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Thai Basil ~ Bozeman, Montana


First visit: Aug 2024

Now the scenery is beginning to improve as we headed west through Montana. We both love beautiful drives and we knew the next few days would fulfill that. I guess technically we did visit Bozeman back in 2000, but it was a very quick stop and I don't feel like I got to know the city at all. We definitely spent quality time here for this visit.

After checking into our hotel, it was time for dinner. Mrs. RJG was giving me a raft full of crap because I hadn't considered Thai food yet. You know how she is about that. So on this Sunday night I acquiesced. I was hoping for a brilliant Baramee experience like we had in Kansas City last year. 

No such luck. I would place Thai Basil in the "American Thai food" category. Though there were positives to be found. 

The restaurant is quite large sitting in a strip mall, and is very bright with the evening sun. As you walk in, you'll note a large buffet setup. This comes free with your meal. I made a salad with Italian dressing and it was actually quite good - maybe the best part of the meal. Not a good sign for a Thai restaurant. Mrs. RJG enjoyed the fried sweet potatoes and bananas. Haha - I'm listening to my voice text (how else do you think I remember all this? lol) and I'm hearing a screaming baby. Yep, it was that kind of night. They did have local craft beer at least, so that helped numb the outing. 

I did get my minced chicken Thai stir fry, but they cheated and didn't use ground chicken, just chopped chicken breast. Sauce was watery. Plenty of rice and was cooked properly. Another positive was the copious use of fresh basil. Waaay too many vegetables. A garden full of them and not chopped or diced finely. Definitely grazing in the backyard here. No Thai chilies. Level 4 (out of 5) was "medium" at best. Very expensive. All in all it was OK, but I wouldn't come back here even if I resided in Bozeman.

Mrs. RJG didn't ask for Thai food the rest of the trip. :-)

8/25/24 (new entry)

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