T-There is also an Elephant Walk on Mass Ave. in our fair city, Cambridge,MA. The original one was in Union Square in Somerville. We've always thought it was good, but not great. A sister restaurant in Waltham, Karabola is better. Bob would get lost trying to find any of these non-Needham locales.

its because i do not speak cambodian..or cambridgian (a native dialec)

ttt to create move interest or to totally bore people silly....beats talking to a panda

Bob boring people? Hard to imagine. No more often than Bill Cosby making people laugh; Mozart making people listen; Tiger Woods amazing people.

Hi, Folks:

Regarding the Elephant Walk family of restaurants, I agree with Gpanda that Carambola in Waltham was the most appealing of the three. Just to bring you up to date, a year ago they retired the name Carambola and reopened on those premises as another Elephant Walk. We haven't been back since the name change so I cannot comment on changes in menu and ambiance.

My reason for writing -- readers of this board might be very interested to check out the Elephant Walk's website

http://www.elephantwalk.com/

just to read the story of the Cambodian family who run these restaurants.

MaryA-thanks for the update. We've become so taken with two Thai restaurants, Dok Bua in Brookline and Similan in Cambridge that our variety has slipped.

Are you coming to the GTG in October?

Dok Bua and Similan -- thanks for the suggestions, Gpanda, since we don't know either restaurant but will definitely give them a try.

I do hope to go to the Boston get-together although my husband will probably be abroad again at that time and unable to come as well.

Just wish that we were already planning another trip to southeast asia. Remarkable how, once you return home, you feel that it's time to plan the next trip.

Similan ia our current favorite. It's part of the Brown Sugar group. Bob and Karen claimed they liked it.

Planning the next SEA trip perpetuates my daydreaming fugue state.

We just tried Similan this evening and had a lovely meal.

I hadn't realized that it was right next door to Helmand which we also like but somehow hadn't been to in awhile.

We'll definitely return to Similan again. Thanks for the recommendation.

MaryA-glad you likes Similan. If you return, try the Black fish salad, Na Treung (appetizer with rice crackers) and the shrimp scampi. All are delicious. We always sit at the table just in front of the aquarium.

hope to be posting a reminder and reservation thread about aug 31 for the oct 7th GTG...please watch for it...

bob and andy