Denny and I went to Thai Flavors tonight, because my stuffy head was craving their duck noodle soup with lots of hot sauce.  We got there, and it looked different.  Gone were the pictures of the owner and his wife with various progressive politicians.  Gone were the human rights-related notices on the walls.  Gone was the gregarious owner.

The walls were painted and some of the furniture was different.  Honestly, it looks pretty good.  It looks a lot classier, though it lacks that down-home hippie vibe.  We were greeted by a friendly young man who we later found out is the new owner.  We didn’t ask what happened to the old owner, but I guess  this guy has been in charge for about a month now.  We hadn’t been there in the last month (or much at all lately; we’ve been going to Thai Spice more often).

The menu was laid out differently but contained both of our favorites (the Bowl Noodle Soup with duck for me, the Drunken Fried Noodles for DC).  I don’t have my full senses of taste or smell at my disposal, but I enjoyed my soup a lot, and it didn’t seem noticeably different than the old version, except perhaps that the portion was more generous.  Denny’s dish was a bit different, but he said it was better.  There was a larger noodle-to-other-stuff ratio, which is good because he always used to run out of noodles before he was full.  He said it was very spicy but not overwhelming.

According to the table tent, they’re still doing community fund-raising events; I guess they’re just not as obvious about promoting them on their walls.

It’s still a more casual dining experience than Thai Spice, and considerably cheaper.  We shared an appetizer and each got an entree, and I think our bill was around $23.  We rarely get out of Thai Spice for under $40.

In sum, don’t be scared away from Thai Flavors by the new atmosphere and ownership; it’s still a great bargain for tasty Thai food downtown.