If you are looking for a nice, light and inexpensive lunch or dinner with an "Asian" flair, Thai Chili might just fill the bill. Located at 5725 Yukon Street, (right behind Bella Bistro and just off Ralston Road), in Arvada, Colorado, this restaurant offers a number of familiar favorites as well as a few "Americanized" versions and plenty of vegetarian choices.

The name, "Thai Chili", is a bit deceiving. When I and most others think of "Thai", we think of hot, spicy chilies. In fact, true "Thai" food is among the hottest and spiciest in the world. Most Americans are unable to consume even some of the most mild of true, Thai chili dishes. I was not disappointed. I have come to expect Americanized versions of spicy dishes at most Thai, Szechuan or even Mexican restaurants in the United States. It seems Americans have yet to truly discover the beauty of the chili, and, if restaurants make authentic dishes, those dishes are too powerful and the customers do not come back. So, to keep the customers and the money rolling in, most restaurants tone down the food to suit American tastes. Even if a person wants the authentic "heat" in his meal, just asking for it often is no assurance it will be served.

On this most recent visit to "Thai Chili", we sampled the "Drunken Noodles with Tofu" and the "Tofu Vietnamese Rice Noodle Plate". Both dishes were very good. They were nicely spiced for American tastes, very fresh and very tasty. The Drunken Noodles are advertised as a "hot and spicy" dish, but, as expected, only the most timid of taste buds would find this either hot or spicy. I was pleased there was plenty of Sriracha chili sauce right on the table. For those who have not tried it, Sriracha is an Asian version of hot sauce that is very nice and very spicy. It helped even out the spice a bit and make the heat more the way it should be. It is a nice touch by the restaurant to appease those who seek out Thai in its purest form. With this dish, I did like the way the tofu was grilled to improve the flavor and texture, but I wish the chef would use the whole chilies instead of just a sprinkling of chili flakes. The Vietnamese Rice Noodle Plate came in a nice presentation and was very fresh and light. The tofu in this dish also was sliced in strips and grilled to improve the texture. It had a nice, pleasing flavor

The noodles are $5.95 at lunch and $7.95 at dinner. The noodle plate is $6.25 at lunch and $8.50 at dinner. The prices were reasonable, and the portions were fair, but at least for me, the dishes were not very filling. Some people might like that. The restaurant itself is small, but cute. It is clean, neat and the wait staff are very good. On this visit, I rate this restaurant a solid "A". I would not be afraid to recommend this restaurant to anyone.

Thai Chili Asian Grill
5725 Yukon Street
Arvada, CO 80002
303-940-3866

Open Monday through Thursday 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Saturday Noon to 9:30 p.m. and Sunday Noon to 9:00 p.m.

Learn more about this author, Stan Dyer.
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