UPDATED: Feb. 29, 2016 at 4:41 p.m.

Lemon Grass is an Armory Square staple that no fan of Asian cuisine should miss. Just blocks from the Nancy Cantor Warehouse, Lemon Grass is right off Centro’s Connective Corridor bus route, which is free for everyone to travel on.

The restaurant was built in 1990 by Max and Pook Chutinthranond. Its original location was in Mattydale, and it used to be called The Authentic Thai Restaurant of Syracuse. In 1994, they relocated to Armory Square and decided to rename the restaurant Lemon Grass. The restaurant has received numerous regional and international awards for their food and wine selections.

The restaurant has glass wall dividers with a lemongrass design, but the décor really shines through the magnificent art prints that decorate the walls. They were bought from Thailand, and depict Thai pastoral scenes with bold yellows, reds, teals and violets.

Lemon Grass was relatively empty when we arrived, with perhaps four or five other parties enjoying their meal. In their defense, I did arrive at the restaurant for a late lunch, so that might explain the quiet atmosphere.

The menu offered a wide selection of dishes, especially appetizers. The appetizer menu was divided up into four sections: The Sea, The Land, The Rolls (as in sushi rolls) and Vegetarian. Many of the options are gluten free as well.

Maybe even more fun than actually eating the food, Lemon Grass has a beautiful gallery of their prepared dishes on their website. The colors in the food are beautiful, and they really enjoy making their food a work of art by drizzling sauces over the plates, and even creating a color scheme on the plate. They serve true craft.

The Tom Yum, or hot and sour Thai soup, was spicy and slightly creamy. It can be served with a choice of chicken or shrimp. It was cooked well and tasted fine, but nothing about it seemed particularly special. Nevertheless, it was a delightful soup that I would order again.

As an entrée, I ordered the Pad Thai, rice noodles mixed with bean sprouts, chives, egg, tofu and ground peanuts, held together by a nutty yet tangy tamarind sauce. According to Lemon Grass’ menu, Pad Thai has been a lunch staple for over 100 years. This dish also comes with a choice of tofu, paneer (a cheese), chicken or shrimp.

The kitchen provided a generous portion with enough for a second lunch of leftovers, and was served with two lemon slices. I found the tamarind to be quite delicious, as it hit the perfect amount of spice. I ate the noodles slowly and I could taste more chili tones as I kept going.

I wasn’t, however, a huge fan of the way the shrimp was cooked. It was a little overdone, with a firm texture that was a little awkward to eat. Even so, I was not bothered by it enough to diminish my opinion of the meal.

Eating it as a leftover meal the next day, I found that this dish is (unfortunately) one that does not taste even better the second day.

In the end, the only thing I would warn SU students against when coming to Lemon Grass is expect to pay more for your meal. The food is great; however, given that it is a nicer restaurant in downtown Syracuse, the cost is going to be more expensive than grabbing appeThaizing after a long day of class. If it were economically feasible, I would pick Lemon Grass’s cuisine over appeThaizing every time.

Lemon Grass is a great restaurant for special occasions and will not disappoint. The classy and elegant atmosphere also maintains a casual and easy-going aura, and the food lives up to the authentic standard.

cmrussel@syr.edu

Published on February 7, 2016 at 10:13 pm

Contact: cmrussel@syr.edu | @caseymrussell