Thai Orchid

After our last disastrous Thai experience (also known as Sake), I felt like I had to leave Stafford and get something better. I hadn't had decent Thai food in the longest time!! After reading a bunch of good reviews about Thai Orchid, we decided to head over there.

It isn't the closest restaurant in the world... you take exit 158 and it is 3 miles down the road. Still, if you are visiting Woodbridge to go to Wegmans, Potomac Mills, or for some other reason, I highly recommend making the trip. It doesn't look very impressive when you park in front of it. It is in a strip mall (is there anything in Stafford/Woodbridge that isn't?) and next to a Giant.

Inside it is clean and the booths are comfortable. Our waitress was really polite, friendly, and responsive.

My husband and I both got lunch specials. I think there was a choice of appetizer, but we both got spring rolls. They were goooooooood.

So good that I couldn't wait to take a bite before I took the picture 

The sweet sauce to dip the rolls in was yummy, too. I'm not sure about the lame salad on the side, but I'm pretty sure places just put those there for decoration.

I ended up getting a ginger based beef dish and my husband got a basil based chicken dish. They were really good!! They were the way you would expect a regular Thai dish at a decent place to taste! Why can't I just find a NORMAL tasting Thai restaurant in Stafford? Is it that hard to do? They have decent Thai places all over the country, can we please just get one close to home!? </rant>

Yummy Thai food. I can haz at Stafford, pleez?

If anyone knows of a better place closer to home, please let me know. If this place was closer, I know it would become one of our family regulars and I would eat here two or three times a month.

Pho 88

It's no secret that Stafford doesn't have as much ethnic cuisine as some of our neighbors to the North, but that doesn't mean that there is nothing to try! Tucked away near the Goodwill is Pho 88. I think the restaurant also calls itself Pho's 88, so call it what you like.

I was a bit skeptical before I ate there, but you never know how good the food is until you try it. I was even more skeptical after I read a sign on the door about how the restaurant wont refund your money once you have eaten the food. I'm not sure if that's the best way to set the ambiance.

The pho was surprisingly decent... the chicken was not. 

My husband got a large beef pho. At almost $8, it isn't the cheapest for pho, but they give you a good amount. It was surprisingly solid. The broth was salty and tasty. The beef was cooked well. It also had these beef meatballs in it. I wasn't a huge fan of those, but my husband seemed to like it. Is it the best pho in the world? No... but if you are craving something warm and savory on a cold day, it is not terrible.  I've read other reviews about this place that said that the pho was tasteless and cold, but we didn't have that experience.

I got chicken and mushrooms. I don't recommend it. It was overly seasoned with hoisin sauce. The mushrooms then absorbed the sauce. It was like eating sweet pieces of shredded rubber. Mmmmm.

The service was really good until the husband/boyfriend/whatever of the waitress came in. After that, we were pretty much on our own.

I'm not sure if I will go back, only time will tell. The experience wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. How is that for a glowing review?