Good to Go: Bangkok City Restaurant Spices Up the Workday with Thai Curry

Good to Go is a column in which our food writers explore Dallas' restaurant scene through takeout orders, delivery boxes and reheated leftovers.

Weekday lunches these days can be great — I’ve perfectly cooked steak in the middle of a Wednesday and felt proud of myself. Other days, it’s tougher — countless days in the house make you lose the sense of time and suddenly half a Kind Bar and three Hi-Chews is lunch.

If you luck out, though, you can have some superior leftovers in the fridge, such as a meal from Bangkok City Restaurant.

Getting the red curry here is a fine choice; it was a regular stop of mine in the Before Times during the workweek, but now it’s just as good to go ($14). Sealed in a reusable takeout container, this curry is only slightly spicy and filled with bamboo shoot.

In fact, as you walk into the restaurant — after following the arrows on the side of the building to the takeout entrance (it’s not the front door) — you may be overwhelmed with the smell of bamboo shoot. That’s a good sign: The funky smell is mellowed when added to a spicy Thai curry.

The meat is tender and the bell peppers keep some of their crunch to add texture. But better yet, if you have portion control, make this two meals. For leftovers: Put the rice with a bit of water in a glass dish, cover with foil and throw in an oven set to 350 for about 10 to 15 minutes. The curry will take less time at that temp.

Pouring the vibrant red dish over the rice (reheated’s not our favorite, but, hey, it’s 1 p.m. on a workday) will make you feel better about the afternoon ahead. And the whole process will fill your immediate space with the smell of curry that’s grown a little spicier as it’s sat in the fridge for a day or two.

One thing not worth saving because it’s worth consuming fresh are the kaw-pod-tod ($7 for four). A friend of mine insisted on these corn patties, and it proved to be solid advice. These little Thai-style corn cakes are served with a chunky, sweet sauce with cucumber and peanut. The cakes are a bit crisp on the outside and pillowy on the sweet interior.

So, if you wanted to grab an order of those and a cup of tom-kha-gai, the coconut-milk soup here is a bit of a sweet treat ($6) and keep your entire order of curry for a future day. At the very least, that’s investing in a future workday, yet another one at your home office.

Bangkok City Restaurant, 4301 Bryan St., No. 101 (Old East Dallas). 214-824-6200. Open for takeout, delivery and dine-in 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.