new eats :: Drunken Noodle Thai

Last night, my boy and I were in the mood for some Asian flavors, so we hit up the newest place in the area for some take-out -- Drunken Noodle. Located at 9 Park St in Essex Junction, VT, the Drunken Noodle serves up tasty Thai cuisine. The ambience is much classier than its location's predecessor, and the waitstaff is very helpful. You can eat-in or take-out.

They offer a selection of appetizers, salads, soups, stir-fried entrees (choose your protein and your sauce), duck entrees, curries, and noodle dishes. They also have lunch specials and desserts.

We highly recommend the crab angels (fried crab wontons served with a delicate sweet & sour sauce), the som tum salad (made with green papaya and carrots), the stir-fried chicken entree with spicy garlic sauce (tip: add rice to your order for an extra $1. you'll want it!), or the pad woon sem (cellophane noodles with egg, bean sprouts, tomato, cabbage, onion, and carrots).

Service is quick, and prices are reasonable:

Appetizers - $4-6
Salads - $5-7
Soups - $3-4
Stir-fried Entrees - $9-11
Duck Entrees - $12
Curries - $9-11
Noodles $9-11

Asian Food in Madrid

Ok, in general, my experience with Asian food in Madrid has not been good. If you are in the mood for Asian food, I recommend that you do some research first, and ask around to see what the opinions are of certain establishments. I have had some seriously bad food, but there are three places that I have visited that have had really great food. The first place, Rey de Tallarines, has excellent homemade noodles and tasty green curry (see entire blog entry here). The second place, Bangkok, has delicious pad thai and let me tell you, it is a HUGE portion of noodles. And thirdly, if you are looking for Indian cuisine, check out Tandoori's for delicious curries and vegetarian dishes (see entire blog entry here). I know it can get tough here if you are craving a little Asian flavor, but don't worry, good Asian food in Madrid DOES exist. =)

Rey de Tallarines

If you are craving yummy housemade noodles, try Rey of Tallarines (Calle de San Bernardino, 2 :: metro stop Plaza de España or Noviciado). They offer a lunch menu-of-the-day, which includes a first course, second course, dessert, and beverage. For the first course, I recommend the ensalada de aguacate (avocado salad), and for the second course I recommend anything that comes with their tasty fried noodles (my picture shows saucy beef strips, served with fried noodles, vegetables and shrimp), or their chicken with thai green curry sauce. The guys at the table next to us were eating tempura (but they call it "fried vegetables") and that looked delicious as well. They also offer dim-sum, and if you are lucky enough, you might get to see them making the noodles! (click here for photos from a friend's blog)