Naviya’s Kalico Elephant– Richfield, MN

One thing Gerd and I know is that the Twin Cities has some darn good Thai food. We were starved for Mexican food the other night and got sidetracked when we drove past this place. It sounded good. (Yes, this is how we choose our dining experiences a lot of the time.)

We went in the place and the super nice hostess sat us. It was a small place, but it was decorated really nicely and was very clean. They gave us a pretty decent sized menu and we set to work figuring out what we were hungry for. A very coy Asian man came over to help us and seemed very glad we were there. Apparently, that’s just his demeanor since the place was pretty full anyway. This place apparently serves natural, organic, and preservative-free scratch-prepared Asian food, if you’re into that sort of thing.

We got some Fresh Spring Rolls, which ended up being awesome. We like these at most places, so it was a sure bet, and we had been hungry for them. Gerd got the Rama Thai which shocked me because up until about a month ago, she wasn’t really into the Thai curry. Well apparently something changed her mind. This was phenomenal. We’ve had it since and have tricked our friends M.Giant and Trash into trying it as well, also a big hit! It’s a spicy (but not that spicy) peanut red curry with vegetables and choice of meat. Shrimp or Chicken rule with this dish.

I got one of the new dishes on the menu (I could tell because the word “new” was next to it) called Naviya’s Lard Nah. IT was fried flat noodles with Chinese broccoli in a “thickened gravy type broth.” For my close friends, you know I chose this dish because 2008 is the “year of gravy” for me – each year I choose a new theme, not always food related – I’ll review the year of gravy at the end of the year for you if that helps. Anyway, this dish was really excellent. The noodles were a tad rubbery for my taste, but were really flavorful, so I didn’t complain at all. The gravy was awesome as well. IT filled me up something crazy.

If you get a chance, go to this place. It’s easy to find on Lyndale. They have another location like a mile away on Penn, but apparently, that location is the “fancy” one. Gerd and I will be checking that out as well, so keep your eyes peeled for that review.

Top 5 things about The Kalico Elephant
1. Fresh Spring Rolls
2. Rama Thai
3. Super friendly staff
4. Lard Nah
5. Décor / Atmosphere

Bottom 5 things
1. No elephant on the menu
2. Could get crowded as it’s small
3. Slightly high priced (which is scary if it’s not the “fancy” location”
4. They are not open very late – just to warn you. Like 8pm during the week.
5. Owners Kim and Naviya LaBarge should Not be confused with El DeBarge

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