Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Saturday, April 07, 2007

Prints

Some prints I found in the sidewalk off 32nd Street...

Prints 1323

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Sinbad Says

Sinbad says its cool to park here but you gotta pay...

Sinbad 1241

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Amazing Thailand Review

Amazing Thailand
3024 Hennepin Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612-822-5588

Amazing Thailand 1248

I walked past Amazing Thailand on Thursday while on my way to Lunds. I wanted to read the signs out front to see when they would be open but the signs were gone. Turns out they were already open, so I walked inside to have a look around. I wasn’t prepared for the somewhat upscale dining experience that Amazing Thailand has to offer. This was clear to me and the staff as I was sporting a thermal long sleeve, ripped jeans, sneakers and a Digital Rebel swinging from my neck.

I’m no stranger to this building because it was formerly a Panera Bread. I asked for a menu and sat down in the same location where I used sip all you can drink $1.50 coffee while accessing free Wi-Fi. I figured I got my moneys worth out of Panera, but could this place live up to its name? Was it really more “amazing” than the other three Thai food places in Uptown?

As I looked around the room I thought they did a nice job transforming the interior into a more upscale restaurant. Dim lighting, big mirrors and a wine bar. You can sit by the windows at one of the many high tops for a more casual dining experience. They also offer more intimate dining towards the back with some walls for added privacy. The outside is a different story. The exterior still resembles a Panera Bread with highly saturated orange bricks and their sign makes me think the circus is coming to town.

As ordered my food I realized that they don’t work with the standard 1-5 spice scale that I’m used to. I told him Beef Pad Thai, spice level medium-hot, to go. My food was ready in 15 minutes just like they said, $12.95 plus tax. When I opened the container I was expecting the usual burst of spicy steam to shoot up my nose and tear my eyeballs but that wasn’t the case at all. There was plenty of steam but not the spicy steam that I’m used to.

The spicy goodness came in a separate container along side the peanuts. As I poured the wet spice and dry peanuts over my Pad Thai, I noticed the peanuts were more finely crushed than other places and I felt like they give you slightly more. As ate the dish I quickly realized it was much drier than I’m used to. Not in a bad way but a lot of Pad Thai dishes have a wet, smooth texture to them. Overall I thought it was very good but not amazing.

I would definitely recommend this place for dining. Especially if you like Thai food because it does taste different than the rest and you might like the change. However, I wouldn’t recommend it if you are just ordering take out because it is more expensive and its not really geared for that. I don’t think photobloggers passing by on there way to Lunds are their target market. This was clear to me because they didn’t even have a takeout menu.

Pros: Taste different than the other three Thai food places in town. Wide range of seating. Friendly staff. Doesn’t look like Panera bread on the inside. The overall look and feel of the place is more like Chiang Mai Thai than Sawatdee or Tum Rup Thai (I think that’s a good thing).

Cons: A bit more expensive and you don’t get any more food for the price. No fortune cookie (I know its not a Chinese restaurant but everyone loves a fortune cookie). Still looks like Panera Bread on the outside. Where are people supposed to park?

I found another review over at Metblogs from someone who actually ate at the restaurant. Please leave a comment if you've ate there. I'd really like to know what you thought of the place.

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Thursday, April 05, 2007

Amazing Thailand

Now there are 4 thai food places in Uptown. Seriously that's a lot. Unless this place is really good and less expensive, I don't know how it will last. I say that because the other three are mighty tasty. I hope this place spicy! Chiang Mai Thai, Sawatdee, and Tum Rup Thai are the other three. That's the current order of spiciness IMO.

Amazing Thailand 1248

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Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Uptown Theater Marquee Maintenance

I found this guy climbing on top of the Uptown Theater. I was tempted to follow him up the ladder and pretend like I was there to "help out". I've always wanted to go up there...

Marquee Maintenance 1258

Marquee Maintenance 1259

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