Peppermint Thai - Lander Circle

Had dinner at Peppermint Thai at Lander Circle. This is the second location for the owners who also own Mint Cafe on Coventry. They have a reputation for good Thai food but I found it a little disappointing. First lets start with the good part, the restaurant is very nicely decorated. The long room is divided up with dark wood pieces which give the room some structure and contrast with the light colored walls. The art on the walls is highlighted with spotlights and the overall feeling is upscale and high class without feeling to formal. The service was also very good, with very friendly and attentive staff and food coming out promptly. This is my second trip to Peppermint, as I had lunch there last summer and both times I found that the food is good, but not very exciting. This may be why, even though this is right around the corner from work, I just don't think of this as an option very often. This time I had the scallop eggplant. The dish was nicely presented and came with a decent portion of good sized scallops and thin eggplant slices in a nice brown sauce accented with some fresh Thai Basil. While the scallops were ok, they would have been much better if they had been seared to give them a little extra flavor. This dish just lacked any real zing or excitement. For the price ($13.95) I thought the portion was adequate, but would have expected more. My opinion of Peppermint Thai is that it is a very nice restaurant that serves fairly tame versions of Thai food in a very nice atmosphere. If you are looking for something just a slight bit exotic, this might be the place, but if you are looking for real adventure or excitement I would try elsewhere.