Bites Nearby: Tara Thai

On Wednesday, I finally got the chance to try out the new Tara Thai in Hyattsville's Arts District—only a few steps from Riverdale Park.

The Friday night after the restaurant opened, it was a 45-minute wait to get a table and across the street, even with Busboys and Poets filled, it only took 10 minutes for my roommate and I to get a table there.

I was excited to try it. I decided to go with a commonly found dish— pad thai— and something new— hoi obb, a mussels dish with lemongrass, galanga, Thai basil, and a chili dipping sauce.

My food arrived within 10 minutes of ordering.

My pad thai with shrimp was tasty, with a sweet undertone, but one shrimp wasn't cleaned and that was was a little icky.

Since I like spicy food, I asked the waiter for hot sauce and got chilis in oil to add to the pad thai, and it was perfect.

The hoi obb ended up coming out after the pad thai even though it was appetizer, but it was definitely great. For the price, I had a bowl full of mussels with a light broth with hints of Thai flavors. The chili dipping sauce was spicy, but mostly tart—but citrus and seafood is a natural combination.

My two dishes came to $16 which wasn't too bad for lunch—and I didn't even finish everything, so it could have been dinner, too.

Where: 5501 Baltimore Ave., Hyattsville, MD | 301-277-7888

Prices: $4.59 to $16.99