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 Robust, rich, rotunda…Siam Thai. Okay, so maybe ½ rotunda minus the dome.
Several years ago my favorite Thai restaurant disappeared. Literally. It was there one day and not the next. Convinced that the joy of dining was lost forever and contemplating a feeding tube, I began a search for authentic Thai cuisine. I was about to give up hope when the heavens opened over Siam Thai. Angels sang, fairies dusted and Chevy Chase brought me a Christmas tree.
Siam Thai uses fresh (many home grown) ingredients. You’ll discover herbs and spices including lemon grass, sweet basil, lime leaves, and galangal root. And curry, glorious curry! Reds, yellows and greens; hot, sour, sweet, salty, bitter...you want it, you got it. My personal favorite is Panang Curry. It is a spicy red curry coconut chicken soupy kind of thing that tastes great over jasmine rice. I like to nearly set my mouth a'fire, so I also suggest visiting the condiment cart of peppers and such.
I can’t review Siam Thai without a hats off to the staff, an exceptionally nice crew. My glass is never half empty and my used buffet plates are quietly removed so I never know exactly how gluttonous I’ve been. And they are so thin! Thin enough that I believe I’ll eventually be thin if I nosh on Thai cuisine.
You might also enjoy the eclectic décor. Slow moving fans, glitzy golds and colorful cloths make for a nice atmosphere. You may opt to take some atmosphere home with you as it is available for purchase. Oh – and if Buddha is your bag, baby, make a stop at the shrine.
The Low Down:
Entrées, Buffet, Dessert
Local Favs: Pineapple Fried Rice, Panang Curry, Cashew Chicken, Sushi Rolls
6403 N. 9th Ave
11 a.m. -10 p.m. Tues-Sat; 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Sun (I believe they are closed on Mondays)
Lunch Buffet $7.95, dinner buffet $8.95, entrees $8.95-$13.95
Take out available (no delivery)
Review by Jen-O-Saurus Labels: Buffet, Curry, Jen, Panang, Siam Thai
I had dinner at Nobusei Japanese Restaurant last night and I was so delighted with my meal that I forgot to take some pictures of my food. I guess that's okay because the place was dim enough that I don't think the flash on my camera phone would've serve the food any justice. Last night, I ordered the Yakiniku Japanese Dinner, which is grilled sliced beef that has been marinated in their signature teriyaki sauce and seasoning. The meal was served with a side salad with ginger dressing, a bowl of Japanese-style egg drop soup, tempura vegetables, and steamed rice. The Yakiniku beef was served on a bed of lettuce set upon a sizzling plate. The presentation was humble yet not careless. It was quintessentially traditional. The beef was superb. The marinate did its job well as it permeated in every piece of the meat. The spices were not overpowering. It was the perfect balance of taste and texture. I would recommend this to everyone and I will definitely be having it again in the near future. If you're looking for a real traditional Japanese restaurant in Pensacola, then I strongly recommend trying Nobusei. It's one of the last truly Japanese-run restaurant in the area and it is one of the area's best kept secret. If you're satisfied with Japanese-like meals served at Japanese-themed restaurants, I say give Nobusei a try and see the difference for yourself. Don't be surprised by the humble surroundings at Nobusei. Let the food speak for itself. Nobusei is located on 7137 North 9th Avenue near the Winn Dixie at 9th Avenue and Creighton Road. Review by ByteMonkeyLabels: Beef, ByteMonkey, Japanese, Nobusei, Yakiniku
O’Zone quickly became one of my favorite places upon my first visit back in 2004. While I’m a fan of most of their menu, the Pub Pie has become a common order. The Pub Pie has Italian sausage, green peppers, onions, black olives, mushrooms, and feta cheese. The toppings go on O’Zone’s three cheese blend and sauce. O’Zone uses thin crust for its pizzas which tends to be somewhat crispy. The combination of all of the ingredients work together to make one delicious pizza. As for nearly everything at O’Zone, the price of the Pub Pie is reasonable. For a sixteen inch pizza, equivalent to a large at other places, the price is less than twenty dollars. Considering that three grown men can get full from a sixteen inch pizza, that is an excellent deal. O’Zone is located on 12th Avenue in the old Sacred Heart Hospital building in the East Hill area. Review by Rodney Labels: O'Zone Pizza, pizza, Rodney
Monday night, I was at Fuji Sushi with Chris. I ordered two things from the sushi menu: the spicy shrimp roll and the sunshine roll. The shrimp roll has become almost a standby if I can’t decide on a choice. Fuji does it as well as other Japanese restaurants in Pensacola. It’s hard to say why it’s good, but I think it has to do with the shrimp breading. The sunshine roll was a new choice for me, and I’ll order it again the next time I’m at Fuji. The combination of cream cheese and sauce was absolutely delicious. I was less impressed with the tuna roll that Chris ordered and let me try. It lacked flavor, but I believe that has more to do with tuna than with the restaurant. Overall, it was a great experience. For more about Fuji, go to http://www.tonyfujisushi.com/. Review by Rodney Labels: Fuji Sushi Bar and Grill, Rodney, Sushi
 Last night, I went to Fuji Sushi Bar & Grill on Davis Highway near Circuit City. I ordered the Chicken Teriyaki which consisted of chicken broiled and basted in a spicy teriyaki sauce. This was served along with some Japanese vegetables and dumplings, miso soup, a garden salad with ginger dressing and some steam rice. The meal was served in a bento box which made the presentation very appealing. The flavor of the chicken was a bit spicier than other chicken teriyaki meals that I have had elsewhere, but I did enjoyed it. The chicken had a hint of smokiness and a savory teriyaki taste which was probably derived from using a thicker quality of teriyaki sauce. Overall it was awesome. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for something tasty in a Japanese/Chinese environment. Visit Fuji Sushi’s web site at http://www.tonyfujisushi.com/ for more information and directions. Review by Christopher Labels: Chicken Teriyaki, Christopher, Fuji Sushi Bar and Grill
 Today was one of my co-worker's birthday and for lunch our office decided to head out to Chili's. Looking through the menu, the large pictures of burgers caught my eye. One in particular was the Chili's Smokehouse Bacon Triple-the-Cheese Big Mouth Burger.
The description of the burger from Chili's web site, which echoes their printed menu, is as follows:
"Extra thick-cut jalapeño apple wood smoked bacon triple-layered with smoked cheddar, Swiss and provolone cheeses, sautéed onions and jalapeño-ranch dressing. Served with jalapeño-ranch dressing on the side."
It sounded very good to me, so I ordered this seemingly mammoth burger.
When I got my burger, I was somewhat let down. The actual plate did not live up to the hyped/photoshoped pictures on the menu. My burger actually looked it was swimming underneath the French fries. When I picked up the burger, the bottom was soggy. By the way, I hate soggy-bottom sandwiches. but I didn’t want to start a commotion so I decided to just eat my burger.
I ordered the burger medium-rare but was told by the waitress that I would get it medium. I said that was okay. The burger came medium.
The taste of the burger wasn’t any different from any $10 cheese burger I’ve eaten around town. The only thing unique was the huge bacon strips that was embedded in the burger. The bacon wasn’t something I was thrilled about. Sure it wasn’t typical bacon, but to me it tasted more like spicy ham. It didn’t have that bacony flavor that I am very familiar with. Overall, the burger just fell short of being great. It was good, but not great.
As far as Chili’s service, they have always been fast and courteous whenever I eat there. So I have no complaints about that. You're experience may vary, though.
Review by ByteMonkey Labels: ByteMonkey, Chilis, Smokehouse Bacon Triple-the-Cheese Big Mouth Burger
 After much eating, drinking and tweaking, we've decided to relaunch PensacolaFoodCritic.com and change a few things around. Initially, we were planning on grading different restaurants in and around town, but this plan had a fatal flaw. We would eventually run out of places to eat at, and therefore run out stuff to write about. So, we decided to refocus a bit. Don't worry, we'll still be talking about the restaurants that we decide to go through, but now we'll be more focused on the food that is served to us. We realized that restaurants are always coming up with new dishes as certain ingredients come into season. Suddenly, this gave us a wider scope of food related things to talk about. So tune in as we eat our way around Pensacola, Florida and tell you what's good to eat!
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