Thai Spice - Falls Church

Two things distinguish this remarkable little store front bistro from the pack of Thai restaurants in the D.C. North VA Region. First, the menu, though not lengthy, comprises many unique dishes. You know, after you 've been to the dozen odd Thai places in the area, you begin to think that they all serve the same food, differentiated only in quality. Not Thai Spice. They 've got a killer crispy fried tilapia special, a glorious Thai style glazed pork rib barbecue, and other novelties. You 'll find yourself saying, ;I 'm going to have to keep coming back until I 've tried the whole menu! ; The other inspiring aspect of this culinary enterprise is the character of its sole founder, owner, and chef, Ms. Rujiraporn Chuvong, aka ;Lek ;. Not only did she devise all the recipes (she does most of the cooking herself, and personally inspects the remainder), she has her own line of Thai spice sauces, produced in Thailand according to her exact specifications, which she markets under the brand ;Thai Spice Boat ;. In addition, she holds weekly cooking classes in the restaurant 's kitchen using, of course, the recipes and ingredients of her own device. Lek is a really sweet lady; and when she told me the story of how she came to the U.S. and launched her enterprise, I felt that she had taken me into her confidence. She very sincerely solicited my advice on how to improve her business; and though I am, no doubt, vastly inferior to her in that department, yet she seemed truly grateful for my suggestions. And that is why I am writing this review. Excellent food, excellent value, and a very sweet lady.