By the Gastronomes

Sisters Thai – A North Old Town Gem!

If any of you are followers of the local “Alexandria Dining-Curbside, Inside & More” Facebook page you know that Sisters Thai is a popular recommendation for outstanding Thai cuisine in the area. It has lived up to its reputation every time we have dined with them. Full disclosure here – since the closing of Po Siam on Mount Vernon Avenue years ago, I haven’t found one Thai place that has lived up to its standards but Sisters is very, very close.

Located in the North Alexandria section of our fair city, Sisters joins Oak Steakhouse, Woo Boi Chicken, St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub, and Hinata Sushi Bar & Grill in the 500 Block of Montgomery Street. The block is bordered on the other three sides by North St. Asaph, First Street and North Pitt and is home to The Gables Luxury Apartments, West Elm Home Furnishings, Row House Old Town and several other retailers and services including the best – in our humble opinion – ABC Store in the Old Town area.

The décor in this eatery is very interesting and even a bit eclectic. I’ve never really understood the relevance of the theater marquis that is above the bar and a couple of the “murals” to Thailand but it is a very pleasant space. Also in the space is a separate dessert and coffee bar “room” designated as Magnolia’s. We have yet to sample any of the goods in this section of the restaurant but have put it on the list for a future visit.

We don’t feel the need to reiterate what is in store for you on their extensive menu since you have it at your fingertips with your electronic communication devices, laptops and PC’s. The offerings in all categories – apps, entrées, sides, etc. – are many and feature all of the traditional Thai and Asian dishes in addition to a whole section featuring Thai “Street” food. There are a couple of things we want to try from this section next time we are in.

On our last visit, we opted to start off with two of our go-to favorites – Garden Rolls and Steamed Dumplings.  I normally add in some Tom Yum Soup with shrimp (which is very good here) but didn’t want to overload myself for a change.  The Garden Rolls are always very fresh and served with their house peanut sauce concoction and the dumplings at Sisters are stuffed with pork and shrimp and served with a sweet soy sauce.

I followed up the appetizers with my standard Drunken Noodles aka Noodles of the Drunks with pork. These guys do a great job with this dish and offer it at every level of “heat”. I always order mine a touch on the hotter side but still avoid the green Thai chili peppers that are in the dish. My dining partner stepped way outside of his normal Pad Thai box and ordered the Sisters Fried Rice. In all of the years I’ve been dining with him, I don’t remember him ever ordering fried rice of any kind. In any case, he really liked it. It is a house specialty comprised of fried rice (duh), shrimp and chicken with egg, pineapple, scallions and cashews. This was a fantastic combo for him since he is a pineapple on pizza lover and cashews rank right up there with his favorite nuts – pistachios.

The ingredients in everything we have ever had here are fresh, the service has always been exemplary – our server, Nene, had only been on the floor for 2 days and she was amazing – the portions are very ample – we both brought left overs home – and the prices are very fair.

They also have a very impressive drink menu and a well-stocked bar as well as a balanced wine and beer list. The bartenders that have been on duty on our visits do a great job and are pros at making the drinks look tasty from the onset! They are good with the cool garnishes – dried fruit, pineapple leaves, flowers, etc.

If you haven’t been to the north end of Old Town in the last year or so, do yourself a favor and venture there. January is a good month to head in that direction. The holidays are over, the pace has slowed down and Sisters is a good place to sit back, decompress and have a good cocktail and an enjoyable meal!

*Sisters also offers takeout and free delivery in a limited area with a minimum order of $25.

Sisters Thai

503 Montgomery Street

Alexandria, VA

571-777-8154

Sistersthaialexandria.com

Open Daily 11 am – 10 pm