Bozz Eats at Basil Thai Bistro a Tasteem Review

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I can't tell you the number of times I have passed this restaurant. In fact, if I tried to guess I would probably be exponentially short.

You see, Basil Thai Bistro used to be on the other side of town and the building where it is now located was once a laundry mat. The new location is right near downtown Midland and part of an area that is growing every day.

Where houses and old office buildings once stood, there is now a minor league baseball diamond, new condos, office buildings, hotels, and a growing list of cuisines for the people of Midland to try.

Midland, MI is home to Dow Corning/Dow Chemical/Dupont (whatever they are calling themselves today), and that means there are a large number of international travelers that live in the city for short or long term assignments. This gives Midland a very diverese cultural footprint for being such a small town.

In fact, off the top of my head I can name at least ten resturants that carry specialty cuisines from around the globe. In fact just down the road from Basil Thai is a sushi place that I have heard is fantastic.

Although, I whole heartedly enjoy food, I wouldn't consider myself adventerous. I have a sensitive stomach at times so while I don't purposely avoid things like Thai or Indian food, they are never on my short list of places to go.

In fact, this was my first time visiting Basil Thai because my friend wanted to meet there for lunch. Boy am I glad he picked this place!

The interior is warm and appealing. I have heard from another friend that when they are busy it can get quite loud in the dining area. That wasn't an issue for us since it was New Years Eve and we were only one of three other tables being served around noon.

My friend let the waitress know I had never been there before and she quickly did a run down of the menu for me. She explained that they have four heat levels for their food.

no heat
Thai mild (similar to American medium)
Thai medium (similar to American Hot)
Thai hot

There were seriously so many things that sounded good on the menu, but I finally settled on the Garlic Stir Fry with Chicken (broccoli and choice of protien in a rich garlic sauce topped with cilantro and black pepper).

My friend got the Pad Thai with beef (rice noodles work fried in a tangy red sauce with egg, green onion, and bean sprouts, topped with ground peanuts and fried onions).

I choose to get mine Thai mild because even though I have a sensitive stomach, I do enjoy a bit of heat. My friend has an iron stomach and I expected him to get Thai hot, but he stuck with Thai mild.

I encourage you to follow the link I provided above for a full look at their menu. It has pictures though, so you might not want to do it while you are hungry!

After taking our order they quickly brought out two bowls of their house specialty soup. I wasn't expecting this but it was a very welcome surprise.

The flavor was fantastic with a rich and savory feel that just wrapped its arms around you. I'd eat a bowl of this every day if I could.

I got a water to drink and my friend got a soda, but I have heard that their tapioca drinks are fantastic. I am going to link an article from when they first opened at the bottom of this review if you want more information.

It wasn't long after we finished our soup that the main dishes arrived. Here is a picture of my Garlic Stir Fry with Chicken.

Likewise, this is the Pad Thai with Beef that my friend got. He was nice enough to have them bring an extra plate so that I could try some of it.

I have to admit, they were both amazing. I had to control myself from gobbling down my whole plate because I really wanted to take some left overs home for @mrsbozz to try.

With the exception of the small portion he gave me to try, my friend cleaned his plate. I was afraid his Thai medium would be too hot for me, but the small portion he gave me was not too bad. The Thai mild on my dish was perfect along with the black pepper they put on it.

The cilantro gave it a really fresh and bright finish.

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the receipt becuase my friend insisted on paying for the meal. Looking at the menu though, I don't feel the prices are that unreasonable for the amount and quality of food that you get at this place.

I am defnitely going to be back here and my mouth is already watering at the thought. @mrsbozz was very impressed with the leftovers I let her try and I am really excited to take her here so she can try a full dish.

The biggest problem will be figuring out which dish to order next time! I could seriously see myself eating through the whole menu of this place.

Here is the article from when they opened in 2013.

If you are ever in Midland to check out a Great Lakes Loons Baseball game or just there on business for one of the Dow corporations, I highly suggest you check out Basil Thai Bistro. I have a feeling you won't be dissappointed!