Thai food has become as ever-present in the dinner decision making ladder as Chinese and pizza, yet Bay Ridge hasn’t really had its share of Thai food restaurants – until Glow opened. Bay Ridge has had long standing Thai restaurants – Bangkok Thai and My Thai – but it has been in desperate need of a new and trendy Thai food restaurant. “The Lower East side meets Bay Ridge” reads the website – and that’s exactly what this spot is.
When I first walked into this dimly-lit, swanky little eatery with my daughter in her stroller, I thought, “OK, I’ll go in and if they give me one of those looks, I’ll pretend I just came in for a menu.” (It’s that look I’ve talked about before – the “She isn’t going to come in here with a baby and that big stroller, is she?!” look.) Well, I was certainly glad I didn’t turn around.
Going out for dinner early at 5 pm allowed my husband and me a choice of seats because the restaurant isn’t very large. As it was a beautiful night, we chose a table by the open windows, which my 14-month-old loved, as she could wave to everyone outside. In fact, it’s stated on Glow’s website that much of the interior was done by the owners. They built the bar and installed all the recessed lighting.
I’ve eaten here twice and the staff was more than welcoming and friendly both times. The waitresses were very attentive and there are even reviews on Yelp.com where the owner, Anthony, jumps in to help out and converse with the patrons. Anthony’s wife, Suwanna Amatmontri, is the chef, who “learned to cook while growing up in Thailand,” states a Daily News write up on the restaurant.
The menu has many familiar Thai restaurant dishes (spring rolls, Pad Thai, curry dishes) and many Thai specialties. Glow owners assert that their super spicy jungle curry and black bean seaweed ice cream are unique outside of Thailand. They get their vegetables fresh daily from Brooklyn or Manhattan’s Chinatown, where the vegetables are shipped from a Chinese farmer upstate. The chef also dries her own chilies, ferments her own fish sauce and stuffs her own thai pork sausage. I’m sure you won’t find that at any other Thai restaurant.
By far, my favorite item on the menu so far are the curry puffs. Crispy on the outside, soft and flavorful on the inside, and made perfect with the cucumber relish dipping sauce. We also got the spring rolls, which I didn’t enjoy as much – not as flavorful and a little greasy.
We ordered fresh mussels in lemongrass broth, the special that evening, which was very interesting and tasteful. My husband ordered the Beef Red Curry which was very spicy and he enjoyed it very much. My eyes started watering just looking at it, but he loved it.
The Daily News voted Glow’s pad thai one of the best in NYC on September 16,2012. So, feeling like an old favorite, I had the chicken pad thai, which was delicious and well balanced. The protein choices for noodle dishes and curries is quite extensive:
- tofu
- chicken
- beef
- duck
- tilapia
- vegetable
- pork
- shrimp
- squid
- sole
- seafood mix
- salmon steak
The restaurant is currently BYOB and there is no corkage fee, which is quite nice. The waitresses promptly refilled our wine glasses and were very helpful by continuously picking up whatever my daughter tossed onto the floor (her cute smile doesn’t hurt when you’re trying to get a waitress’ attention).
Glow also has this computer-like device for paying with a credit card. It’s a hand held computer about which a few reviews expressed annoyance. I thought an electronic receipt sent to my email was great. One less receipt floating around in my purse!
A trendy, chic ambiance, good food, attentive wait staff and a chef who pays attention to detail make Glow a great place to get Thai food in Bay Ridge. It’s the personal touch that really makes eating here a great experience. Visit Glow at 7107 3rd Ave in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
Theresa Gentile MS, RD, CDN is a dietitian at Maimonides Medical Center, adjunct faculty at CUNY Brooklyn College and counsels adults and children using sound science and holistic approaches to eating. Check out her website at www.theresagentilenutrition.com.
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