When I saw an item called “Garlic Goodies” on the menu at Tara Thai Restaurant, I had to smile. I could guess what it was – meat or tofu sautéed with onions, garlic, and black pepper, a popular dish usually called gra tiem – but it seemed like such an appropriate name for a Thai dish. This cuisine makes so much of bold flavors, the garlic, chilies, and basil we’re all familiar with, as well as the lemongrass and galangal and other exotic spices that many know but can’t name.
Thai cuisine has gone from obscure to one of the most popular cuisines in America in the past few decades, and changed a good deal in the process; most Thai restaurants in America serve a version of the cuisine that is so adjusted to American tastes that it is regarded as a different category by Thais. A California-style Thai restaurant was open when I was last in Chiangmai, and they were doing good business with curious locals. (It’s a common process, the same thing gifted the world with California Mexican food that is so different from what is served on the other side of that nearby border.)
Tara Thai looks more American than Thai outside – the strip mall location doesn’t allow much personality to be seen from the street. Inside it is very Thai, charmingly decorated with ethnic tapestries and statues, soft music and a fish tank both aiding a restful atmosphere. In several visits I’ve tried a fair percentage of the menu and found the place to have solid cooking at very modest prices.
Among the Americanized dishes is fried calamari – Thais usually eat squid stir-fried or boiled, nor deep-fried. The most Thai thing about this dish is the sweet and spicy dipping sauce that comes along with it, but Thai or not, it’s tasty. The squid is cut large but fried, so it’s crisp outside but still tender. (Squid is available in a noodle salad if you’d like to try a dish people back in Bangkok would recognize.)
Eggrolls are Chinese, but universally popular in Thailand, which has a large ethnic-Chinese population and ancient trade ties. Thais make them smaller than the Chinese, with a mildly spiced vegetable filling instead of the pork and cabbage that is original. It’s not a complex formula, so what matters is execution – if they come to the table hot, crisp, and not oily, they’re probably going to be good. They hit all the marks here, and we crunched away on them. We’ve tried the fresh spring rolls too – rice flour crepes filled with shrimp, basil, and vegetables and served without frying. These are more traditionally Thai and Vietnamese and are particularly refreshing in hot weather, the coolness of cucumber and shrimp paired with vegetables and pungent Thai basil to create a finger-food salad.
The standout starter was the “Bangkok jerky,” marinated dried beef that is deep-fried and served on a bed of cucumbers and tomatoes. While fried beef jerky sounds like a novelty that could come from a Texas county fair, it’s actually both authentic and delicious. The drying process intensifies the flavor of the beef and frying adds a crispy crust of spices, for a set of flavors and textures you can’t get any other way.
I have a thing for Thai noodles and have tried two versions here – bang kae, flat noodles fried with chicken, crushed peanuts, and bean sprouts, and the iconic pad thai. The bang kae was the better of the two, a simple but delicious dish that you could easily make at home but that probably wouldn’t come out this good. The pad thai had distinct, fresh flavors but was lacking something; this isn’t ever a hot dish, but there is usually an undercurrent of spice in the sauce. This version might work as a counterpoint to a very spicy dish, but didn’t stand out on its own.
If you aren’t Thai, getting that really spicy dish requires some firm asking; on one visit I asked for a roasted duck curry to be served hot, but it was still on the timid side. It wasn’t bad, and I jumped it up with some condiments from the selection on the table, but it does make a difference when the spices are cooked in. Only when I insisted on a pumpkin curry being served “Thai hot” did I get any dish that really had the gusto of a meal in Bangkok. That curry had an appealing balance of peppery flavors and coconut milk, and I highly recommend it. On a subsequent visit with a self-proclaimed spice wimp I ordered it again and found it still good even in a much milder version; this is one of the standout dishes on the menu.
It’s a tribute to the Thai skill at harmonizing and juxtaposing flavors that their cuisine is still beguiling even in a muted form; I can take newbies to Tara Thai for an introduction they will appreciate. With most dishes on the menu hovering around ten dollars for a substantial portion, you can fill the table with dishes without straining your wallet, and you can order some dishes Thai Hot to enjoy the majestic power of one of the world’s great cuisines.
Tara Thai is at 234 S. PCH in Redondo Beach, just north of Torrance Boulevard. Open daily 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., parking lot, beer and wine served. Wheelchair access good, vegetarian friendly if you ask for dishes with no fish sauce, no corkage. (310) 379-8593. ER
