Monday, April 5, 2010

Smiling Elephant

Posted by Heather / 2 comments » / $, 8south, thai

Heather’s note: This is a guest post by Emily. She’s just moved to Nashville and is documenting trying out the great food our town has to offer!

Upon my recent move to Nashville, one of my first missions was to discover a delicious local Thai restaurant. After spending hours scouring the online reviews for the surprising number of Nashville Thai restaurants, I knew it could not be denied: everyone seemed to love The Smiling Elephant. It is currently the most discussed restaurant on Urban Spoon, after all. So with my expectations high for a restaurant boasting “the best pad thai” in Nashville, I set off for what I hoped would become my Thai restaurant of choice. Teaser: I was not disappointed.

The Smiling Elephant’s is located on 8th Avenue South, just a few blocks south of Wedgewood and 8th Avenue South’s bustling antique shops. It is a hidden gem tucked amongst fast food chains and rundown strip malls. Its outward appearance is a bit jarring, and could be easily missed upon one’s first visit. The exterior presents a disconcerting ensemble of neon green and orange stripes painted on a white building, and the tiny side parking lot still resembles the used car lot it once was. The parking itself is rather tight and nerve wracking (as is the case with many places in Nashville) but once your car is in park and you walk inside, the struggle you may have had in getting to the restaurant is well worth it.

The interior is warm and inviting, with bright wood paneling and adorably simple table settings that make each and every customer feel as though they have stepped into someone’s dining room (if your dining room has a few spare buddhas and a gong in the corner, that is). Nevertheless, the dining room creates the perfect atmosphere for enjoying a delicious Thai meal, and its cleanliness (among many other attributes that will be listed as I go on) set it apart from seedier establishments that I have frequented in the past. Warmth radiates from the proprietors of the establishment as well, as I spent  a little time researching their history after my first visit and a friendly encounter with owner Sam Kopsombut while paying for my meal.

Sam comes from a family of restauranteurs, as his sister, Patti Myint, owns the International Market near Belmont, and her son, Arnold, owns some of Nashville’s most up-and-coming restaurants: PM, ChaChah, and Suzy Wong’s House of Yum. As a committed locavore, it makes my heart happy to know that this restaurant comes from a family who is dedicated to serving fresh, delicious food that broadens and tantalizes the palates of Nashvillians.

I have been to this restaurant twice, and after both visits the reasoning behind the restaurant’s name has become abundantly clear: the food coma that the customer is sure to attain leaves one feeling like a smiling elephant, and often results in waddling rather than walking out to the door. On my first visit I went with a date, and we were seated at a cozy table in the corner by a very friendly waiter. My date let the waiter know that she had never had Thai food before, and the water was very eager to explain the menu to a newcomer.  He suggested the pad thai (their signature dish) as a good introduction to Thai food, and was very convincing in assuring her that she would like it. He also informed us that they have a curry special each day,  the special that day being penang curry, which I opted for, with the addition of shrimp. Our dishes arrived quickly (within 15 minutes of ordering), despite the fact that the restaurant was nearly full. I was pleasantly surprised by not only the decent-sized portions, but also by the plating of the dishes of themselves. Most Thai restaurants I have visited do not attempt to be Iron Chefs and win points for plating, but the Smiling Elephant has gone the extra mile by choosing modern white plates to make their dishes aesthetically pleasing in addition to pleasing the taste buds. My curry was served on a plate that was designed to keep the stir fry and the rice separate, which allows the eater to choose their own rice-to-curry ratio. It was spiced perfectly (I asked for medium heat), and the shrimp at The Smiling Elephant are worthy of a sonnet. Only three are given with your entree, but they are large, and their size is equatable to, say, eight regular sized shrimp. Quite delicious. My date said the pad thai was good, but not exactly a convert to Thai food, hence why we are no longer dating. But I digress.

For my second visit, I decided to have a late afternoon lunch by myself so that I could try “the best pad thai” in town for myself. I was greeted enthusiastically at the door (could have been because it was two o’clock and there were only two tables occupied, but I’d like to believe it was genuinely good service, as well). I asked the waiter which he would choose, the pad thai or the Thai omelet (on the menu as Kai Jew Pra, Thai omelet with tilapia and scallions). When I told him I’d never had the pad thai, he insisted that I try it, so I agreed, and again ordered the deliciously enormous shrimp to accompany my dish. As stated on the menu, the sauce is prepared with dried shrimp, so this dish is not vegan friendly. Once the dish arrived, I put my foodie hat on and began dissecting the different flavors to compare it to other pad thai dishes I have had. There were an ample amount of ground peanuts and bean sprouts, and overall I’d say the best word to describe the dish was “fresh.” I also noticed the addition of red onions which I thought give it an additional kick that pleasantly surprised me. But was it the best? Flavor-wise, most of the elements that I expect in pad thai were there, but I felt the flavor could have been a bit sweeter. Another blog post I read on the restaurant stated that the pad thai is made without the traditional ingredient tamarind, which may or may not have been the flavor I was missing. I did enjoy the use of soy bean noodles as opposed to the traditional rice noodles, as they provided a firmer consistency and held the weight of the other ingredients nicely.

So, again, is it the best pad thai? It’s definitely in the running. But what I really liked best about the dish, and all of their dishes, for that matter, was the combination of quality ingredients, and the conscious decision to make a healthier Thai meal. All dishes are MSG free, and cooked in a wok with light olive oil, as opposed to much heavier, greasier options that other restaurants may use . When a restaurant makes such an effort to ensure that customers are taken care of both inside and out, that, in my book, is the sign of a restaurant worth returning to.

Price wise, The Smiling Elephant is fairly reasonable for a Thai restaurant. All lunch entrées are $8.95 (add $3.00 for the legendary shrimp), and dinner entrées are $10.95. Dine in or take out, The Smiling Elephant is definitely worth your time and money if you are looking for a traditional Thai restaurant that truly cares about its customers.

The Smiling Elephant
2213 8th Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37204

Open Monday through Saturday
Lunch: 11AM – 2:30PM
Dinner: 5PM – 9PM

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