LIKABLE LUNCHES AT BANGKOK CUISINE SOUTH

Like most kids, mine went through phases when they’d only eat chicken nuggets or macaroni and cheese.  Years later, they go for piquant cuisine such as Thai or Indian.

My son is in South Reno this week and he had a taste for Pad Thai.  His local Thai favorite is Bangkok Cuisine South, 5851 S. Virginia St.  The location is fluky — it’s attached to a Days Inn Motel, where you’d expect to see a diner like Denny’s, rather than an ethnic restaurant.

But during our noontime visit on Wednesday, many fellow diners were conducting business lunches.  And the atmosphere at Bangkok Cuisine South is suited to that.  It’s not ultra-formal but it’s much more refined than a burgers-and-fries joint.

Bangkok Cuisine South offers daily lunch specials for $7.95.  These feature a choice of two entrees, accompanied by a curry pop (it looks like a jalapeno popper but is stuffed with curry), steamed rice and a small cup of wonton soup.  I selected Fried Tofu with Mixed Vegetables and Chicken with Bean Thread Noodles.

Lunch combo at Bangkok Cuisine South

Additional lunch specials that day were Chicken Curry with Mixed Vegetables, Beef with Basil Leaves or Sweet and Sour Pork.

My son’s Pad Thai ($11, from the regular menu) was a plate of  stir-fried Thai noodles with chicken, shrimp, tofu, egg, ground peanuts, bean sprouts and scallions.  Our server brought him a complimentary cup of soup, too.

Pad Thai

Wonton soup

Entrees at Bangkok Cuisine South can be ordered mild (one star), medium (two stars) hot (three stars) or all the way up to 10 stars, if you want your food so incendiary that Adam Richman of “Man v. Food” might show up to film you while you’re sweating profusely and crying.  My son usually sticks with two stars.  On a previous occasion, he asked for three stars and was begging for water.

My entrees were lightly spiced (one star) yet really flavorful. The fried tofu wasn’t greasy and the vegetables (carrots, broccoli, cabbage, green onions and pea pods) were perfectly tender-crisp.   The chicken and super-fine bean thread noodles included onions, basil, cilantro and scallions.

Service was speedy, another positive selling point for lunch specials at Bangkok Cuisine South.  Diners who are on the clock won’t have to holler, “Check, please!”  Soft, instrumental background music and attractive Asian art also make this a relaxing setting, conducive to conversation.

We’ve never visited Reno’s Bangkok Cuisine Midtown, at 55 Mt. Rose St.  It is owned by the same folks and appears to have the same menu, including curry dishes, noodle dishes, fried rice, seafood, duck, appetizers, desserts, beer and cocktails.

For more information about Bangkok Cuisine South and Bangkok Cuisine Midtown in Reno, visit  http://thaifoodreno.com/ .