Lynn Athavimol, who opened Lynn’s Thai Restaurant in Cotati in November 2008 is the former owner and founder of the Thai House in Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa. She sold the business in 2004 and has spent the past four years in Thailand. You can taste it in her food.
Crab Rolls with lime sauce ($9.95), given a white-tablecloth presentation set the bar high, making everyday spring rolls seem downright dull. The sharp acid of the lime, along with lots of garlic and cilantro is well-executed but can slightly overwhelm the delicate crab. Minor stuff. She also does duck rolls with sweet black plum sauce.
Lynn’s Tom Kha — coconut milk soup with galangal, kaffir lime, lemon grass and mushrooms is ridiculously fragrant and delicate. It steers clear of the ham-handed tendency to add too much lime or fish sauce.
A rainbow of curries, from yellow to red, green, Panang, brown and pumpkin, kicks out the flavor with a larder-emptying mix of veggies and spices. The sauce stands up to a spoon rather than puddling in fear. Even the rice is light and fragrant. WIth a price tag of $8.95 for lunch (including soup) or $9.95 for dinner, it’s a hearty value as well.
Other entrees include familiar players like honey pork ($8.95/$9.25), cashew chicken ($8.95/$9.25), Pad Thai, and fried rice. But there are also some surprises: Noodles with roasted duck and a marinated duck egg (?), grilled salmon with red curry and tilapia with sweet and sour lime sauce.
Lynn does a killer creme brulee infused with lemon grass. She’s still tinkering with the recipe (which could use a little more of the perfume-y herb), but it’s a solid effort.
With her delicate touch in the kitchen and constant-presence in the dining room, it’s a welcome relief to have another reasonably priced go-to Thai in town. Call it your appetite stimulus plan.
Lynn’s Thai Restaurant, 8492 Gravenstein Hwy, Suite M, Cotati, 707.793.9300
My kids and I love Lynn’s Thai Restaurant!
Both of my children–21-year old vegetarian daughter and 13-year old picky-eater son–are always ready hop onto 116 for the drive from here to there. We know that at Lynn’s, we’ll ALL have an abundance of menu choices. Everything we choose tastes as if it’s prepared with skill and love. The servers are both warm and professional. The atmosphere is serene, the colors are muted, and the flowers on the table are always fresh.
When we leave Lynn’s, our tummies are satisfied and our taste buds are still dancing.
I love thai food but will someone tell me of a Thai restaurant that serves Mee Krop, a sweet, tomato type lite sauce with crispy noodles topped off with a crispy egg lace?
i love this place! Lynn makes the best thai food i have tasted at a reasonable price. not only is the food fantastic but the presentation is beautifully done. My favorites are the curries (pumpkin curry first favorite) and the eggplant dish. the brown rice is a cut above the other brown rices found elsewhere. If your real friendly and become a regular Lynn will treat you to special treats from time to time. the other thing i like is that the music is played very softly or not at all. i hate eating and talking to friends over a noisy din of music that i wouldn’t choose. its a small but first class place that is always on my mind.
Had a birthday dinner in there and was totally satisfied with the food and the service. My favorite is the pumpkin curry. All the dishes seemed fresh and had an extra touch to them. the eggplant dish was great… definitely that best Thai place i’ve been to in awhile. The service was excellent!
I agree with you! I’m half Thai and the curries I know are Red, Green and Yellow. Some Thai restaurants tend to Americanize dishes. I’m spoiled though with authentic thai from my mom! yum!
The menu lists it as Brown Curry. Thanks for your enthusiasm about Thai food. Having not been to Thailand, I’m sure we’re missing out on some of the finer details. I’ve been to many of Thai restaurants you mentioned in another post — and they’re all great in my mind. You’re right about Sea Thai being a Cal-Thai fusion. I think I mentioned that in my review.
Heather: Just a little note—there’s no such thing as “brown curry” in Thai food… if you’re talking about Mussamun curry, why don’t you simply say that? It’s only three more letters to write its real name. “Brown curry” conjures images of clumpy pedestrian Japanese “curry”.
It’s probably a losing battle, but I feel determined to raise the awareness of people in the region about true aspects of Thai cuisine.
With regard to Lynn’s food—it’s not bad, but it does nothing to stand out from any of the other Thai restaurants in the area. Same old “safe” approach. Thick, sugary, cloying Panang, mediocre red/green/yellow curries made from commercial curry pastes… yawn.
Gawd, how I wish JUST ONE of them would shed their fears, stop kowtowing to “American palates” and make it the way they make it for themselves and staff (Thais, in other words) to eat!! If one would, it would instantly skyrocket to the top and eclipse all the others and become #1 overnight! But they are all just so petrified that someone is going to leave in a huff because they tasted the true, strong flavors of Thai aromatics. Oh, the irony!!
Wow! I had the most amazing dinner there last night. The calamari appetizer was great. The service was wonderful. I have lived in Cotati for several years and have been disappointed by the Thai restaurants. But now I have a Thai restaurant that I can visit frequently.
I had lunch on 11/11 with a friend and was impressed with the food. Portions were right, flavors spot on. It’s a bit pricey. Lunch for 2 was over $30, but I’d say it outshines in quality and freshness. The coconut soup – WOW…I’ll go back for that alone !
Hooray!! Lynn’s cooking is the best of all the Thai restaurants in So. Co. I was first introduced in the late 80’s when she had her restaurant on Southwest Blvd. in Rohnert Park. Her Tom Kha is excellent, as is the Pad Thai. I live in Santa Rosa, but will be making the drive to Cotati from now on. The Thai House has gone down hill since she left with unfriendly service and unsanitary conditions.
Welcome back Lynn! Many of us have missed you and your cooking! I will be passing the word that you are back. 🙂
Did “Lynn” once work at, or own, a Thai restaurant in Petaluma on Pet. Blvd. N. many years ago? I think so…
How about you tell me, Vince. 🙂
But how’s the Pad Thai? 🙂