Nava Thai

I had a moment of panic this weekend. While perusing Soft Blanket, Cucumber and Canteloupe, and Vineyard-scented candles at the Yankee Candle outlet flagship store in Williamsburg, Virginia, I realized Christmas was only 108 days away (thanks to the LED countdown right next to the animatronic dancing bears (no, I'm not kidding)).

Days later, with this is in the back of my mind, I realized that my own more serious deadline was looming: crossing off every top 100 restaurant before the end of the year. With only 111 more days of 2011, I have 29 restaurants to go. It's time to get serious.

The source of all the panic: Pumpkin Buttercream candles, left, and the permanent Christmas display, right.

I must confess, however, that I may have recently, frequently, and delightedly idled at non top 100 restaurants. At Christine's recommendation, I went to Chowning's Tavern this weekend, also in Williamsburg, a replica of an old-style tavern with a fiddler and a self-important proprietor (all in period costume), and foods with strange names (breadsticks are "sippets" and small portions are "rashers"). I had peanut soup (with ham stock) and "rarebit," which in my imagination I associated with foods served at old ladies' houses that smell like dentures and mothballs. Rarebit features salty Virginia ham atop pieces of carefully-balanced, dried out bread, all drenched in high school athletic event quality cheese sauce.



















My Virginia wine, cornbread (seemingly cooked in a cast iron skillet), and pasta entree were delicious, however, and my informative historian/waitress was charming. The next day, I found Greek church ladies selling sweets at the Farmer's Market, even though they didn't remotely resemble my own Yiayia's cuisine in either delicacy or flavor.



















Back to Thai. I headed north today to Wheaton (that's in Maryland) to Nava Thai, a delicious, unassuming restaurant next to VFW Post 2562, Hung Phat grocery, and at least three body shops. In it, I had the best pad Thai, maybe of my life.



















I started with the country beef salad (nuer nam tok), grilled flank steak tossed in ground roasted rice, onion, cilantro, and scallions in a chilli lime sauce. The meat was rich, tender, and flavorful and the tiny slivers of onions, cilantro, and lime gave it a refreshing coolness.


While it may be poor form to be an unadventurous amateur food critic when ordering Thai, I can't resist my favorite, pad Thai. Here, the noodles were tender but chewy, the sauce was flavorful and sticky and the shrimp happily basked in their delicious glaze. It was exquisite.

How effective these anti-panic Yankee Candles are.