All About Food | June 19th, 2024
By Rick Gion and T.J. & Gina Edra
T.J. and Gina Edra own ThaiKota, a favorite, flavorful hole-in-wall in downtown Fargo. In April, they made a trip to Thailand to pick up some special ingredients and explore even more about Thai cuisine. Read their interview below to learn about this recent trip and also about their delicious cuisine.
HPR: Hi there! Please tell HPR's readers a little about yourselves.
T.J. & Gina: Our names are T.J. Edra and Gina Edra. We are the owners and cooks of ThaiKota. T.J. was born and raised in Hawaii with a Filipino background and Gina is from Thailand and lived in the northern province of Chiang Rai. We met and got married in Fargo. We both always wanted to have our own restaurant, so we opened ThaiKota in 2021 during the pandemic. ThaiKota is a fast-casual Northern Thai fusion restaurant.
HPR: People seem to love your food. How is business going at ThaiKota?
T.J. & Gina: Business has been busy for how small of a kitchen and staff we have. People really like the fast-casual pace and authenticity of our food.
HPR: Can you describe your restaurant?
T.J. & Gina: Here at ThaiKota, we try to keep all recipes and flavors true to Thailand. We have a standard menu and also come out with specials that are dishes that are not really common here locally in Fargo such as khao man gai, kuaytiaw reua (boat noodle), yum salmon, yum naem khao tod, and laab kua moo. Customers really enjoy our special dishes.
HPR: I would definitely agree with that. Where is your restaurant located?
T.J. & Gina: We are located at 1201 1st Avenue North in Fargo connected to the Holiday gas station on north University Drive, right on the outskirts of downtown.
HPR: We've heard you've recently been to Thailand. Tell us about that.
T.J.: Every two years, we try to go back to Thailand where Gina is from to visit family and gather supplies and ideas for ThaiKota. Thailand is a beautiful country and is known for its amazing food. If you’re a foodie, your mind will be blown in Thailand with all the crazy foods that they have. Thai food has a balance of sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. It’s also finished with aromatic herbs.
Recently, we traveled to northern Thailand for 10 days to Chaing Rai, where Gina is from. While there, we gathered curry paste, dry herbs and chili paste for the restaurant.
Then we went to Pai, which is a small town in the middle of the jungle in the mountains. Gina has many friends there and knows a lot of chefs that showed us the food and culture of that region.
Then to Chaing Mai, which is the largest city in northern Thailand. One of the most popular dishes there is khao soi. It’s a rich, creamy curry made with coconut milk and served over egg noodles and topped with crispy noodles and fresh herbs. We feature this dish at Thaikota, and we also get our curry paste from these trips that we go on. This is one thing that makes our khao soi special.
Then off to a little island very south of Thailand called Koh Lipe near the Malaysian border. The ocean water there is crystal clear. There, I had my most favorite and funky dish. It was a spicy yum salad with giant catfish eggs, horseshoe crab egg, and crab roe. It was a party in my mouth, very spicy and sour dish with lots of herbs and a umami bomb of seafood roe.
After relaxing on the island, we headed to the final leg of the trip, Bangkok. Bangkok is huge with a population of over 11 million people. This city is in the center of Thailand with a mix of Thai food influences. This is where you can find all your favorite Thai dishes such as pad Thai, pad gra pow, tom yum, and pad see ew.
HPR: Any favorite foods that you tried in Thailand? If so, please describe.
T.J.: Some of the favorites I had were boat noodles, which is a rich beef noodle soup thickened with pork blood. And also tom yum goong which is a hot and sour soup made with fresh prawns. Thailand was fun and eye opening. To all the foodies out there, I highly recommend getting to Thailand, because the food is amazing.
One tip: Probably don’t go during May or April. It's just too damn hot. The average temperature when we were there was 103 to 109 Fahrenheit.
HPR: Have you offered anything on the menu recently inspired from the Thailand trip?
T.J. & Gina: Our last special we did was a jungle curry that’s influenced from driving deep into the jungles to the middle of nowhere where you find restaurants that use herbs and ingredients found locally in that area. So our jungle curry was very spicy, made with a special red curry paste and a lot of aromatic herbs that are roughly cut into a pot and made to perfection.
HPR: Any future plans to feature more items inspired from the Thai trip?
T.J. & Gina: We plan on making specials of some of the dishes we tried on this trip. Please follow our Facebook page for special announcements.
YOU SHOULD KNOW:
ThaiKota
1201 1st Avenue N., Fargo
July 15th 2025
June 17th 2025
April 16th 2025
March 26th 2025
March 15th 2025
__293px-wide.jpg)
__293px-wide.jpg)
By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comNorth Dakotans will take part in a nationwide civil rights rally on Thursday, July 17. Protests, marches, rallies and acts of service are scheduled in Bismarck, Bottineau, Devils Lake,…
Back-to-school season is on the horizon, but there's still plenty of summer left. Check out our favorite August attractions and events in North Dakota and western Minnesota. And if if you missed them, here are a few excellent May…
July 18-19, 25-26 and August 2-3North Dakota Horse Park, 5180 19th Ave. N., FargoLadies and gentlemen, prepare to place your bets — racing season is upon us! Not just horses will be racing this year; word on the street suggests…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com On July fourth, Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest took place at Coney Island. The winners, Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo, reigned victorious. Chestnut earned his 17th title by…
By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comWhy doesn’t the world require politicians to leave office at 60?Most of the leaders of countries, whether gods, fascists, democrats or socialists, are not doing very well these days. David Van…
By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…
By Rick Gion and Simone Wairickgion@gmail.com The Red River Market returned to downtown Fargo on Saturday, July 12. The event will take place every Saturday except July 19. (That date will be moved to Sunday, July 20, due to the…
By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comThe Moorhead Public Library will offer three free, all-ages outdoor concerts featuring regional bands this summer. The series begins on June 12 with the Meat Rabbits, a group that blends…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comPhoto by Sabrina Hornung Wing, North Dakota is a town of 132 located about an hour northwest of Bismarck on Highway 36. There’s a shiny new Cenex on the intersection of the highway and the high…
By Deb Wallworkdwallwork@icloud.comI first met Catherine Mulligan at a party at her house. It was a small gathering, spontaneous, just a few people over for dinner. Directed toward a stack of plates and bowls and a big pot warming…
By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comPhoto by Yvonne Denault There is something intimate and personal about plays. Even in our age of multimillion dollar Hollywood productions and droves of streaming services, watching actors…
By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…
The drug that keeps re-purposing itselfBy Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com There is a drug that is getting a lot of attention nowadays all over the world. It has various commercial names (Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus), but…
By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…
By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson@rocketmail.com Working in the Bakken oil fields of the Williston Basin is so different from my home in Fargo. I'm not judging, because the people working and living in western North Dakota are very…