Porchai: Dinner

So I couldn't wait to try the duck!

Last night, I made a trek back to Porchai for dinner.

We began with the Pot Stickers which were just as could as the previous evening. We also had the Thai Wonton Soup ($3.50). This is described as shrimp & pork in wontons in a light clear broth. This is not fully accurate as the broth also contains cabbage and scallions. There were three wontons in the soup, which seemed to be to resemble oversized shumai. They were filled with meat and very tasty. The broth has a fishy flavor and was good as well.

We did bring a bottle of our own wine. And there was no corkage fee at all. They provided a couple of nice wine glasses and a cork screw. Being able to bring your own wine, and not having a corkage fee, certainly makes the evening more affordable.

For our entrees, we ordered two different duck dishes, the Siamese Ruby Duck ($18) and the Centre St. Crispy Duck ($18). The Siamese is in a red wine sauce and the Centre St. in a lemongrass sauce with white wine. Both dishes contained a large amount of duck with some accompanying vegetables. They certainly did not skimp on the portions of duck. The duck was meaty, with little fat, and the skins were cooked very well. The red wine sauce was delicious and nicely complemented the duck. The Centre St. duck had a nice crispy skin and its sauce was also very good too. The duck comes with rice, white or brown. Both dishes were excellent and I would order either of them again.

So, my second visit Porchai made a good impression on me as well. I do recommend Porchai for some good, and reasonably priced, Thai.

Porchai
19 Centre St.
Wakefield, MA
Phone: (781) 213-9933

Come Learn About Wine!

On Saturday, August 4, at 3:00pm, there will be a Wine Education class at the OurGlass wine Store in Saugus. I am collaborating with OurGlass on this fun and informative event. The class will be about "Off The Beaten Track" Whites. Many are familiar with Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Riesling. We shall try wines you may not know, such as Albarino, Godello, Torrentes, Vernaccia, Vermentino, just to name a few. Cost is $25 per person, which will include cheese and breads as well as special Tasting discounts. This is a great opportunity to taste some new and different wines and meet other local wine lovers in the area.

You must call OurGlass to book your reservation. Please do so as soon as possible as space is limited.

OurGlass Wine Co.
124A Broadway (Rt. 1 N)
Saugus, MA
781-941-8068

Poll #1 Results

Our first Poll has ended and here are the results.

What is Your Favorite Summertime Drink?
With 24 votes, the favorite was Sangria (9 votes) though it was close. #2 was White Wine (7 votes) and #3 was Rose Wine (6 votes).

So, time for a new Poll. The new question: What is your favorite BBQ grilled meat?

Porchai

In Wakefield, the hottest Thai restaurant is probably The Duck Walk. But it is not the only Thai restaurant. There is also Porchai, located only a short distance from The Duck Walk. I thought I would go for dinner and see how it measure up.

Porchai is a much smaller restaurant, with three small dining rooms on three different levels. It is more plainly decorated and does not have a bar. In fact, it does not have a liquor license. But, you can bring your own wine or beer and there is no corkage fee. That is a definite plus.

Their menu is fairly lengthy with a nice variety of available dishes. There are appetizers, soups, salads, noodle dishes, fried rice dishes, and many different entrees. Prices seem very reasonable (and usually much cheaper than Duck Walk). Entrees range from $10-$13 and their signature dishes range from $13-19. All very affordable. They have most of the usual Thai dishes as well as many more unique dishes. They even have a list of 19 lunch specials, all for $6-$7.

I started with an appetizer of Pot Stickers ($6), which were pan-fried chicken dumplings. You get four large dumplings. They were cooked just right, not being overly cooked. And they tasted very good. They were actually one of the better pot stickers that I have ever had. A nice start to my dinner.

I then ordered the Massaman Curry with Chicken ($11). This is one of my favorite Thai dishes and a good way to compare Porchai to other Thai restaurants. I received a large dish of food. There was plenty of chicken, thin pieces of cutlet, and pieces of sweet potato. The dish also has onions and peanuts. The sauce was very good, with a nice coconut flavor giving it a bit of a sweet flavor. You get either white or brown rice with this dish and I chose the rice. The only minor complaint is that some of the peanuts seemed to have been overcooked and had small almost burn marks on them. Overall though, this was a very good dish and I would order it again.

So, Porchai made a good impression on me. If you want a more affordable Thai meal, you should try Porchai. I am very interested in returning to try some of their Duck dishes such as the Siamese Ruby Duck.

Porchai
19 Centre St.
Wakefield, MA
Phone: (781) 213-9933

Want $1 For An Empty Wine Bottle?

Start saving your empty wine bottles as they are worth money. A mere can will only get you a nickel but an empty wine bottle can get you $1.

The Vineyard has a new program, lasting until August 30, where you can bring them your empty wine bottles and get $1 in merchandise credit for each bottle. You can bring as many as 120 bottles per day. You can then spend your credits up through September 15. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me and I will start saving my wine bottles.

Plus, you will be helping the environment. The Vineyard will recycle the bottles or find an appropriate "re-use" for the bottles. This is an excellent recycling program where everyone involved will benefit.

I think this is a great deal and would love to see other wine stores running similar programs.

The Vineyard
554 Turnpike St. (Rt. 114)
North Andover, MA