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Restaurant Ratings

The ratings are based mostly on the degree to which the food excites us, and a little on environment, service, and other considerations. I rate restaurants relative to all other restaurants in the New Orleans area. Here's what the stars mean to me:

starstarstarstarstar
Among the best locally.

starstarstarstar
Excellent and ambitious.

starstarstar
Worth crossing town for.

starstar
Recommended.

*
Acceptable.

No star
Unacceptable.

Cost Ratings
Each dollar sign indicates a ten-dollar range, including a normal meal for the restaurant (dinner, if they serve other meals), not including drinks, or tips. So, for example. . .

1$--$5-15
2$--$15-25
3$--$25-35

. . . and so on, with no upper limit. While this scheme may suggest mathematical precision, know that perception of price varies from diner to diner as much as the star ratings do. So consider this an estimate.

All reviews are based entirely on meals I have personally taken at the restaurant and paid for from my own pocket. I don't take free review meals, nor am I reimbursed by anybody for my restaurant expenditures.

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Thai Spice

Thai.
Covington: 1531 US 190. 985-809-6483. Map.
Lunch and dinner seven days.
Casual.
AE MC V
Website

WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
The best demonstration of the health of Thai cookery on the North Shore is that this one coexists with a related but different and equally good Thai restaurant across the highway. Although both were put together by the same guy and appear to have the same menu, in fact the cooking style of Thai Spice is noticeably different. I go back and forth from one to another, doubling my pleasure.

WHY IT'S GOOD
If I had to pick out one outstanding characteristic of Thai Spice's food, it would be the excellence and quantity of the vegetables it uses in many of its dishes. The meat components, while not ungenerous, take a back seat to these vividly flavorful, crunchy veggies, all awash in well-made Thai sauces.

BACKSTORY
Thai Spice was originally on the other side of the highway, operated by Ricky Seubsanh. A family squabble caused Ricky to move to the other side of US 190, taking the name with him. He brought in his nephew to help run the place, but wound up returning to the other side to open Thai Thai. The nephew and his family continued on at Thai Spice. If there's been a change in the food here after all that, I haven't detected it.

DINING ROOM
It's a space in a strip mall, originally built as a Mexican fast-food operation. Although Thai decor was added wherever it would fit (since two walls are completely of glass, there aren't many such places), the restaurant is still rather spare, but gets a good feeling from the brightness and high ceilings. Most of the staff is family and serves quietly and well.

ESSENTIAL DISHES
Soft spring roll
Crispy spring roll
Cheese roll
Steamed dumplings or fried dumplings
Chicken satay
Thai chicken wings
Calamari
Tom yum soup (chicken or shrimp)
Tom kha soup (chicken or shrimp)
Items marked with * available with chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, or tofu
*Fried rice
Pineapple fried rice
Yum woon sen (salad with shrimp and pork)
Thai beef or chicken salad
*Pad thai
*Pad woon sen
*Pad kee mow
*Thai curry: red, green, Panang, or musuman style
*Thai stir-fry with basil, ginger, cashews or garlic
*Jungle curry (heavy on vegetables)
Duck with Thai basil
Paradise shrimp (with lemongrass)
Siam Ocean (a seafood stew)
Spicy whole fish
Sweet rice pudding with coconut

FOR BEST RESULTS
You can get any meat with any dish, but ask the waiter what he recommends with the sauce you're interested in, and go with his suggestion.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
The enormous windows catch too much sunlight at times. Some kind of blinds would help.

FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.

SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES

This review was updated with new information on 7/27/2010.

A list of over 350 full, current reviews is here.