Lemon Grass in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Thai Restaurant Review

Okay, so there's Thai food and there's THAI FOOD! This is the latter. I've been to other Thai restaurants, and they're good. Lemon Grass is spectacular. As soon as you walk up to the place, there's this amazing scent wafting in the air. It's a combination of jasmine and vegetables and spices and all kinds of fresh food that's been simmering for a while.

This is a restaurant on the edge of an iffy neighborhood but it's also on the edge of several universities, like Penn and Drexel, so it feels very interesting, diverse, and safe. You park on the street nearby and Lemon Grass is on the corner of 36th Street and Lancaster Avenue. It's not a big place, more of a neighborhood hideaway and, even having been there a few times, I can drive right by and miss it. They don't open the etched glass doors for dinner until precisely 5:30pm, probably so that those wonderful flavors have a chance to steep.

Entering is like entering another world. Small tables are set amid curtained areas, wooden statues, Asian gongs, and inlaid bronze and gold carvings with symbols that remind you (even if you've studied Eastern religions, as I have) of all you don't know.

One treat at Lemon Grass is the plum wine, sold by the glass. I don't know if it's stronger than other wines, but one glass usually puts me in a rosy mood.

It's sweet but not too sweet with a hint of substance. After sipping this, consider soups and appetizers. There are several kinds of dumplings and wonderful lemon grass and coconut milk soups, all of which can be had with meat or vegetarian. The soups make you think you're spooning up a little bit of heaven.

For entrees, there are so many different kinds of curries and such, which means various kinds of meat or vegetables with various shadings of spices.

You can go for the well-known pad thai, but I'd try something a little more adventurous. The mussaman curry is wonderful, and I usually get the vegetarian style, which puts an array of vegetables and potatoes in a coconut milk and peanut sauce. We also like the Siam Noodle, which has the thin, almost transparent noodles in a tamarind sauce with veggies, ground peanuts and tofu. The Thai people use a lot of basil in their cooking, and the basil tofu stir fried with garlic is wonderful.

Reading the menu is a delight. There's a whole page of vegetarian options, and with the subtle flavors that are part of each entree, the meat is only for the true carnivore. There are lots of seafood items listed also.

The wait staff seems to be authentic Thai, and they're very helpful and accommodating. The setting is quiet and conducive to nice conversation, truly a special night out in a local neighborhood restaurant. I haven't been there for lunch, but I hear there's a wonderful pris fixe lunch that's affordable at around $8.99 and of course very good.