Indie Cafe

As an Edgewater resident and Thai and sushi enthusiast I was thrilled to hear of this mystical Thai place that has great sushi. I initially thought they meant Thai Vietnamese – Thien Noodles on Clark - a true one of a kind. A neighbor mentioned it so we went. Then a friend said something. then my aunt called. Let's just say word is out.

OK. Here's the deal. Indie Cafe is just OK.
What makes the place special is the way the food looks.

On our third trip to Indie Cafe, after a failed attempt to park and go to Tweet, we had a different point of view.  We sat down promptly at 7:40pm on Sunday and the place was packed. I think maybe one 2-top was open. We wanted to have a moment for the rest of our order but asked for the crab wonton. Stacy insisted. I got away without ordering it twice before so this time we forwent our previous sushi appetizer. I am fairly surprised that you can get away with Thai and Sushi at the same meal. But it seems to work out. The wontons were bite-sized and pretty on a long tray. Stacy, the afficionado, determined that they ranked 3rd behind Dao, her favorite, and Thai Pastry, her runner-up.

Then we waited. We got the wontons and ate the wontons. Then we waited some more. Pitfall of a popular restaurant, packed on Sunday night. At about 8:10 we placed our order for a Las Vegas roll and Smoked Chile Combo.

The Smoked Chile Combo looked good. The plate partitioned the sauce to one side and it was garnished nicely and served with rice plateaued and sprinkled with black sesame. It was a combo of chicken and shrimp but had just two of the 41-60ct. shrimp. It was ok. Given the presentation of all the items it is relevant to note that the ingredients are average and the sauces (so far, red curry, massaman, panang and smoked chile) are all very sweet but not very hot.

The Las Vegas roll sounded good. Crab tempura roll with tuna and yellowtail on top. The maki came out and silly me I didn't notice in the picture that they are supposed to be dice. 'Las Vegas' Ah. Looked nice however the six pieces were capped with the fish instead of wrapped. So for $12 you get a crab tempura maki and the equivalent of 1 piece each of yellowtail and tuna. Compared to typical $12 rolls elsewhere; caterpillar, rainbow, dragon, etc. It was kind of underwhelming. It was more underwhelming when I realized it had little taste. It was very similar to the Santana roll we had last time – scallion, tuna, avocado, spicy mayo... Drizzled to perfection with the same sauces and organized meticulously, it still was bland to taste. The yellowtail even got lost. Stacy tasted no crab, to her relief as she's not a crab-fan to begin with. It wasn't bad so much as didn't live up to promises from recommendations to the fantastic plated presentation.

In short it's a good Thai restaurant that has woken up to presentation. They just need to up the ingredients a little. And maybe add 2 or 3 squeeze bottles with different sauces. Good fish. Good food. OK service (it was a crowded Sunday night) But Great presentation.

I'm Damn glad they're in the neighborhood and will surely go often but I'd be surprised if they are as good as the reader seems to think:

Arun Sampanthavivat might want to take note of this place, as the food here comes closer to his exquisite cuisine than anything else in town, and at a fraction of the prices at Arun's.

I've been planning a trip to Aruns having never indulged in Hauté Thai cuisine but I would think to  compare Indie Cafe to Thai Pastry only Thai Pastry is much better. The sushi is definitely above average. But not fantastic either.

Comments

[The Baller]

Although I cannot comment on Indie Cafe, I can ceratinly do so for Arun's! The degustation (chef's choice) is massively expensive, yet worth every penny. Arun's is a special-occasion destination for the non-millionaires out there. Combining Thai and Vietnamese, however, is not as illogical as it seems. Try Nu Hoa Cafe on Argyle. I may be getting the name wrong, just look for the golden lions on the north side of Argyle, closer to Broadway. Presentation is poor at best, but the selections are myriad, and the wait staff is very receptive to the adventurer. The Seven Courses Beef is fun and tasty. Also try the "bubble tea." A nice finisher.

[Pursuit]

I have had great meals at Arun's but in recent years either I am getting to accustomed to the place or it has definately slipped. If you want Vietnamese I heartily recommend Le Pastuer. It has been around for quite a while, but does an excellent job with all of their dishes. The reserve wine list is well worth asking, and paying for particularly if you're interested in a white wine.