We
ordered chicken and beef fajitas and also bean tostadas,
guacamole and my wife had a margarita, her first
one ever. The meal began with the obligatory chips
and salsa. The chips were fresh and crispy hot out
of the fryer and lightly salted. There were two
types of salsa, a light fresh tomato salsa and hot
salsa. I thought they were both good, but preferred
the fresh salsa. The fajitas came on a steaming
platter with several flour tortillas wrapped up
in cloth napkins to keep them fresh. (Hey that's
the way they are supposed to be -- how did the British
and Aussie owners know that?) The chicken and beef
were grilled and were pretty darn good. We were
also impressed by the guacamole. All the ingredients
seemed fresh and home-made. This was not canned
salsa and bagged tortilla chips. No MSG. No Old
El Paso brand canned tomato salsa. No Doritos. This
was close to the real deal.
So,
I can recommend the place. We had a good meal and
I learned a lesson about life. You don't have to
be a Mexican, or even a Texan, to make good Mexican
food.
Readers'
Comments:
Well,
Joe, you may not remember me, but I certainly will
remember you. First, in recent months I came to
your office twice to get some papers notarized.
Your staff handled that quickly and efficiently,
while you and I chatted a bit about living in Bangkok.
Next,
I was searching the web for Mexican restaurants
and stumbled across your review of Charley Brown's.
Based on your recommendation, I ordered from there
tonight, with delivery from Food-By-Phone. You were
right - it's delicious. Charley Brown's does a fine
job. Thanks, Joe, for taking the time to write the
review.
Peter
Hey
Joe,
I
was searching for a good review of Charley Brown's
in Bangkok and stumbled on your review. I plan to
go there this evening with a friend, and from what
I've been reading, we're in for a treat.
Then
I checked out your article on Ko Samet. I spent
6 days there between last Christmas and New Year's,
so I was interested in what you had to say. Also,
I moved to Bangkok from Maui, Hawaii, so we have
that in common. Although I stayed in Ao Cho, one
of my own best impressions was the beach at night
at Hat Sai Kaew - of the outdoor restaurants, the
mats with tables and chairs and the torches or lanterns.
I thought it was great to sit out on the beach and
eat your dinner. Hawaii could stand to learn about
and adopt that tradition as well, although they
have plenty of their own charm already.
Also,
Thai men wandered the Sai Kaew beach at night, looking
for people to buy a huge bag, inside of which was
a flammable ring. For each customer, they would
expand the bag, then light the ring to build up
hot air inside the bag. Then the bag would float
up and off into the sky. On New Year's Eve, the
sky was literally filled with close to a hundred
of these illuminated bags floating by. And when
they reached a certain altitude, it was often difficult
to tell whether they were bags or stars. Incredibly
beautiful!
Aloha,
Gary
