I’m so full I’m sick. Just got back from a very bizarro meal at Party Kingdom on James Island. For those without children, Party Kingdom is like Chuck E Cheese with an emphasis on the E, if you get my drift. Very trippy. Asian wack-a-moles, only they’re not moles, they’re little cuties.
My little girl has been a huge fan of Par-tay Kingdom since they opened. Big problem, since we drive by it pretty much every day. But I can understand the allure. Inside, there’s a room full of candy and a room full of teddy bears. And then there’s skeeball, air hockey, bowling, etc.
A couple weeks ago, a reader sent me an email with a review of Party Kingdom Bistro. She assured me that they were serving authentic Vietnamese and that their pho was amazing. I laughed and forwarded it to Jeff Allen, who said, “Oh, yeah, my [Vietnamese] neighbor told me about that. It’s supposed to be really good.”
Fast forward to tonight. It’s cold and rainy outside, the kitchen is spotless (thanks Malissa), and the kids are restless. Why not head over to the Party Kingdom and let the kids play while we slurp down a big bowl of steaming spicy pho? So, I called the Allen family and asked if they wanted to meet us over there.
At 6:30, we had the place to ourselves. The cook was sitting in a booth looking bored — so we gave him something to do. We ordered everything on the entree menu — pho, lemongrass beef noodles, pad Thai, stir fry, and fried rice. Then we ordered a sampler of appetizers and then Jeff went back and ordered even more food! Ridiculous.
But it was damn good. I don’t care if I was sitting next to a kid maniacally beating a humongous drum on some weird Taiwanese video game machine as I slurped from our shared bowl of pho.
I urge all of you to run right out and eat at Party Kingdom Bistro as soon as you can. Seriously. I think they could use the business, and I’m telling you, the food is tasty. They’re open til 8 p.m. on weekdays and 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. They also serve lunch and brunch.
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