2009-07-13

Right Place / Wrong Time

I have a lunch friend, "Ann" (we have lunch probably 4 times a week together).  We've known each other for something like 18 years, and this is technically the 5th time we've been co-workers.  When we leave the front doors of the building, she always asks the same question:  "Where to?"

I'm in charge of picking the place.  Every day.  And it's not so bad, since she's a vegetarian, it keeps me out of the fast food joints, but we do hit Mexican 2 or 3 times a week.  But different places, ya know, to mix things up.

Well, Tuesday's answer was, "My Thai."  It's a reasonable Thai restaurant over on Michigan Avenue that we've been hitting for 5 years between 2 different employers.  I would guess I've been there maybe 25 times or so.  It's no Star of Siam, but it's pretty good.  And EVIL CANDY had just put the idea of Chinese food into my head with THIS POST.  And there's really no good Chinese in our area of the Loop, so the de facto Asian is Thai.

As we entered the place, I notice that they'd replaced their chairs, or stained them or something.  Then the table was set different.  The old white placemats were not a chocolate brown and then had orange napkins, and serious chop sticks.  "Sprucing up the joint" I muttered as I notice that they'd repainted the walls, reupholstered the bolster cushions on the bench seating, etc.

Then we got the menus.  They were different, too.  Long and narrow with lots of sushi offerings.  But it still had our Thai favorites on the menu.

Weird.

Then I looked at the cover of the menu.

The place was no longer "My Thai" but now "Hot Woks / Cool Sushi".

Yeah, the super observant Scope didn't realize that, since the last time he'd been in that space, the old restaurant had closed and a new one had opened.

Food was good, though.

And with that I give you:

17 comments:

Cora said...

Hee hee hee. We're surfing the same brain wave again, Scope, my dear. I too ended my post today with a really bad, obnoxious music video.

I love it when we do that!!

:-)

Critty Critty Bang Bang said...

You know, very rarely do you see Mexican restaurants just randomly spruce up the place...but all the Chinese/Thai/Vietnamese places are always ready to upgrade.
I'm going to do what I always do when I'm curious about something....
Pray to the Google Gods.

Anonymous said...

You and Cora will be stoned at the gates of hell for the annoying videos. Just a warning. Don't come knockin' on the gates anytime soon. Capiche?!

Soda and Candy said...

Hahaha, nice. As long as they didn't spruce up the prices it's all good!

Morgan the Muse said...

Well, apparently your friend did not notice it either, so it is okay, right?

mo.stoneskin said...

Either that or you were in the wrong restaurant?

Judi said...

Is that place in the 900 North Building?

Mel O said...

Maybe they changed a few visits ago and you just hadn't noticed! ;)

Scope said...

Nikki - Did you just admit to being the stoned gatekeeper to hell? Or did I read that wrong?

Judi - This particular one is about 30 S. Michigan.

MelO - We ended up asking, and they made the change 2 weeks prior. Which made us feel good, because we were starting to wonder about it.

Fancy Schmancy said...

OMG, I could totally go for Thai food right now!

J.J. in L.A. said...

Have you ever heard of a place changing ownership, business name, AND names of food items, but not the food?

There's a Mexican place we've been going to for years but only every couple months. We went in last time, noticed the changes and asked if the old place had gone out of business.

"Nope. You can still get your favorites." We had to ask what the new names of our old favorites were but it was still the same.

Cora said...

I think my video frightened people away! (Not that I can blame them.) I got like NO comments today. Stupid Captain Sensible.

*sniffle*

Cowguy said...

The local (and only) chinese joint in town here, known affectionately as "Dung Pow's" caught fire last week. I've been in mourning ever since.

I hope they remodel too! :-)

Cora said...

LOL at Cowguy ~ flaming dung!!

Candy's daily Dandy said...

Not only am I Thai junkie, (love spicy chicken basil-spicier the better) but there is nothing better than a heaping serving of some vintage seventies funk!

You got style Eric. Fo Sho!

Candy's daily Dandy said...

And-you can file this under useless info-I had Chinese Sunday night.

AGAIN.

J.J. in L.A. said...

Tradition (so I'm told) has it that, since Chinese noodles are long, if you eat them on your birthday you'll have a long life. I had a big pile.