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Those with a hankering for an alternative lunch dish may be pleased with Emerald, a Thai restaurant located off Houma’s Martin Luther King Boulevard.
Although crammed into a shopping complex, the atmosphere is one of leisurely and unconventional dining, at least for the seafood-a-plenty south Louisiana.
The spring rolls, an appetizer recommended by our courteous waitress, came served as two halved rolls with a side of sweet and sour sauce. The assortment of vegetables, encased in a lightly fried, yet crunchy shell, carries a subdued flavor.
My guest and I switched roles. He ordered from the lunch menu, which is consistent in cost and choice daily.
Vegetable, tofu, chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, calamari and scallops can be mixed with Thai noodle, curry or Thai rice dishes. The prices range from $6.95 to $11.95, depending on the preferred meat.
For the lunch special, my guest orders the chicken Pad Thai, which boasts world famous noodles in famous Thai sauce.
As a novice to Thai cuisine, he expected a bit of a culture shock with this meal. This expectation was spot-on – but not necessarily in a bad way.
The Thai sauce the menu boasted is good and has a unique, but pleasurable taste.
There could have been a bit more chicken within the dish, but its lack of a presence wasn’t a major problem.
A word to the wise – if one has a sensitive stomach, be sure to order your meal on the mildest seasoning on Emerald’s scale of 1-5.
My guest asked for the 2 and reports the dish carries a little bit of a kick. Just keep that in mind if in a similar situation at this establishment.
I dine on No. 34, the crispy duck with Thai sweet chili sauce.
For the most part, the strips are tender. The Thai sweet chili sauce dominates the meal, but it’s enjoyable, whether on the duck or mixed into the bowl of white rice that comes on side.
Portions of the duck appear to be overcooked, reminiscent of a dish left too long under the burning lamps at a buffet. But it’s easy to separate the bristle from an otherwise pleasant meal.
Shotgun-styled, the restaurant is an intimate, peaceful setting. Thai relics are scattered about the soft-lit room, and conversation is conducted in hushed tones. The only prevalent sound is the tumble and crash of Skee balls at neighboring Chuck E. Cheese’s.
The crispy duck, a regular menu item, is a tender meal doused in Thai sweet chili sauce. Emeralds, in Houma, offers several lunch specials, with prices ranging from $6.25 to $11.95.
