For Delivery: Land

Isn't delivery just fabulous? It's amazing how so many people in New York City order in delivery instead of cooking or going out for dinner. And as much as I enjoy both food shopping and cooking, I am guilty of the ol' delivery myself. Though I must admit, if the place I'm ordering from is in a 3-5 block radius, I usually use my two legs to go fetch my order. BUT, even I have moments where I just don't feel like moving and Sunday night was one of those.

After not having eaten Thai food for almost two weeks (which is quite uncommon) I was more than ready to satisfy my craving and Land hit the spot. Being unfamiliar with the Upper East Side Thai restaurants I let my friend take the lead. Having passed by Land a few times, it seemed like a nice enough place to order from. According to Thailand Life Thai food of the north, consists of vegetables and ingredients available in the Northern region of Thailand. Apparently the northern people have penchant for medium cooked food with a touch of salty tastes almost to the exclusion of sweet and sour tastes. Meat preferred by the northern people is pork followed by beef, chicken, duck, bird etc. Seafood is the least known on account of the remoteness of the northern region from the sea.

Not being too picky about Thai we decided on a few dishes to share. The food arrived suprisingly fast and were very anxious to dig in.

We ordered the following dishes:

Chicken Curry Puffs, caramelized chicken with potato, parsnip, almond, & cucumber relish

Pad Thai With Shrimps, pad thai noodles, egg, bean sprout, tofu, chopped peanut with tamarind sauce

Wok Basil With Beef, long bean, red pepper, chili-garlic puree & thai basil sauce and Jasmine Rice

The Chicken Curry Puffs were probably my favorite of the three things we ordered. They were light and flaky on the ouside and warm on the inside. There was a distinct curry flavor though it did not overwhelm the puff. The puffs came with a pickled sauce that made the perfect tangy complement to its savory counterpart.

The Shrimp Pad Thai though good was fairly standard. Honestly, there's not too much to say about it. L'Annam is still my favorite. And the Wok Basil with Beef was overdone and a bit chewy, leaving me a little disappointed overall. The slender string beans were the highlight of the dish, which doesn't say much, though the Jasmine Rice was pretty tasty, despite rice being bland in general.

So, Land for delivery, i'd say it was fair. Though I think I might need to go into the restaurant itself for another tasting... And order the chicken curry puffs!

LAND Thai Kitchen

1565 2nd Ave, Between 81st & 82nd St
450 Amsterdam Ave, Between 81st & 82nd St