 But sadly for me, I don\u2019t make it to Westwood much anymore, even though it\u2019s<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>