Located on 12 E. Patrick St. in Frederick, MD 21707
Review and photos by @jameslharper
Upon planning a day trip to Frederick last weekend, I had remembered seeing Thai food in the index somewhere. I made it a goal this time to eat great Thai food, and that's just what I did. As someone who obsesses over amazing oriental foods, I had to do some research beforehand to make sure this place was legit. After reviewing several establishments, I decided Sumittra Thai Cuisine was the real deal!!
While working in a Thai food restaurant you definitely get spoiled. Sad to say, this has made me very picky when it comes to Thai food. The main thing you learn when eating cultural foods as often as I do, is that no one place is alike. Every place is SOOO DIFFERENT in terms of taste, ingredients, that big bad word (authenticity), and presentation.
One thing I loved instantly about Sumittra was the warm and inviting atmosphere. It was intimate and well lit with accent lighting for a moody tone. haha #mood
First.) Lets get started with food!! I first ordered a delicious appetizer.
Chive Dumplings
Flavor Rating: 10/10
These dumplings are lightly fried and served in 4 triangular pieces, with a sweet dark soy sauce on the side. There was no comparison, these were the best chive dumplings I have ever had. Light and perfect for any occasion whether your sharing or stuffing your face!! I don't judge. This was also the first time I had seen chive dumplings with a creative presentation. This little dish is delectable with flavor maxed out in all its categories!!
Second.) I proceeded to the main dish after much indecisiveness.
Ka-Proa
Flavor Rating: 8/10
Spice Rating: 3/10 (I needed more spice)
At Sumittra Thai Cuisine the Ka-Prao (notice almost every place spells this differently) is cooked with a mix of red peppers, shallots or onions, basil, chopped Thai chili peppers and garlic. It is then combined with fish sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar (hence the sweet factor). I also chose beef tenderloin as my choice of protein with a spice level of 5/5. Call me insane, but I still had to order more chili peppers.
This also was the first time I have seen this dish not served with carrots, string beans or whole peppercorn so I was super excited to give it a shot.
Sumittra nailed this dish right on the base of the plate with perfectly cooked peppers, onions and appetizing looks in dish presentation that paralleled flavor!! I can not stress how important it is to not over cook your veggies when texture can compliment flavor so much. This is something that is factored into your over-all experience when enjoying a fresh cooked meal.
Third.) Experience
Service Rating: 6/10
Summitra Thai is a neatly established, and unique place to eat. Food was quick and delicious. The kitchen seemed to be right on mark with out a moment to rest.
1.) However the service was a little slow. When arriving to the establishment after making reservations, I had ended up waiting several minutes before someone greeted me. From a business stand point, those several minutes are an easy opportunity to lose business. I was obviously not going to walk out, because I believe in supporting local businesses, however some don't see it that way.
2.) While eating our food, I had to wait a handful of minutes to request chopsticks and the server never checked in on our dining experience. This seems like a minimal detail, but if something had been wrong it would have likely not been taken care of because a vast majority of people don't like to go out of their way to make something right.
All this aside, my time at Sumittra Thia Cuisine was great!! I had amazing taste, spice and food in my belly. What more could you honestly ask for? I will definitely be stopping in again to eat at Sumittra the next time I am in Frederick.
Sorry about the dirty glass door pic.
So far I have had so much fun eating great food and writing about my time. For anyone that has local recommendations to the Baltimore area that I should check out please feel free to comment and let me know. Thank you so much for tuning in! ©
Best Regards, @jameslharper
https://www.jameslharper.com