Special to The TribuneBy Nancy Hobbs
Superb lettuce wraps, sunsets at Gateway's eye-pleasing Thaifoon
When a new restaurant rides into town on a wave of PR and marketing, with expensive grand-opening celebrations doubling as charity events and press releases that freely use such adjectives as "unique" and "innovative," skeptics wonder whether there is truth to the hype.
Such was the case with Thaifoon, which opened in Salt Lake City's Gateway Center three months ago. It is the fourth location (it is also in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Southern California) for a restaurant that touts itself as "rooted in the exotic and fascinating cuisines of Asia," but with a "distinctly American and modern influence of service and ambience."
My translation for that mumbo-jumbo? Good Asian food served in a colorful, comfortable setting suitable for family-style dining.
Thaifoon, subtitled Taste of Asia, is at the north end of the Gateway Center and upstairs from the Olympic Legacy fountain, which diners can enjoy (in addition to great sunsets) from the restaurant's west-facing windows.
Don't worry if you are seated elsewhere: There is plenty to please the eye throughout the restaurant, with its modern design, bold colors and intriguing artistic elements, including a recirculating "wall of water" that apparently is a signature element in all Thaifoon restaurants.
Most of the dark-wood tables are paired with attractively upholstered booth seating that can easily accommodate groups of six and eight. That fits with the Thaifoon philosophy, explained by the server on our first visit: Variety is the spice of life, so order several items and share.
We saw that the multigenerational family at a nearby table was doing just that, with the youngest members pronouncing to the rest of the group that the lettuce wraps -- named by Phoenix magazine as "the best" within a year of Thaifoon's opening in Scottsdale -- were also the best they had tasted.
Our server recommended we try the lettuce wraps for ourselves, partly because they were a better value than the Siamese spring rolls we were considering (both priced at $6.95). Indeed, there was more than enough of the wraps to share, and our attentive server returned with more lettuce leaves when they ran out before the diced-chicken filling. What made the wraps especially good was the spicy sauce our waiter stirred up by adding hot chili sauce -- the amount determined by how you answered his "Are you wild or mild?" question -- to an orange-coconut sauce. His approach was silly, but the result was delicious.
I learned what that server meant about "value" on my next Thaifoon visit, when the dining group I assembled ordered the spring rolls. For the same price as the lettuce wraps, we got a plate with one spring roll cut into four bite-size pieces.
We also ordered a "starter" of deep-fried calamari ($7.95), served with a delectable scallion aioli sauce, and one entrŽe each, all of them generous in their proportions.
There are more than 60 items on the Thaifoon menu, some of them fairly authentic Thai dishes. But most of them are unapologetically designed to tailor the unique flavors of Thai food to American food preferences.
Sizzling beef, for example, is sliced filet mignon, stir-fried asparagus and onions, served sizzling in a soy and Thai basil sauce. The sauce lends an Asian flavor, but it is something a cautious, meat-loving American can still recognize and enjoy.
Chicken, ahi tuna and shrimp are available in many variations, but one of the most popular dishes, for good reason, is the crispy coconut shrimp. An entrŽe order ($12.95) comes with nine large tiger shrimp, deep-fried in a light batter and coconut, circling a minty fruit salsa. The accompanying dipping sauce, orange flavored and with a spicy bite, makes it complete.
Children have their own menu, with everything priced at $3.75.
One area where the "unique" label fits Thaifoon well is libations. Flip-card menus on every table offer Thai Mais, Long Thai Tea, Saketumis and more, and through the summer the restaurant is offering hard-to-beat Tuesday patio parties from 5 to 8 p.m., with live music, reduced-price pitchers of beer and cheap appetizers ($1 beef and chicken satays cooked outside on the barbecue, and most appetizer plates, regularly up to $8.95, only $4). The patio is an enjoyable place in the late afternoon, with a west-facing view and an attractive firepit for cooler evenings.
Given its many draws, Thaifoon can get crowded and doesn't take reservations. Diners may call the restaurant 20 minutes before arrival and, if there is a waiting list, have their names added at that time.
Nancy Hobbs is The Tribune's restaurant reviewer. The newspaper covers the cost of meals at restaurants reviewed and there is no connection between reviews and restaurant advertising. Hobbs welcomes food and wine news, comments and suggestions at nhobbs@xmission.com
Thaifoon: Taste of Asia
Where: Gateway Center, 7 N. 400 West; 456-8424
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday until 11 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 8 p.m. Prices: $7-$14
Liquor: Full service
Reservations: No
Child's menu: Yes
Takeout: Yes
Wheelchair accessible: Yes
Outdoor dining: Yes
Parking: Validated parking in Gateway lots
Credit cards: All major
Volume: 265 Publication number: 156