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Banyan Tree

Thai has become the new Chinese--which is to say mostly bland, and on its way to a mall food court near you. God forbid.

The good news is that there are still a few outposts, like the new Banyan Tree in Petaluma, that haven't peanut-sauced themselves into a corner. Here, they're offering up creative, even innovative takes on Thai cooking that go well beyond spring rolls and tom yum soup. Proof positive that staking out your local mini-mall can sometimes turn up some gems.

Stepping into the restaurant, you're immediately transported from the tacky, 70s-esque Golden Eagle shopping center to a cool, minimalist environment bathed in blues and browns, with glowing sconces and sheer curtains dividing the space. Quiet, restful, distinct.

But the food is what you're here for: A large but well-executed menu of Thai (and Thai-Californian) entrees that sound as good as they actually are. Like the Fisherman's Garden Rolls: "Delicate rice paper rolled around green leaves, cucumbers, carrots, avocado, mint, crab meat and shrimp, served chilled with peanut sauce." Um, yes, please. Or, the delicate finger-sized spring rolls and cream-cheese and chive filled won-tons that very literally melt in the mouth. Or the Chiangmai Noodles, with curried egg noodles, chicken, spring onions, shallots and little bites of vinegary pickles (beats the pants off Pad Thai).

So, are we gushing a bit? Okay, maybe. But after suffering through a whole lot of really bad Thai food lately, it's refreshing to find such exotic beauty in such an unexpectedly mundane spot.

If only they'd come to a mall food court nearby. We'll keep hoping.

Best bets: Be sure to try several appetizers, which range from fresh spring rolls to curry puffs, 'Thailand poppers' (fresh leaves topped with a variety of Thai ingredients), stay and fish cakes. The Chiangmai noodles are a great lunch choice "most lunch specials come with an appetizer, rice and soup for around $8.

Banyan Tree, 20 E. Washington St., Golden Eagle Center, Petaluma, 707.778.8669
Lunch M-Sat, 11:30 to 3pm, Dinner Monday through Sunday. Open until 10pm, Friday night.

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Comments | Add Comment

Posted By: Foodie (02/06/2008 12:08:51 PM)
Comment: I never make it over to Petaluma, but I happened to stumble upon this restaurant for lunch. It was very good. Three of us attended on a Saturday. We all got jasmine rice, shared the eggplant and tofu, the pad tai w/prawns and curry panang. Delicious! Very reasonable. Would go back if I was in the area again.

Posted By: Jerbear (15/03/2008 2:49:51 PM)
Comment: Worst service I've ever had. Waiter looked like he had never worked a shift in his life, food took forever, and there were only six tables seated! This was on a friday night, and they couldn't handle SIX tables! Silverware was forgotten, draft beer wasn't available due to a lack of CO2 and the overall attitude seemed like we were overly demanding of the staff. I will never return here again. Oh, and I had to find my own condiments! Fvck!

Posted By: Heather (22/09/2007 5:59:01 PM)
Comment: Really good food- excellent for take out. Super friendly cool interior. Little pricey for Thai food- we order for 4 people and it is usually about $50-$60- but much better than any other Thai place in petaluma

Posted By: Kathy (20/09/2007 1:09:06 PM)
Comment: The WORST Thai food we've ever had. Service was terrible--no spoons brought for the soup and only 1 bowl for the 2 of us. Would never return.

Posted By: Brittany and Nick (02/09/2007 10:40:37 PM)
Comment: This is a great Thai restaurant, I like the California twist on many of the dishes. Some Thai restaurants can't make their sauces taste different from dish to dish, but the sauces were distinctive and the coconut soup was unusual in that it was spicy and very rich. Everything was fresh and well made. We found the service to be a little slow but friendly and attentive. Will definately be eating there again soon.

Posted By: thobherolzen (03/08/2007 6:12:27 PM)
Comment: Service is not "professional," but I didn't find it to be so terrible either. The people working the tables seem really down to earth. Maybe we had to ask them to bring something that they forgot, but they also joked around with my 1.5-year old niece. The pumpkin seafood curry that they often have as a special is really a nice dish.

Posted By: Marsha Gonzalez (01/08/2007 6:20:15 PM)
Comment: The service is very poor at this restaurant. My family and I were served our meal, but we had to ask for plates. Our salad was not served, and the waitress was not apologetic. The food was marginal. There are many fantastic Thai restaurants with wonderful service out there...this is not one of them.

Posted By: SM (29/06/2007 7:03:57 PM)
Comment: We've been pleased with the food every time we've been. The service has been consistently marginal, nice but amateurish. We keep going back regardless, for the food.

Posted By: Shirley Ryan (14/03/2007 12:23:39 PM)
Comment: This is our favorite Thai place. A great place to go to unwind that serves wonderful food and wine. It is also the best place to take guests and business associates. Just tell the owner to order for you and she will dazzle your guests with many foods that are not on the menue, a parade of elegant dishes that will make everyone happy. We have enjoyed everything that we have tried. Shirley Mitchell

Posted By: MsSteak (04/03/2007 6:58:52 PM)
Comment: I have been here now 6 times. I think that says it all! The Island Salad is incredible. Heck ... Not a bad dish yet!

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