thip khao

after much wait, i was finally able to dine at trip khao rather than having take out from them. during the week, therestaurantconsistently has a wait. my friends and i decided to get a few dishes to share as we sat on the patio. our server was very patient with us and had the food served quickly. to start, we had the papaya salad with a vegetarian sauce instead of fish sauce. i though the salad was good, but it would've been better with the fish sauce. some of my friends were not a fan on the raw vegetables in it either. next, we had the chicken screwers and goat curry. the goat curry broth was very hearty, the broth nicely soaking up the rice. my friends seemed to like the chicken far more than the goat. lastly, we had the fried rice with tofu, which everyone loved. there was so much seasoning in the rice that gave the rice flavor, unlike other fried rice i've had before. for the portion sizes, the prices were a little steep for some of the dishes. i suppose that due to therestaurantbeing one (if not the only) laotianrestaurantin the city, it's quite a treasure for the city.

the meal i had last year at thip khao is one of those i think of again and again as one of the best dining experiences i’ve had in the district. i’ve been meaning to return for ages, but it seems that every time i’m in columbia heights there’s some newrestauranti just have to try. this is a problem in dc – so many new restaurants open every month that old favorites are often quickly forgotten.

thip khao in columbia heights is the lao only sisterrestaurantto bangkok golden (thai/lao) in 7 corners. thip khao's food is amazing and often adventurous. there is even offal on the happy hour menu (duck heads, pork rings, pig ears). the bar is small so get there early if doing the happy hour. you'll notice that i don't rate 5 often, but for this one i am. we wrote about it in january at dcfud.com

so, my friends and i ate there last night and we had a great time. therestaurantis well appointed and the staff very friendly and attentive. i had the spicy fried rice with shrimp, and it did not disappoint. spicy means spicy over there.  at that location on 14th street, parking is hard to find with only street parking available so prepare to walk because undoubtedly, you'll be parking far.