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
September 16th 2025
August 19th 2025
July 15th 2025
June 17th 2025
April 16th 2025
_(1)_(1)__293px-wide.jpg)
_(1)__293px-wide.jpg)
_(1)__293px-wide.jpg)
_(1)__293px-wide.jpg)
By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comDairy Queen restaurants across the country will raise funds for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals during Miracle Treat Day on Thursday, July 31. At least one dollar from every Blizzard…
By Michael M. Millermichael.miller@ndsu.edu The Northwest Blade, from Eureka, South Dakota, published a wonderful story in August 2020. It’s called “Granddaughter keeps Grandmother’s precious chamomile seeds,” by Cindy…
October 3-5, 2025Memorial Union at NDSU, 1401 Administrative Ave., Fargo With the theme of “Existence is Resistance: Healing Through Unity,” this year’s summit will kick off with a professional development day followed by a…
By John Strandjas@hpr1.com Yes, we know, everywhere you look, the world situation is mental. It’s almost inescapable just how tenuous life’s circumstances are. And how they are mostly — pretty much entirely — out of our…
By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comWhat are the four freedoms of Donald John Trump? Nearly a century ago, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said every citizen in the United States of America should have four freedoms: Freedom from…
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 Nichole Hensenrickgion@gmail.com The wait is finally over. Those who have visited Nichole’s Fine Pastry & Cafe lately know about the recent major additions and renovations that have taken place over the past…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Dakotah Faye is a hip-hop artist from Minot, North Dakota, and he’s had a busy year. He’s released two albums. This summer he opened for Tech N9ne in Sturgis and will be opening for Bone…
By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com As a follow-up to “The Whale,” a raucous adaptation of the first novel in Charlie Huston’s Henry Thompson series was a good choice for eclectic auteur Darren Aronofksy, whose bold visions…
By HPR staffsubmit@hpr1.com Mark the first weekend of October on your calendar. It’s the weekend of the Studio Crawl, which takes us all on a wonderful, metro-wide tour of our talented (and often wacky) arts community. On October…
Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comPenn & Teller are returning to their roots. The legendary magic and comedy duo will appear on the Crown Stage at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival in Shakopee, Minnesota, where they first…
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…
By Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com Loneliness is on the rise in North Dakota, where there is one of the highest rates of people living alone. The challenging winter can be a major contributor, yet North Dakota is not alone.…
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…