Major Mess-Ups at Melanee Thai Restaurant – Los Angeles

There is a paucity of good Thai in LA. Or so I’ve heard. But I don’t like to listen to gossip. Like the people who spread it, gossip can be vicious, cruel, and often unfounded. But if someone were to disprove this particular rumor, Melanee wasn’t that someone as they served one of the worst-tasting meals I’ve had to date. To put it bluntly, Melanee curbed my craving for good Thai about as well as Golden Corral curbs my craving for filet mignon.

Hearing what I had about the Thai food in LA, I played it safe with the Red Curry with tofu. The tofu was safe. Not the best fried, but definitely fine at worst. The bell peppers were fresh enough, but they were the only fresh vegetable in the dish as the peas and cubed carrots were a canned courtesy of the Jolly Green Giant. Did I mention this is a 12-dollar bowl of uneven orange water?  I’ve had all qualities of Thai food, but this stuff was clearly scraped off the bottom of the curry barrel.

My friend got the Spicy Basil with beef. The sauce is tastes like a sticky soy with a little bit of a kick. The veggies were nice and crisp, and though the beef was on the slightly dry side, I wouldn’t call it overcooked. The thing is, $12 is a bit much for a dish that tastes like what I throw together when I’m in a rush.

I live for the firsts in life. Not that I remember, but my first step was monumental, my first tooth marked the first step to becoming a foodie, and my first tear launched my lifelong career of getting out of speeding tickets. First is definitely not the worst, but second is the best. My second step showed I wouldn’t fall, my second taste of food told me I wanted a third, and much later in life, and my second tear taught me to pick myself up. And although Melanee is not the kind of first I care to commemorate, I know that my second taste of Thai can’t possibly be worse.