Dining out

Cherie Twohy

LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE -- Min’s Kitchen in La Canada Flintridge sits on

busy Foothill Boulevard, conveniently located for its many take-out

customers. For 23 years, this family-owned Thai eatery has been serving

friendly greetings to regulars and newcomers, along with reasonably

priced American-Thai cuisine.

Proximity to the street mars the atmosphere a bit, as picture windows

at the front reveal a steady whoosh of traffic outside. Sheer shades

might diminish the roadside-dining effect.

The 12-table restaurant is soothingly decorated with graceful rosewood

chairs, and carved wooden figures on the walls.

The menu offers a vast array of choices -- 10 noodle dishes, all

$7.95, and even more appetizers, ranging from $1 egg rolls to an

assortment platter for $9.95 (nearly the priciest item on the menu.) Many

dishes are available ala carte, as well as combination plates from $10.95

to $15.95.

Our family of five was seated with a warm welcome, and presented with

fried wonton chips and a sweet, thick red sauce -- the equivalent of

chips and salsa down the street.

Our Thai Toast appetizer ($7.95) arrived, warm and crisp, with a small

salad of cucumbers and red onion. Thai shrimp toast is often made by

processing the shrimp to a smooth paste, but this dish contained larger

pieces of tasty shrimp, adding texture and flavor.

Great Pad Thai is an enticing tangle of tender noodles, with treasures

of shrimp, pork or other surprises ensnared in the net. Our portion

($7.95) was a bit disappointing, with only a very few goodies revealed.

Sizzling Beef ($9.95) was noisy and fragrant when it was presented on

its cast-iron platter. A slightly sweet brown sauce simmered on the

plate, wilting the bed of fresh spinach. The strips of tender beef were

attractively garnished with slivers of cucumber.

BBQ Chicken ($7.95) was tender and juicy, with a crisp skin, but not

much flavor. Don’t expect barbeque sauce. The red sauce served alongside

is similar to that served with the wonton chips.

Our most flavorful dish was one of the nightly specials, Asparagus

with Shrimp ($9.95). Gorgeous asparagus, cut on the bias and perfectly

crisp-tender, combined with some plump, fresh mushrooms and tender,

succulently cooked pink shrimp of considerable size and number.

All dishes we sampled were seasoned for an American palate, but the

kitchen will gladly accommodate any level of heat a diner requests,

making Min’s Kitchen a good introduction to joys of the Thai table.

Cherie Twohy is a formal trained chef-instructor at HomeChef in

Pasadena, as well as a food writer. She regularly dines with her husband

and three children, generally adventurous eaters.

If You Go

WHERE: Min’s Kitchen, 1040 Foothill Blvd., La Canada Flintridge.

PHONE: 790-6074.

LIQUOR: Beer and wine.

HOURS: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11

a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday; noon to 10 p.m. Saturday. Closed

Sunday.

PRICES: Lunch (served 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) $6.95 to $7.95 dinner ala

carte dishes $7.95 to $12.95.