Restaurant Spotlight: Bangkok Joe’s
Location: 3000 K Street NW (across the street from Loews Cinema, two-minute walk from Wisconsin & M)
Cuisine: Thai / Asian Fusion
Prices: $$*
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Anyone who loves Thai food and is looking for a low-key alternative to Mai Thai (or is still mourning the loss of Bangkok Bistro, like I am) should try Bangkok Joe’s on K Street by the waterfront.
Bangkok Joe’s offers a number of traditional Thai entrees, as well as an extensive dumpling menu and a “Not Your Ordinary Joe’s” fusion menu that features Thai lobster rolls with sesame-soy Sriracha aioli and sweet-chilli popcorn shrimp (among many other dishes). In addition, Bangkok Joe’s offers an awesome “Thai Street Food” Happy Hour menu that includes $2 chicken satay, $5 sweet-chilli coconut chicken wings, and $5 mini burgers with teriyaki and spicy basil marinade. The Happy Hour food specials run seven days a week from 5-7 p.m., with drinks up to 40% off. While I wish the Happy Hour menu were more extensive, it offers some delicious and traditional small plates that, when ordered together, can become a substantial and satisfying meal. Bangkok Joe’s also offers all the usual suspects: Pad Thai, Drunken Noodles, red and green curry, Pad See Ew, and an exotic selection of fried rice. I ordered the Pad Thai with chicken, which was delicious per usual. I was also peer pressured into ordering the duck spring rolls, which ended up being amazing and considerably less traumatic than the duck my friend Albert tried to make me eat at 4:30 a.m. in Chinatown.
The main difference between Bangkok Joe’s and Bangkok Bistro Mai Thai is the ambiance – while Mai Thai may be a better place to go with a big group of friends, Bangkok Joe’s offers a more intimate and subdued atmosphere (read: Cuates-level rowdiness would be inappropriate there). If you have a significant other, Bangkok Joe’s would be a great place to go on a date and follow it up with a walk along the waterfront. If you’re single, Campus Cutie Jack Allen knows how to romance a girl by the waterside. Overall, I gave Bangkok Joe’s 3.5 out of 5 stars – I deducted 2 for the limited happy hour, but had to give it .5 back for its proximity to Baked and Wired. For more information and the full menu, visit www.bangkokjoes.com.
*Price Key: $ = basically stealing; $$ = moderate; $$$ = breaking the bank