Thai House - Santa Rosa

525 Fourth St, Santa Rosa CA 95401
(707) 526-3939
Parking: street parking or nearby parking lots
Last Visited: February 1, 2007

Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

Thai House is located on the second floor, so when you are walking on the street, look for a staircase and a sign – both are a bit obstructed from view by the other nearby restaurants, but be on the lookout and you’ll see it.

Thai House has been in downtown Santa Rosa for quite some time. They’re especially known for their seating and regulars also receive special treatment. The seats are interesting. The main dining area has regular tables and chairs. In the rear, there is a raised area with short tables, creating floor seating. They provide thick cushions, both flat (for you to sit on) and triangular ones (for leaning) that are covered in gold fabric. It definitely creates an authentic feel. The area with the raised seating is decorated with dark walls, dark carpet, and outlines of Thai figures. Guests are required to take off their shoes before entering this section. The tables are situated such that two long tables are on the sides of the room and smaller tables are located at the very rear just behind the small set of stairs.

It’s been about six or seven years since my last visit. Having visited many of the Thai restaurants in Sonoma County, when I compare Thai House with the rest, I found the ambience at Thai House nice, but better food can be found in the area. This recent visit confirmed my previous observations.

This evening, we had a large party of over ten people. The Christmas decorations were still present with Christmas lights on the railing along with a garland of green synthetic material. Upon my arrival, the staff pointed out where to go (my view of the table was blocked by the wall dividing the room with regular tables and chairs and the room with the raised floor. It would have been better service for the waitstaff to actually walk us to the location considering it wasn’t very far away and would have added a personal touch. When we ordered, the waitress stayed at the corner of the table and looked at us as we each stated what we wanted. Surprisingly, the acoustics aren’t bad when everyone is quiet. The wait staff typically wear authentic Thai clothing too.

- Satay – Five skewers of grilled chicken (beef also an available choice) are served with a small cucumber salad and a small dish of peanut sauce. The chicken had noticeable grill marks and were placed on a bed of lettuce. Presentation was nice. The cucumber salad had a nice flavor and there were small pieces of red onion. The peanut sauce was thick and had good flavor also. The chicken was dense and lacked flavor. It took a bit of effort to remove the chicken from the skewer which seemed to indicate that the meat was overcooked. Fair. $6.95

- Yellow Curry – You can select chicken, beef, or tofu curry. I selected chicken. The curry made with coconut milk is smooth and creamy. Chicken breast is cut in pieces and cooked with potatoes, red and green bell peppers, and the curry sauce. All is served in a shallow oval dish. Good flavor, though the portions are small. The curry is served medium, so if you like spicy, be sure to ask for increased heat. I liked how there weren’t too many vegetables stuffed in as filler, but it wasn’t outstanding. $9.95

- Pad Thai – Rice noodles are cooked with your choice of chicken or tofu. I selected tofu. The tofu comes in small cubes and along with the rice noodles, there are bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, and on the side, you’ll see shredded lettuce topped with a wedge of tomato. These side vegetables aren’t particularly traditional, but you often see it as decoration. I found this dish to be okay. The noodles were a little too al dente for me – not quite the way rice noodles should be, so just okay as a dish overall. Flavor was good, although there was also an excess of chopped peanuts. $7.95

- Rice – The quantity of rice was good since the bowl tended to be bigger, but not perfect rice quality and texture. Okay. $1

- Thai Iced Tea – This was a large tea and the flavor was good, but the complaint I have is that at bottom of my cup, there was a small pile of tea leaves, and unfortunately, it wasn’t leaves, but very fine powder which basically ruined the overall drink when I was finishing it off. Good tea, but presentation with fine tea at the bottom isn’t acceptable for a sweet drink. $2

When our fellow dining companion asked for peanut sauce, he was not told he would be charged extra for it, which seems like something you should inform the customer of or just provide it for free. They also add 18% gratuity for large parties.

I felt most dishes could have been served hotter in temperature, and the curry could be hotter in flavor, but considering the large group, it may have cooled down during transport. The food was placed on carts and brought into the room. The seats are not comfortable, especially if you sit on the railing side (as opposed to the wall side) since there is no place to lean. Sitting across from someone at the table also ends up in either very uncomfortable Indian style seating with legs asleep at the end of the meal or a friendly get to know the person across from you all out footsie war. Worse yet, it could be feet in your lap for dinner. Check out the Thai House for atmosphere, but food and service are fair to okay.