Saturday, March 5, 2011

Has Tara Thai Bought Bangkok Garden?

There is a comment on yesterday's post that Bangkok Garden has been bought by Tara Thai, a chain that has expanded out of Virginia.

Anyone know about that?  Any more details Vida?  Has the place changed?  Is it becoming a Tara Thai?

4 comments:

  1. I hope not. I love Thai food and find Tara Thai to have lowered the bar as they have expanded. there is one within walking distance of our house and we drive to Sala Thai or others in the area

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  2. I noticed a few weeks ago that something had gone terribly wrong at my (formerly) sll-time favorite Thai place, Bangkok Garden. New management, new cook. The food was bland and tasteless. Service-- never BG's strong suit-- certainly did not improve. It's a pity. I guess BG was too good to last.

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  3. If BG goes down hill, whats the next best place?

    I loved the Southern Duck at BG. Maybe Bangkok Delight? I always thought they were decent but overpriced.

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  4. First the bad news. I've confirmed that the Columbia branch of Bangkok Garden has been sold. I went to the Bethesda location for dinner this evening and spoke with the owners. I was told that the new owners of the Columbia location are Tarin Thai, (not Tara Thai- sorry about that), out of Virginia. According to the previous owners, the new owners have been granted the right to use the Bangkok Garden name for about 6months; after that time, they will have to change the restaurant's name.

    Now for the good news. Bethesda isn't that far away. Bangkok Garden remains open in their original location in Bethesda at4906 St.Elmo Ave., between Old Georgetown Rd and Norfolk Ave.
    (301-951-0670) There is no onsite parking, only street ($1/hour meters) and garage. The menu is the same, along with some additional dishes that were not on the Columbia menu. The food, of course, was great!

    And, last but not least, all of the familiar faces from Columbia, along with the chef, have moved over to Bethesda. I'd been a regular patron at the Columbia location for many years, and when I walked through the Bethesda restaurant's door, I was greeted with hugs and smiles. The warm welcome extended to me definitely made up for the extra travel time.

    OK, so I'll have to drive a little further, but for food this good, and people this nice, it's worth it.

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