Thai Gold, a night out with family

Already this class seems like a bit of a challenge, my family doesn't go out to eat much, like once a month (if even that). It is even more rare to go out to eat with my brother and sister-in-law. Two weeks in a row going out to eat down, only seven more to go.

This week I was a little bit more adventurous, well my brother and sister-in-law (Merv and Mable)* choose the place to eat and I just went along with it saying "Yeah, that will be an adventure."

I'm guessing that they had found this restaurant while they were going to school and living in Golden, because this was a cute little restaurant that would not be easily found otherwise. It looks just like a regular house, minus the red awning in the front saying Thai Gold, and parking is not easily found, even on a Tuesday evening, I can't imagine what it would be like on a Friday night. There is no dedicated parking lot and we had to park a block over. There were five of us together and that made it necessary to have three tables pushed together, but the staff were happy to accommodate us because it was not very busy. No reservations are taken, but they do call ahead seating. 

There was quite a lot to choose from and there was something for everyone. There was a rating system of chili peppers which indicated how spicy an item was.

Thai iced tea, before mixing ($3)

Thai iced tea, after mixing

Merv ordered the Thai iced tea and I wanted to try it because it looked interesting but since I can't drink out of the same glass I ordered my own. I enjoyed the drink, it came out looking really interesting and tasted really good. It was an interesting combination of sweet and spice, it wasn't an overbearing sweetness but it was just enough to make it good.

Spring Rolls ($4)

 For our appetizer we ordered Spring Rolls. It would have been nice to know how many came with the order beforehand, that way we could have either decided to order more or not. Mable had said that she thought the rolls were a bit hot to the touch at first, but were correct temperature for me. They were not to soggy with oil and had a nice flavor, definitely worth the price and would recommend them.

Red curry with tofu ($10)

 Merv and Mable ordered the Red curry with tofu, you could also order it with chicken, beef, or pork. Merv ordered it as a 10+ chili dish and the waitress joked, so like a 15? Mable got it as at the menu listing of two and even that was a little bit spicy for me. The texture of the tofu was very odd to me and not very appetizing, it might have appealed to me more if there was chicken or beef in it.

Pan Pak ($10)

My mother (Betty) ordered the pan pak which seemed to be similar to chow mien in Chinese food, minus the crispy noodles. It had tofu and chicken in it, again the tofu was an interesting texture that was unfamiliar to me. It was a little sweet but was deliciously balanced with the savory side of the dish. The temperature was not consistent throughout the dish and had some parts that were a bit cooler than other parts.

Cashew Chicken ($10)

My father (Johnny) ordered cashew chicken at the recommendation of Merv because Johnny isn't very adventurous and is quite picky about what he eats. Johnny likes to stick to things he likes and Merv suggested that the cashew chicken would be the closest thing to Chinese food and would be the thing to order. Johnny said that it was a bit on the spicy side, even though there were no chili peppers listed next to the item on the menu. I believed it to be sweet but had a little bit of a kick at the end, just enough to notice.

Sweet Melody ($10)

I ordered the sweet melody thinking it wouldn't be that spicy and would be sweet. The name lies and gives a false sense of security. It was spicy and the more you ate the spicier it seemed to get, the slices of fresh pineapple did give it elements of sweetness and allowed my tongue to cool off from the spicy of the dish. If I went back I would order something different because I am not sold on this dish being my favorite dish of this restaurant.

Fried Snowball ($3)

I would declare the fried snowball as my favorite dessert, the plating could use a little bit of work, but that did not detract from the deliciousness. The dough on the outside was the perfect amount, the best way to describe the dough in my opinion would be to liken it to croissant dough that had been deep fried (if you haven't tried that before, do it now). The sauce was more a juice and was in the bottom of the glass which made it so only the last person to eat a bite got any of the sauce. The glass it came in was not very easy to eat out of and would have been better if we were given spoons instead of forks.

Overall experience: Great time. I enjoyed being able to sit down with my family and eat good food. Our waitresses were excellent at keeping the rice full and were there when we needed them and gone when we didn't want them around. The prices were really decent, and everyone had enough left overs for at least one other meal.

Best part: The fried snowball. Yes the main dishes were good, but I have to say I enjoyed the snowball, maybe a little bit too much. I'd also have to put service in this area because it was good experience with them.

Worst part: The location, I would go again to try some other dishes, but it was a little bit of a drive for us since we live in Aurora, and it wold have been nice if there was a dedicated parking area for the restaurants so people like Johnny, who are disabled, can get a close parking spot.

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Thai food | 714 14th Street, Golden, CO, 303-593-1715 | $3-$15 | Closed Monday, Tue-Thursday 11- 9:30, Fri 11-10, Sat 11:30- 10, Sun 12:30-9:30; cash, all major credit cards.


*Names of my family have been changed to nicknames because they wish to remain anonymous. My name would be Mildred or Millie if it was to be changed, but alas my name is staying Sara in all my work.