Eats Beat: The road to Haslet takes a spicy turn at Mai Thai

The tiny town of Haslet has an overachieving little Thai restaurant.

For a winter warmer, there’s nothing quite as effective as curries or soups from someplace like Mai Thai Restaurant.

Mai Thai opened a few years ago in a former Tex-Mex restaurant in the small town west of Alliance Airport. (It’s the only Thai restaurant I know with restrooms marked “Damas” and “Caballeros.”)

A chicken with spicy basil lunch came with a surprise: fresh sliced jalapeños. The server didn’t ask how spicy to make it. And the cook didn’t hold back.

Mai Thai has been around the Haslet-Keller-Roanoke area long enough to build a reputation for its chicken-coconut soup, red or green curry, pad Thai and “drunken noodle” dish.

Desserts include coconut-mango rice.

Most lunches cost $7.50, dinners $9.95. If you’re on a post-Christmas budget, Mai Thai can help.

It’s only a simple little cafe, but it’s worth knowing about if you’re in the Alliance area.

Mai Thai is open for lunch and dinner daily except Sundays at 201 Farm Road 156 N., Haslet (this address does not work in some mapping programs); 817-847-4500, maithaihaslet.com.

Fast from the gate

One of Keller’s perennial loser locations may finally have a winner.

The Quarter Horse sports grill is open in the Shoppes at Keller Crossing, now managed by executives and chefs from Denton’s popular Hannah’s on the Square.

The Quarter Horse is the Shirley family’s first attempt at managing a sports grill, offering an impressive menu of soups, salads, towering sandwiches, burgers and brunch items.

But the most-talked-about items early are the banana cake with brown-butter frosting, the deep-dish buttermilk slab pie and the bourbon chocolate torte, all worth the stop on Keller Parkway.

More soon on the Quarter Horse. It’s open for lunch and dinner daily at 1632 Keller Parkway; 817-431-3203, qhsportstavern.com.

City Place pair

Work has begun on both Chop House Burger and Wild Salsa, coming to Fort Worth by May to 300 Throckmorton St. in One City Place.

This Chop House Burger — yes, there are several — started as a spinoff from the Dallas Chop House prime steakhouse. A Euless location has built a name for its burgers, truffle-Parmesan fries and custom shakes.

Wild Salsa’s Mexico City-style menu, brunch and cocktails will satisfy diners who miss the old Cabo Grande.

Wild Salsa’s bar will face the West Second Street walkway, with the restaurants back-to-back in the space diagonally across from the Renaissance Worthington.

DRG Concepts executive Nafees Alam laughed off any confusion with other Chop Houses, including Mercury Chop House two blocks away.

“Whataburger has a Chop House Burger,” he said, “so it’s a good name for everybody. We feel like we have a quality burger.”

The current Chop House Burger in Euless is open for lunch and dinner daily; 2720 Texas 121, 817-358-2747, chophouseburger.com. Wild Salsa is open daily in Dallas at 1800 Main St.; 214-741-9453, wildsalsarestaurant.com.

This story was originally published December 22, 2014 at 5:15 PM with the headline "Eats Beat: The road to Haslet takes a spicy turn at Mai Thai."