Pimon Thai

The signage to the right of the Pimon Thai logo on the outside of the restaurant says, “Asian.  Seafood.  Steaks.”  Well that was a little unexpected.  But once the idea was implanted in my brain, I had to have a steak.  The menu lists a single “Thai Style Ribeye Steak.”  So lets give this a try.

Pimon Thai
4650 Johnston Street.  Lafayette, LA.  70503.
http://www.pimonthai.net/





Thai Style Ribeye, medium rare.

1.  Price.  $20.00.  Steak plus one side.  The menu listed the steak at 22, but the bill came as 20.  Also the menu doesn’t list a weight/size for the steak.  This usually puts me off, cause you don’t know if you’re getting a 10 oz steak or a 16 oz steak.  Fortunately as you’ll see in the pictures, the steak was on the plus side of that scale.

2.  Look

This is probably among the top of pure visually appealing steak.  Aside from the unneeded overabundance of parsley garnish, the steak looked perfect.  There was a high sear that you can tell left the outside of the steak crisp, but not burnt.  Whatever sauce or seasoning was caramelized into the steak from the high heat cooking also left a reddish hue to the outside.

3.  Cooked to Doneness

Another point towards perfection.  This steak was cooked perfectly.  The cross-section you see in the picture is from one of the first cuts I made into the steak, near the outer edge.  Usually this area will be cooked a little moreso, and as you work your way to the true interior, you’ll see a transition to a better medium rare.  Remember, medium rare is a range, not an exact temperature.  But this first cut was perfect to me, and as I went on, it only got better.  There was probably opportunities to take an even better picture, but I was too busy eating.  But I almost wish I would have, the picture doesn't do it enough justice.  Take my word for it, it was perfectly cooked.

Also if you’ll notice the thickness.  This is a perfect thickness and size for a steak.  (Unless you’re getting one of those massive steaks, but at that size it becomes more challenging to grill).  So it was cooked perfectly, and the shape and thickness of the steak allowed it to come to tempertature evenly.  All this translate into greatness.

4.  Taste

Perfectly cooked, pretty much always translates into a delicious tasting steak.  Especially with the tastiest cut of steak, the ribeye.  And this was no exception.  Good ribeye flavor, good tenderness.  Not a lot of fat, but enough to lend flavor.  And the fat that was on the outer rim of the steak was cooked down to add a crispy skin instead of chewy fat band.

5.  Seasoning

So the steak is great thus far, and the seasoning, it’s also pretty good.  It’s probably the blend of spices and maybe a thai sauce which the high heat seared into the steak that gives the steak its color and flavor.  It also comes with a more dipping sauce then steak sauce.  Maybe some blend of soy sauce and fish sauce and other seasonings.  But it was also pretty good and added an appreciated layer of flavor.  Now I’d be lying if I said it was perfect, I definitely prefer a heavy hand with seasoning.  But the flavor was pronounced enough to make you notice the difference, but not overpowering enough to distract.  Very good.  Also be sure to scrape off the garnish, that is worthless to the flavor.

6.  Bang for the Buck

20 dollars for a damn near perfect steak?  Take that any day and everyday.  This definitely deserves a spot on the Database Hall of Fame for steaks 20 Dollars and Under.  Additional points for being out of the ordinary.  An Asian restaurant could easily put “Thai style” or “Japanese style” in front of a steak and just mail it in and do a regular steak.  But you can see and taste the difference.  And the difference is good.  This steak could easily be 25-30 dollars and I don’t think I would have been disappointed.