Review: Blue Orchid
If only every new restaurant in Lincoln were half as good as Blue Orchid.
Blue Orchid is a new Thai restaurant in Federal Place (aka “Old Fed") in Downtown Lincoln owned by UNL professor Witawas Srisa-an and his wife Malinee Kiatathikom. The couple had previously operated a restaurant in Chicago. Clearly Srisa-an and Kiatathikom learned well from that experience. I stopped by Blue Orchid for lunch twice over two weeks. I was joined by the same dining companion both times. He has traveled extensively and has even spent time in Thailand, so his knowledge was extremely helpful to me as I prepared this review.
The restaurant is located at the rear of the newly remodeled Federal Place, and it fits in wonderfully. Blue Orchid exudes a subdued but warm elegance, with minimal yet ample art and decorations throughout. The interior is light and airy, thanks largely to the high ceiling and large, southern windows. The napkins are cloth, the glasses are brilliant blue, and the plates are quadrangular. They even got the silverware right. It is, as many have been quick to point out, a touch of urban sophistication in wee little Lincoln. Indeed, the only black mark on Blue Orchid’s stellar atmosphere is the entrance. The main entrance is just off a small, but very un-downtownish parking lot, and customers have to walk through that parking lot—rather than on a sidewalk—to enter. It may be a petty peeve of mine, but I don’t like pedestrians having to use pathways designed for cars. A landscaped pedestrian path would have been simple to add.
The service at Blue Orchid is its weak point right now. The problem starts at the front door. There doesn’t seem to be a designated greeter, nor does there seem to be a consistent policy designating which employee(s) should greet customers, and how they should do so. The result is that at busy times there can be a bit of a logjam at the door that is distasteful both for those waiting, and for those who have been seated near the entrance. There is also not a system for keeping track of which customer should be seated next, which means customers are on the honor system when keeping track of their seating order. It’s very awkward.
Fortunately, table service is much more organized, though there remains room for improvement. Waiters are, for the most part, prompt, and during my visits they were universally curteous. When asked for opinions about dishes our servers were able to answer genuinely, if briefly. The waiters seemed to have a general understanding of the dishes on the menu, but as the restaurant matures I hope to see its waiters gain even more knowledge about the various dishes. The servers present the food well when it arrives at the table, with one exception: why do they place my bowl of soup so far away from me? Both of our servers placed our bowls at arms length, rather than directly in front of us. Curious, and a bit annoying. Our waiters did a good job of clearing away empty plates. On both trips my dining companion and I never felt rushed, and yet we were easily in and out in an hour, which is crucial for the Downtown lunch crowd.
Blue Orchid’s prices are typical, if not a tad low, for an upscale restaurant in Lincoln. Dinner entree prices range from about $7.00 to the mid teens. Lunch at Blue Orchid is a great deal. For $7.95 you receive an appetizer (Thai rolls or spring rolls), soup (Tom Kha or Tom Yum), and an entree. The Thai rolls—my preference—are small deep-fried spring rolls served with a very complementary sweet and sour dipping sauce. They can be ordered with chicken and vegetables, or just vegetables. The spring rolls are filled with chicken or tofu. The soups have a strange and foreign taste to this midwestern tongue, but that wasn’t unexpected for somebody who grew up on Campbell’s. I prefer the creamy Tom Kha to the spicy Tom Yum, as did my dining companion, but both made for a delicious prelude to the entree that would follow.
Blue Orchid’s entrees are its real strength. The majority of the dishes are not “authentic” in the sense that they perfectly replicate what one would find in Thailand. Rather, they are mostly based on Thai classics and infused with American influence. Most dishes can be ordered vegetarian, with tofu, or with chicken, beef, shrimp (extra charge), or pork. We ordered four different entrees on our two trips. I went with the Panang Curry and Basil Mania. My dining companion tried the Yellow Curry and the Orchid Chicken. The Panang Curry was incredible, and surprisingly spicy. It was a large plate of coconut milk, curry, and kaffir lime leaves, served with rice. The Basil Mania, despite the awful name, was a treat. It featured a brown sauce with onions, green peppers, and basil, and it too was served with rice. My companion enjoyed his Yellow Curry, but he really raved about the Orchid Chicken. He noted that is was similar to “Gai Phat Met Mamuang” (pan-fried chicken with cashew nuts and onions). However the Orchid Chicken lacked the chiles that typically come with this dish, and added mushrooms and pineapple to give it a nice sweet taste. The dish is, in his words, “a slice of heaven”.
Blue Orchid’s menu does not include dishes from Northeast Thailand, which disappointed my companion. He had hoped he might find Som Tam (green papaya salad with chilies), one of Thailand’s favorite street foods, on the menu. However, several dishes are clearly of deep Southern Thai origins, such as the Satay (on the dinner menu) and Chicken Massaman Curry ("Muslim" curry – coconut milk base with chicken and potatoes).
Blue Orchid is clearly one of Lincoln’s best restaurants. It has great atmosphere, it has great food at great prices, and it has good service. In fact, it is awfully tempting to call the restaurant “near perfect”. I’m not going to do that. Not yet. But Blue Orchid is close. It is an excellent restaurant with a real chance to become Lincoln’s best. I hope it succeeds. And in the mean time, I hope some of Lincoln’s other great restaurants take note and refuse to back down. There’s a new kid in town, and he’s lookin’ pretty good, which can only be good for dining in Lincoln.
The Comments
laura February 15, 2006 at 7:06pm
OOooh! I’m so excited to hear about the Blue Orchid! We’ve wondered what it was when we first noticed the sign, but never ventured in. The one great culinary lack of Lincoln is for decent Thai food - and it sounds like this place more than delivers. Yay!
Charlotte Downey February 25, 2006 at 4:30pm
The food is outstanding, made with very fresh, quality ingredients. I love the decor, as well, providing a lovely ambiance. The restaruant is also a great option for vegetarians.
The service, though, is probably the worst I’ve ever experienced at a nicer restaurant. They need a host, more bussers, and more wait-staff in order to keep up with the dinner crowd. Each time I’ve been there, I have seen people leave because the wait was so long, even though there were vacant tables. One night, they even ran out of all clean dishes, telling us it would be an hour before they had more. That same night, a group of customers jokingly took over acting as hosts, signing in new arrivals. The wait-staff was exhausted and seemed like they were ready to quit. About ten of us wound up leaving after waiting for over a half hour with no seating in sight.
That being said, I adore the food. The only other criticism is that the servings aren’t big enough!But the prices are reasonable enough to simply order more than one plate if needed.
laura March 6, 2006 at 1:03pm
When we went last week, the host greeted us, asked us “how many?” and then shoved the menus at me nervously as he went to the back of the restaurant to “check and see what is going on.”
He came back shortly and escorted us (I was carrying all four menus, still) to a table for two. “Will this work for you?” he asked. I reminded him that we were going to be a party of four and he hurriedly motioned us to a different table.
It was all a bit awkward and I felt sorry for the poor guy - they need to get someone in there who knows the ropes for some training. It’s really not the fault of the staff if they are badly trained. This is a really nice looking place, but the service tended to make me feel very nervous. The management needs to get their act together and hire someone in for some instruction on hospitality.
The food, however, is splendid. We really enjoyed the Tom Kha (my favorite), the Orchid Chicken and the Peppercorn...tofu (I think it’s beef on the menu?). All three of those are definite repeats.
Having Ivanna Cone icecream was a brilliant move, too. Way to go!
Another peeve mentioned above is the entrance situation. They need signs at the base of the western stairs that say “No entrance.” We went up the stairs and walked all the way across the patio before we realized that it’s not contiguous to the entrance. We sat near the patio windows and watched several more people do the exact same thing. It’s annoying to have to back-track so far and would be easily remedied by a sign (or by letting people walk through, for crying out loud!)
We also giggled at the “You are here” sign once we had found the correct entrance. But I wonder about the wisdom of opening a restaurant that requires a map for you to find the front door. I understand wanting to have tables by the front windows - but surely there could have been a better solution than sending people through a maze of an old building. Passing the Old Fed apartments’ Trash Room and Workout Room was not the least bit appetizing.
Brilliant food, but lacks a lot of the class that its good looking interior promises. I hope they get their act together and stick around.
Tom March 6, 2006 at 4:05pm
I heard that the restaurent had just hired a new well-trained service manager to ensure that all customers would get the best service. They will also hook up a new POS computer system soon to make those server’s lives a lot more easier. I believe things will get better in the near future. They are new yet so give them another chance everyone!!!!!
April March 6, 2006 at 5:24pm
A group of 10 of us ate at here last Saturday night. The food was GREAT!!!!
I can’t say enough about that!
However, we waited an hour and 1/2 for a table. That was partly the fault of a very large table that had been there for 3 hours, and the last hour 1/2 of that time they were just sitting there chatting, long after their bill had been paid, drinks gone, etc. How rude.
JohnnyZap April 14, 2006 at 6:33pm
How about posting the phone number for the restaurant somewhere on this page or in the article??
Duh!
Mr. Wilson April 14, 2006 at 8:15pm
402-742-7250. See “From the Directory” in the box at the top.
Anochao May 23, 2006 at 9:02am
never been there yet. but would love to try
Mel June 16, 2006 at 5:25pm
I think the Blue Orchid is a welcome addition to lincoln. There’s aren’t many “happenin” restaurants in lincoln. The B.O. gives a big city feel without the extravagant prices. The only negative is that the service was a little slow. But when you go to a place with this kind of ambience, it’s nice to sit, relax, and enjoy the environment.
Computer Repair Lincoln Nebraska October 13, 2006 at 6:24pm
agree. It is nice to have an upscale Thai restaurant in town. Great review!
Eve Blobaum July 10, 2007 at 3:48pm
The Blue Orchid exceeds the majority of similar restaurants in the KC metro area in food quality (traditional inspiration with urban flair--the Orchid Chicken is superb), price (an incredible value), and service. They also have great cocktails and the desserts are well worth the price if you have room after your entree!
The Orchid did seem more disorganized when it was newer, but based on my visits, those kinks have been worked out. The service is professional and sophisticated without being stuffy.
The Blue Orchid is a great choice for a weekday lunch or a weekend dinner, or anything in between.
jake rhymes with cake September 6, 2007 at 5:08pm
every time i go to Blue Orchid they aren’t open ... the sporadic dining hours is a major downside in my opinion.
foxspit September 26, 2007 at 3:21pm
I went to the Blue Orchid for lunch again today and the food and service was excellent. Our waitress was exceptional - a real pleasant surprise from the often harried wait staff encountered at many Lincoln restaurants.
As a matter of fact, I can’t say enough good things about our waitress today. I wish I had caught her name, because it was by far the best service I’ve had in Lincoln.
It had been quite awhile since I ate there, so it was nice to go back. I had the Orchid Chicken and it was delightful. The pineapple gave it a real interesting flavor.
A friend had the green curry and it looked fabulous. He raved about the dish, so I can’t wait to go back and try it for myself.
sara October 4, 2007 at 1:23pm
Ate there for lunch today. The food was good but the service was less than average.