A hidden gem….or crystal

Sometimes your dinner plans just do not unfold as expected. Fate runs its course and you find yourself scrounging for a plan B. Stomachs are growling, blood sugars have spiked far below the recommended level, and crankiness is at an all-time high. This inopportune moment, though it may seem inconvenient and frustrating at first, opens a door for excitement, adventure, and the inevitable unexpected.

Sound familiar? This may have happened to you many a time, and I am proud, yes, proud, to say that this series of events dictated my evening the other night. “Why proud?” you ask? Well, I will be more than delighted to share with you….

Wednesday evening, we ventured out to Owings Mills in search of a restaurant that would indulge our hankering for Thai food. Long story short, after plan A failed, we ended up at Crystal Thai in the Valley Village Shopping Center on Reisterstown Road, a last-minute, but fortuitous and magnificent discovery.

This unpretentious hole-in-the-wall restaurant was indeed a hidden gem (or should I say crystal). Located on the first level of the posterior side of the shopping complex, Crystal Thai offers an extensive menu of traditional Thai dishes including, coconut curries, pad thai noodles, yom tum soup, and pineapple fried rice. While I am partial to my favorite Thai restaurant in Hilton Head, Sc., called Ruan Thai, Crystal Thai proved to be a tough contender on my list of excellent Thai food establishments.

According to our server, a lovely woman who was also the hostess for the evening, Crystal Thai has been open for many years, having changed ownership quite frequently. I had heard mixed reviews about the eatery from locals in the past, but under the current ownership, the kitchen appears to have mastered the art of Thai cooking.

I must admit, the interior of the restaurant could most certainly benefit from the skills of a decorator. What looks like an abandonded sushi bar awkwardly juts out into the front, right of the restaurant cluttered with traditional Thai serving dishes and other random items. I assumed this odd piece is used for carry-out purposes, as a few hungry patrons trickled in throughout the night to pick up their orders. Each glossy-gold table was set with blue-and-white dishes, a paper place mat, and eating utensils. Our table was situated about 20 feet from the front door, which was rather odd. Despite the lack of eye-appeal, it was the food that we were there for and that truly impressed us.

For appetizers, we ordered crispy vegetable spring rolls, accompanied by a sweet tamarind sauce ($3.95); wonton soup ($4.95), and steamed chicken shumai, served with a tasty soy vinaigrette ($5.95). Each item was just as flavorful and delicious as the next. My favorite, however, was the wonton soup. Moist, ground chicken enveloped inside paper-thin noodle packages floated ever so delicately in a rich chicken broth with sweet cabbage, roasted garlic, and scallions. The noodles were so perfectly crafted, melting like butter as soon as they hit my tongue. Although the soup was unbearably hot, I suffered through burning my mouth because I couldn’t get enough of this palatable potage. With this sublime combination of ingredients, this wonton soup would be ideal for curing the common cold, or just beating the winter blues.

Shortly after our first-course plates were cleared, our server brought large, family-style entrees of Thai delicacies to our table. Pleased thus far with the food and service, we could not wait to taste our main courses. We ordered sweet basil chicken, a spicy medley of bell peppers, onions, chicken, and basil in a robust chili sauce ($10.95); Crystal Thai cashew chicken, a saute of bell peppers, onions, carrots, celery, cashews, and chicken in a light brown sauce ($11.95); and green curry chicken, eggplant, chicken, bell peppers, and basil in a medium-spiced green coconut curry broth ($10.95). Each entree came with a small bowl of sticky jasmine rice on the side. Although the dishes were not the most beautifully presented and looked somewhat drab in their white, oval vessels, they were exquisite in taste. Each of us, respectively, favored the entrees that we ordered for ourselves. Mine was the sweet basil chicken, and I enjoyed it so much, that I personally devoured what was probably meant for two or three people. Only a small take-home package was needed for my dining companion who could not finish her coconut curry…. or maybe she was just saving some for lunch the next day so she could enjoy it twice?

Deciding to skip dessert, we left the restaurant pleasurably stuffed and with the notion to return very soon.

Crystal Thai is located at 9191 Resiterstown Road in Owings Mills, Md. in the Valley Village Shopping Center. There is no formal website for the restaurant, but check out the menu on Urbanspoon.