Thanh Do Does It

Our son Ryan alerted us to a new Asian restaurant in Anoka, so naturally we had to check it out. We hadn't seen Jerry for a while, so we asked him to come out with us. It turns out he had taken some food out earlier last week, and was very impressed with it.

The new restaurant is named Thanh Do and is located on 7th Avenue across the street from Anoka High School. It is in the row of shops next to Russia Russian Supermarket. I would post its picture, but I have yet to wrangle Dan down to show me how to do that with my new camera. Their phone number is 763-422-0040.

I looked in the MSN yellow pages and found a Thanh Do restaurant in St Louis Park. When I looked at their website and phoned, I found out the Anoka Thanh Do is their second restaurant. It is worth a visit to thanhdorestaurant.com to read their menu and their story.

The restaurant is a family business, but not what you might expect. The oldest brother, Pham, grew up the first 16 years of his life with his mother in VietNam. Wanting better for her son, she allowed him to come to America where he was adopted by the Johnson family. The family has 5 natural children and 2 additional adoptees, one from Ethiopia and one from China. Pham had worked at the Kinh Do restaurant, but wanted a business of his own. His family work together now at 2 Thanh Do restaurants, and we are lucky enough the second one is in our town!

Bob and I agree that the fried rolls at Thanh Do are even better than those at Que Viet/Village House restaurant. There was an underlying spice that really added taste beyond Que Viet's fried egg rolls. There are a number of Que Viet restaurants in the Twin Cities area; we go to the Brooklyn Park location because it is the closest for us. We compare all other Asian food to theirs because it has been our favorite for years. I ordered Basil and Pad Noodles Stir Fry at Thanh Do. Bob ordered Hot and Spicy Chicken. My brother ordered Chicken Eggs Foo Young and Fried Rice. All were exceptional, except Bob still prefers Que Viet's Hot and Spicy Chicken. Their eggs foo young came as two giant mounds with a most tasty gravy. Bob and I decided that next time we would split an order because it is more than enough for two people. The prices are a bit higher at Thanh Do than at other Asian restaurants, but it is worth it because not each diner needs to order an entree for him/ or herself.

We had dinner there. We will have to check out their luncheon menu when Bob has a day off. Of course, I would be open to lunching with others in the meantime!

The restaurant is very nicely decorated, in what the Thanh Do website describes as an "artsy storefront cafe." There are 3 urns filled with growing plants outside the entrance. Inside, oversized yellow lanterns hang from the ceiling. The walls are painted white with mirrors and black-framed mirrored pictures hung artfully. Tables are covered in white linen topped with white paper (changed after each table is served); colored chop sticks in tall glasses decorate the tables.

The wait staff is very friendly and knowledgable. Those we dealt with were young and dressed all in black. They are eager to answer questions and offer suggestions. When you finally can't eat any more, they pack up your left-overs in red microwave-safe cartons.

Visit their website to get the whole story of the restaurants and the Johnson family. You can also view the menu. We found it a bit awkward to read the prices, but that is the only drawback we found. And feel free to call us at 763-421-3849 if you'd like some company when you dine out at Thanh Do in Anoka!