Eugene Weekly : Morsels : 01.12.06

Fit to be Thaid

Springfield's Bai Khao.

BY MOLLY TEMPLETON

It's an unfortunate truth of dining out in Eugene and Springfield — and probably most medium-sized towns — that restaurants crop up in strip malls. Sometimes, as with the much-praised Koho Bistro, the mall falls away when you enter, and by the time your entree arrives you've completely forgotten what awaits in the parking lot. Sometimes not.

Bai Khao Thai Cuisine is tucked into a back corner of the Springfield strip mall best known for being home to Value Village. It's a brightly lit, spare space with a dozen or so red tables and the kitchen open to the dining area. The bland atmosphere is brightened by the friendly staff, who smiled welcomingly at us, the only two guests on a Sunday evening.

Bai Khao's menu is full of the usual curries, stir fries and noodle dishes, named in English (usually by key ingredient) for easy ordering. We started with the combination appetizer plate, a generous pile of fried standards. The tofu was perfectly crisp outside and pillowy in, the rolls loaded with vegetables and not too oily. The vegetables, though occasionally a little heavy on the breading, were delicious in the light sweet and sour sauce (though a second sauce option would have been welcome).

For main dishes, we chose pad thai and duck curry. The pad thai noodles were moister than usual; the shrimp were sizeable and delicious, but I wished for vegetables — something to lighten the slightly-too-sweet, starchy richness. The tomatoes and pineapple in the curry nicely complemented the meat, but the sauce seemed too delicate, the flavor dominated by the heat. Not bad, but not up to Chao Pra Ya standards, either. Still, the lunch menu has a lot of options for slightly lower prices — maybe worth a try next time the thrift store urge takes you.

Bai Khao Thai Cuisine. 541 Centennial Boulevard, Springfield. 11 am-9 pm M-F; Noon-9 pm Sa & Su. $-$$.

FOOD FUN: Marché hosts two themed dinners this month, a five-course Veneto Wine Dinner on Jan. 14 ($125 per person including Agricola Masi wines) and a six-course Normandy Regional Dinner on Jan. 25 ($36 per person, with cider and wine available by the glass and bottle). The Oregon Truffle Festival, Jan. 27-29, features cooking demonstrations, workshops, lectures, special menus and more — look for a preview in the Jan. 26 issue of Chow!