"Panita Thai Kitchen is one of Atlanta's more unique Thai restaurants. Here are a few reasons why: 1. All seating is outdoor. 2. The restaurant is owned and primarily operated by two people, a husband wife duo. 3. They put their own twist on Thai cuisine, both in taste and presentation. 4. The seemingly overdecorated enclosed patio makes for a very interesting dining atmosphere. The restaurant is named after Panita Thammaset, the wife owner. Her husband, Panjakarn, does most of the cooking. The couple are from Chiang Rai, Thailand, which is a large, mountainous city in Northern Thailand. Panjakarn is very passionate about his cooking and it shows in the dishes he creates. You can find just about every typical Thai dish on the menu here from curries to noodles to soups and seafood. They also serve many vegetarian friendly entrees. Starters such as skewers, soups, and salads are anywhere from $7 10 each. Entrees are anywhere from $13 to $20+. A few of the dishes I've tried include: Thai Fish Cake $7.95) five deep fried fish cakes mixed with spices, red curry paste, and a sweet sour sauce Ped Nam Pheung Honey Duck, $18.95) boneless roast duck served with fruits and vegetables Chicken Curry $12.95) chicken served with red curry sauce Thai Fish Cake is one of my favorite appetizers to order at Thai restaurants. They are succulent deep fried fish patties and are normally served with a refreshing cucumber vinegar sauce. Panita has very interesting twist on this dish. They serve the fish cake inside of a coconut and mix it with different spices, pickles, shredded carrots, basil, and other ingredients. To be honest, I'm not sure if I like Thai fish cake served in this way. The fish cakes, while delicious, are drenched in sauce and I'm not a big fan of the sour pickles in this instance. I'd rather have the fish cakes served traditionally, by themselves. The presentation is nice, however. The Honey Duck is OK. The duck is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The meat is salty, though. This dish is served with fruits such as apples and pineapples. An entire lime is squeezed and used in the sauce. Vegetables include broccoli. This entree is served on top of a large sheet of foil which is shaped and crafted to look like a duck itself. Sweet. The Chicken Curry is good. This is standard red curry with chicken. The chicken is fresh, tender, and flavorful enough. The curry sauce is rich and thick, almost too thick. Vegetables served with include green beans. The Chicken Curry is served in a metal bowl with handles and a scoop. All of this is placed within a hollowed out watermelon cut with jagged edges. The owners Panita and Panjakarn are very friendly. Note that since this is usually a two person operation, service can be slow during peak times. The restaurant's business cards are made out of rolled and pressed flowers, so they have an aromatic scent, with gold type. Since seating is outdoor, you'll naturally want to go on a day when the weather is nice. In the summertime, they have fans blowing. In the wintertime, they have heat lamps overhead. Panita Thai Kitchen is located behind Surin of Thailand. There are free parking lots directly next to and across from the restaurant. You can also park on the neighborhood side streets."
