Palms Thai is a long, high, rectangular box that, instead of extending deeply backwards from the entrance, spans widely across the Hollywood Boulevard-facing storefront sideways. The real front door from the street is on the opposite side of the stage, stage right, and the rest of the restaurant extends long and away from the front of the stage.

Yes. There is a stage at Palms Thai. And there is a Thai man impersonating Elvis on that stage. Thai Elvis has a ‘50s bouffant pompadour complete with sideburns (I actually could not tell if it was a wig or the real thing), sunglasses, and rhinestone studded bell-bottoms, and sounds remarkably like the original.

One might think that Palms Thai would feel like a dark, sexy Vegas lounge with Elvis twisting on the mainstage. However, the restaurant has no sort of describable ambience at all.

The dining room is brightly lit from overhead, and instead of individual tables, rectangular tables are placed end to end that extend in several very long rows aways from the stage, creating cafeteria-style seating. The place is almost as loud as a high school cafetaria at high noon, too.

The food at Palms Thai was good, but not great enough to bring me all the way out to Hollywood from LA's westside. Our appetizer was about as noteworthy as it got. Angel Wings are enormous chicken wings that have been deboned and stuffed with vegetables, ground chicken, and transparent noodles. Fried rice, noodles, tofu, and deep-fried catfish were all just okay. Perhaps I should have been a bit more adventurous and tried something off of Palms Thai's "Wild Things" menu - frog, wild boar, and deer.

If I'd like to venture where the Wild Things are, I'd have to make that 45 -minute drive that feels like a veritable safari to Palms Thai. Otherwise, I am okay with staying on the Westside. The only real reason, then, to drive that far to Hollywood is for a little Heartbreak Hotel with my Pad Thai.

Palms Thai
5900 Hollywood Boulevard (@ Bronson)
Hollywood, CA 90028
(323) 462-5073
www.palmsthai.com