From the moment I entered the door, I was made to feel welcome. The hostess’ joyous greeting was the beginning of a special dinning experience.
Located in Ft. Lauderdale, Thai Spice has won many awards throughout the years and it’s easy to see why. The restaurant is consistent with creative, tasty dishes and chic atmosphere. It would be a perfect place for a romantic date or a work lunch.
My server was upbeat and friendly and offered some great suggestions. I started my meal with warm sake, a Japanese alcoholic beverage, which helped me relax after a long day. Sake-lovers will love Thai Spice’s new drink menu, which includes saketinis, beers and wines ($7).
According to my server, the crispy calamari ($15) in a light chili sauce is very popular. So, I gave it a try and found the crispy rings in the sweet sauce to be very addictive.
We also tried the crab cake ($12). Loaded with basil and chunky fresh crabmeat, it was one of the best crab cakes I have ever had. I was surprised that a Thai food restaurant would have such great seafood.
We next had a seafood roll ($10) and split the blue crab Tom Ka ($9) — a creamy coconut broth filled with blue crab pieces, mushrooms, fresh lemon grass and scallions — with my cousin. I’ve had chicken Tom Ka before, but the crab meat elevated this soup to the next level.
Our next order was cowboy steak ($42), which my server highly recommended. According to him, the 18-ounce prime bone-in ribeye chop was dry-aged for 30 days and marinated in secret exotic herbs and ginger garlic soy sauce and grilled over an open fire.
The steak was served with a side of Jasmine rice and sautéed baby bok choy, and came with Tiger Tear dipping sauce, which I found slightly spicy, but also sweet. The steak was tender and juicy and just as delicious as it sounds. The large portion is a plus for steak lovers.
My cousin ordered the Chilean sea bass ($26), which was sautéed with baby bok choy and baby shitake mushrooms, and topped with coconut cream, sauce and basil. Everything we had earlier was delicious, but this was the definite highlight of our dinner. My cousin barely even likes seafood and he kept digging into my plate. The sea bass truly melted in my mouth and the fantastic coconut cream sauce had a light curry flavor that I can still taste.
For dessert, my cousin and I split the fried bananas served with coconut ice cream and a mini bananas foster cake ($9). Both were sweet and satisfying.
Overall, our dinner was something to remember. With great service, moderate to expensive prices and incredible food, it’s easy to find something special in every dish.
Thai Spice is located at 1514 East Commercial Blvd in Fort Lauderdale. For more information, call 954-771-4535.
