Bangkok Thai Buffet With Pam and Wayne

Sheila and I had an early dinner last night with Sheila's niece (more like her little sister), Pamela Edwards, and her long time companion Wayne Elliot.  Pam is a CPA and Wayne is a local business owner. We ate at Bangkok Thai Buffet located at 32nd and Harvard.  The meal gave us a chance to catch up and even share a few family stories.

Bangkok is one of Sheila and I's favorite places.  We eat there frequently.  They serve very good, very fresh authentic Thai food which has the added benefit of being low in sodium and using almost exclusively "good fats" in preparation.  They cook in small batches so that the food on

the steam tables is always at its peak.   And, I have it on good authority (my former barber, a perky, diminutive, absolutely fascinating little Thai lady) that they close the place on Sundays so that they can steam clean it from stem to stern.

It would be a disservice to try to pick out any one dish as being particularly better than the others. They are all good.  Very good. Fresh ingredients prepared properly and seasoned well.

There are four steam tables.  The one farthest west has rice, spring rolls and mildly flavored basic dishes.  The second table has mostly mild to moderately spicy Thai dishes.  The third table has spicier Thai dishes.  Any diner of any taste should be able to find a combination of tastes, textures and temperatures to please them.

The fourth table is dessert. Sweet rice in coconut milk, tapioca pearls in coconut milk and fried bananas are among my favorites. My wife likes an exotic gelatin they serve.  They also serve fresh fruit.

There are a lot of places in Tulsa that serve a good meal.  Bangkok is consistently rated among the best restaurants in Tulsa and is frequently rated the best Thai restaurant.  But, it takes more than good food to keep people coming back year after year.  Bangkok has that something extra.  People keep coming back not only because of the good food but also because the owners, Pat and Lek, are just really nice people.  After you have been there a time or two, the place is almost like home.