Asian Thai

5:45 PM on Friday, December 21, 2012

Asian Thai, Appleton, WI

Mathurin, Ellen Martinson (Mom), Chris Martinson(Dad)

We decided last minute on this restaurant, nestled in a strip mall between a Mexican and a Korean restaurant.  As we walk through the door, there is a short wall and divider to the left for about ten feet, cash register counter in front, separated by a walkway from the kitchen and the bar to the left.  Greeted promptly and seated at a table with white tablecloth, red linen napkin folded around visible silverware, table tent of non-alcoholic drinks, soy sauce, and the standard salt and pepper.  One server silently dropped off water which was followed by a longer than normal wait for an initial greeting.  By then, my already grumbling father had already decided what he wanted to eat and, for that matter, what time we should be getting home.  I explored the rather large and somewhat ticky-tack, somewhat-like-a-Chinese-takeout menu.  It featured the choices of both Thai and Chinese foods, including Pad Thai, Curry, Egg Foo Young, fried rice, General Tso, wonton soup, etc.  The server greeted us by asking for drinks (Miller Lite for Dad, hot sake for me).  She assumed we were ready to order entrées because of the long wait, but I asked for more time.  After deciding on Pad See Yu, my eyes wandered the décor of the establishment.  I noticed Miller Lite and Budweiser lit signs in the window and inconsistent table settings.  There were a few tables and booths without linen, one with paper napkins on the glass table and some covered tables without silverware.  I was very confused from this point.  My guess was that they do not use linens for tabletops and napkins for lunch service.  They could be attempting to save money on linen cleaning by not covering tables that they did not expect to use.  That begs the question, why not eliminate table linens, since the glass tabletops looked great?  Regardless, inconsistent tabletops existed throughout the restaurant (-).  The décor throughout the restaurant was just fine for me in an Asian establishment.  I noticed two servers using team service rather well, the other server filling our waters and clearing our plates (+).  On the other hand, it seemed like they needed assistance greeting guests, cashing out tables, and delivering takeout items.  Later I noticed a front-of-house gentleman cash out some takeout guests, so I was not sure of his role as he was not assisting the servers in the dining room.  I also noticed a gentleman in a hoodie and visor beanie bring a takeout item to guests (-).  A major awkward moment occurred when one of the servers was seating two guests who wanted a booth.  There was one remaining and without linen, so she took the linen off of an unset table and threw it over the desired table (-).  Every dinner entrée came with a choice of soup or Asian salad with a delightful choice of dressings.  After we ordered, we also received tostadas and sugary peanuts before the starter soups and salads arrived.  As our server delivered our entrées via a large tray and a tray jack, she questionably raised the Tofu Curry as if she did not recall or look who ordered what. After my mom raised her hand, the server awkwardly reached across the table to place the food.  She, also with question, reached across for me and from the right to my dad (-).  Although not her fault, she had obviously not been thoroughly taught in service, because there was more than enough room to move around the table.  Based on the atmosphere and menu, service should be a larger priority.  Everyone enjoyed all the food, which will receive no complaints.  The server did a quality check, although rather late.  She cleared all of our plates at once to save time, without a tray, overly stacking and consequently dropped a fork on Mom.  At that time she asked if we needed anything else without mentioning dessert.

Service: 2/5

Forgivable timeliness, no formal introduction (-), water pouring without asking (+), uniformed servers, tables left not set (-),team service (+), servers not adequately trained in service (-) and appeared too busy for adequate all-around service to all guests (-).

Menu: 2/3

Long (-) yet detailed (+) menu, laminated Chinese takeout book (-) with a unique bamboo-like cover (+).

Atmosphere: 2/3

Great simple Asian décor inside (+), American wine bottles displayed, full bar setup (+), inconsistent tabletops (-), lit beer signs (-), NA beverage table tents.

Food: 3/3

Keep Calm and Eat On,

Mathurin