D.C. diners will say goodbye to a longtime favorite this weekend when Thai X-ing closes its doors for good.
Chef/owner Taw Vigsittaboot announced the Feb. 25 closure on Instagram, hoping to “take a break and travel across the country” as a part of his retirement vision. “I need that for myself,” Vigsittaboot tells us as he rushes to stir a pot for hungry customers outside. “I just don’t get time to rest anymore.”
Thai X-ing (pronounced Tha Crossing) has been a Shaw institution for a decade. It opened on Florida Avenue NW in 2011 to instant acclaim, first as a stellar takeout joint and then as a tasting-menu-only sit-down restaurant that changed its menu frequently — and let customers BYOB, despite a lack of liquor license. Though it moved to 9th Street NW in 2014 — complete with beer and wine service — and eventually closed the original, it reopened in that Florida Avenue NW home in January.
Though the building underwent a much-needed renovation, much remained the same at Thai X-ing. The faded wooden plank denoting the lower-level restaurant’s name is as understated as always, though the line out the door these days as guests try to get in one last dish of of the restaurant’s signature pumpkin curry or other Thai staples is likely to catch the eye of a passerby.
On busy days, the restaurant offers additional seating on the upper floor; both levels are decorated with Vigsittaboot’s own artwork, as well as statues and other small trinkets he collected from Thailand. “We built the upper floor when we started getting more customers,” Vigsittaboot says. “We’ve gotten much more traction than expected.”
In the original basement section, only a thin curtain of beads that separates the kitchen from the customer. Smells of freshly cooked rice and thai curry spices infuse the air in the small dining area outside the kitchen. Dozens of plaques, certificates, and awards commending Vigsittaboot’s culinary expertise adorn the walls.
It’s never been easy to get a table here. In fact, the restaurant takes dine-in customers on a reservation-only basis. Even then, it’s safer to book a couple days in advance. “It’s crazy because it’s such an easy spot to miss,” says Joy Wei, who’s been a regular for three years. “The food’s just so good that it keeps you coming back.”
Thai X-ing has kept many of its mouth-watering house specialties, like that pumpkin in red curry, since the beginning — though Vigsittaboot is always experimenting, including with a crispy fried duck dish that’s now become a regular item. Homestyle noodles and fried rice dishes add to the appeal. Thai X-ing’s specialty chicken drunken noodles, with chewy wide noodles stir-fried in a garlic-soy sauce, are a favorite, as is the Tom Yum soup, with its rich coconut broth infused with lemongrass.
Both can be topped with vegetables and a choice of protein. Vigsittaboot also prides himself on a vegetarian-friendly selection, with vegetarian and vegan alternatives to most seafood and meat-based dishes.
“We can make it however you want,” he says. “No pork, no chicken, no fish — you name it.” When asked, chef Vigsittaboot says all recipes were passed down through generations of his family before making their way into the Thai X-ing menu.
“I first learned to cook from my grandmother,” Vigsittaboot adds. Born in the Chumphon province of Thailand, he recalls being exposed to different recipes and cooking techniques while watching his grandmother in the kitchen. Many of Vigsittaboot’s ingredients—to this day—are imported straight from Thailand. All orders are plated on banana leaves before being delivered to customers’ tables.
It’s clear that every one of the dishes here are a reflection of Vigsittaboot’s culinary skill, passion, and cultural heritage — but also his physical effort. A peek behind the thin curtain of beads reveals a no-fuss kitchen, with only two four-burner stoves side-by-side. “One’s for cooking and one’s for deep-frying,” Vigsittaboot says. Pots and pans hang from a simple metal rack on the ceiling. “I have an assistant to help me, but otherwise it’s a one-man operation.”
While the closure is unfortunate news for D.C. locals, Vigsittaboot is looking forward to his well-deserved break. “We have customers coming in all the time. I’m getting tired,” he says.
