THAI BLOSSOM in Winter Garden

We tried Thai Blossom Friday night. It's located in Winter Garden at the Historic Edgewater Hotel "A Bed and Breakfast Style Inn". Downtown Winter Garden is worth visiting on a weekend night. It's packed with people and live music.

Thai Blossom is traditional Thai style food with a great atmosphere. I will be honest, I didn't like my dish. I chose shrimp & scallop sensation, which was shrimp and scallops soaked in a soupy lime, soy, egg sauce. Mom got basic pad thai which was pretty good. I wasn't even going to do a review on this restaurant and then I went online and found that it was rated 5 STARS and the Orlando newspaper had done a whole article on it. You go for their fresh noodles...now I feel cheated! Why didn't anyone tell me! SO I'm giving this place a 2nd chance and will try a noodle dish. Here is the newspaper article, makes me want to go back VERY SOON!

Picture and article from the Orlando Sentinel

We started with the summer rolls ($5.50), rice paper rolls fresh and tightly packed with noodles, basil and large shrimp with the requisite peanut dipping sauce. The sa-tae chicken ($6.95) was skewered and marinated in herbs and coconut milk. It was served with the same peanut sauce, which was pleasantly lightly sweetened.

The steamed dumplings ($6.50) got the most raves from my guests. A mixture of ground pork and water chestnuts was enclosed in pastry pouches before being lightly steamed. For table sharing, I recommend the combo appetizer platter ($10.50) with shrimp rolls, egg rolls, pot stickers, crab Rangoon and fried wontons with a sweet and sour dipping sauce.

For entrees, we embellished the pad Thai ($9.50) with shrimp for an extra $1.50. The classic dish of stir-fried rice noodles, egg, bean sprouts, green onions and roughly ground peanuts did not disappoint. The pad kee mow with beef ($9.50) illustrated how good Thai cuisine effortlessly melds lots of flavors and textures into one balanced bite. The flat noodles tempered the chili garlic sauce, the sweet basil offered that signature hint of licorice meets cloves, the soft onions and the bell peppers held their structure and the thin-sliced strips of beef brought in the needed earthy note.The salmon filet curry ($14.95) was a soupy triumph. A large steamed salmon filet was bathed in a red curry sauce along with green beans, bell peppers and fried basil leaves. Order extra rice to sop up all the flavorful sauce.Another winner was the deep-fried whole red snapper "in three-taste sauce" (market price). I did not count the "tastes." But I can tell you it was a sweet and savory generous portion of fish and vegetables. If you or your guests don't like whole fish staring at you from the table, the thin carrot rounds make a nice eye patch.

++++

HERE IS A TIP! After your dinner head across the street for live music! We found a place that serves $6.00 champagne splits!! (great price)...you will love the atmosphere!