Thai Bamboo opens on Fourth Street

Though towering snow mounds still prevail outside, the inside of Thai Bamboo Restaurant is every inch exotic.

After opening early last month, the 4,700-square-foot restaurant is one of the newest – and most distinct – offerings to Lake City’s growing menu options. For owners Tom and Matavee (pronounced Mat-a-wee) Burgess, who saw an opening in the area’s Asian eating places, they decided to build a Thai restaurant without comparison.

“We built our biggest and best one for the people of Coeur d’Alene,” said Tom Burgess, referring to the couple’s three other restaurants in the Spokane area and the new one here, all of which he’s designed. Even though business has been booming and exceeded their expectations, the owner added, “We’re still not done.”

Before adding Thai Bamboo’s temple-inspired, swooping red roofline to Coeur d’Alene’s midtown skyline, even prior to having met, Tom and Matavee shared an appreciation for Thai culture, and food, for years.

“I’ve been going to Thailand since the early ‘80s, and loved it,” Tom said. The country’s blue skies, blue water, unique customs and friendly people have kept him coming back. “It’s a wonderful place.”

Matavee, on the other hand, is a native of southern Thailand. She was chef and owner of three Thai restaurants in Seattle, where the two first met in the city’s Fremont district.

After getting married, the couple decided to move to Tom’s hometown of Spokane, and opened their first Thai Bamboo shortly after. Their recipe that combines authentic Thai cuisines with business know-how is evident across the Inland Northwest.

“We’ve opened four restaurants in seven years, which is a pretty good clip,” Tom Burgess said.

“But,” he added about their North Idaho addition, “this one is special.”

The couple’s year and a half-long search for a Coeur d’Alene location landed them on a nondescript corner adjacent to Dave Smith Motors. This year’s heavy winter weather delayed the restaurant’s opening night, but the building, and everything in it, embodies the couple’s original vision. From the blown-up bamboo pictures emblazoned on the concrete floor and hand-made deity statues, to the bamboo lining the walls and custom-made tables featuring Thai carvings, the restaurant is authentic down to the details.

The owners took a working trip to the region last year in search of those authentic objects, filling a 40-foot container with the items now on display. “Usually I go there and have fun, but that time it was all business,” Tom Burgess recalled.

If the building had a centerpiece, the 150-occupancy main dining room would be a contender. In the bowl-shaped ceiling, 4,000 fiber-optic lights are linked to a software system that can adjust for the time of day, where the “day” setting features a cloudy blue sky and at “night,” twinkling lights come out with the occasional streaking star. A large, flat-panel TV mounted to the northern wall displays Thailand photos and can be linked to a computer for meetings or parties. There’s also free Internet access throughout.

As spring nears, another sure-to-be-popular space will be the deck, where four glass garage-style doors can be rolled up to reveal a tall bamboo garden that will soon take root in the window sills. The outdoor area, which will have a bar serving beer and wine, also includes a water feature that floats a 3,000-pound marble ball, festive lighting and infrared heaters. “This should really be quite the show here,” Tom Burgess said.

And then there’s the food.

“It’s exciting, we want people to come and try another culture’s food,” Matavee Burgess said. While the other locations have featured their authentic entrées and other healthy options for years – the couple point out not all Thai food is peanut sauces and spicy dishes – they fine-tuned the menu for the local audience. Some of the popular dishes on the health-oriented menu include fried tofu, sea bass mango tango, satay (marinated chicken), swimming rama (sautéed chicken) and specialties such as chicken cashew nut and Thai pepper steak.

“There are a lot of worldly people here who love Thai food, and a lot of locals who’ve never had it, so there was a real need for it,” her husband said.

Added the chef: “Some people haven’t had it, but we’ll teach them.”

Since taking up residence in North Idaho, Thai Bamboo has been a “smash hit,” the owners said. Though the Burgesses attributed their early success in part to their 20-odd employees, they said it’s the customers they owe a big debt of gratitude.

“People have been really patient with us, because it’s been really busy, busier than we thought,” Tom Burgess said. “We love the city and the people.”