The Duke's - Don't Get It!

[MonsieurHulot]

free salt and pepper.

It's a French thing.

Customers who have been too long in Thailand also have the alternative to bring their own bottle of nam pla (no additional cork charge)

Edited May 28, 2009 by MonsieurHulot

[Tywais]

Posts deleted for flaming. This is getting tiring guys, so keep it civil or expect it to be shutdown or more warnings handed out.

[gatorhead333]

o.k. dukes has salty pizza sometimes ,maybe ...according to one person

maybe local cheese sometimes salty..maybe not....

but lets discuss the important things...

the things that really matter...

do they have brick pizza oven or use regular oven?

do the waitresses wear uniforms

is the a\.c cool enough or not cool enough

is the back ground music loud enough or too loud...

....are the toilets clean?

or are the little kids really too loud that eat there with there folks on sunday to the point of a migrane headache for other customers with quieter,gentle children....

not things like the food ....but

important things that make or break a restaurant...as listed above..

any more i missed?

Edited May 28, 2009 by gatorhead333

[basinboy]

I ate at Che Marcos once. Didn't like it, food wasn't salty enough, don't think I'll go back.

Marco is pretty nice about providing free salt and pepper. Maybe give him another chance?

Actually I was just trying to get gatorhead to bite following his 100% positive line and the bugger didn't bite.

I haven't actually been to Che Marcos, I hadn't heard about it until fairly recently. I am in town in a week's time it is definitely on my to do list, especially given the 99.9% positive feedback

[Ulysses G.]

I knew that you were joking, but others did not seem to realize it, so I thought that I would point out that one can salt something themselves.

I have a feeling that gatorhead has been too inebriated to notice a lot of things that posters were ribbing him about.

[gatorhead333]

I knew that you were joking, but others did not seem to realize it, so I thought that I would point out that one can salt something themselves.

I have a feeling that gatorhead has been too

inebriated to notice a lot of things that posters were ribbing him about.

me inebriated?? when was i ever inebriated ,maybe hammered silly but never inebriated...

hey another positive Marco review ,yet another thread...(but this is a dukes thread about salty pizza)...........see below

really this marcos is thought out well prepared ,well presented fine food cooked by a caring chez marco while the bukes is more your typical american fatty , mass produced ,one size fits all bennigans type food cooked by thai peope that sometimes think about what they do.it is good if you want a good size portion of american food this is the place in CM . when they mess up your order either under cook or over cook,salt too much whatever SEND IT BACK do not cry on TV ,the dukes is a large place that cranks out many dishes with no time to dilly daly over each plate.

two very different foods. with Marcos you can actually feel like you are dining out in a fine restaurant with very special dishes prepared just for you and as you take a bite of his food close your eys for a few seconds .... your tastebuds may trick your brain into thinking your are in the south of france dining in a little cafe with good friends

Edited May 29, 2009 by gatorhead333

[cmjantje]

me inebriated?? when was i ever inebriated ,maybe hammered silly but never inebriated...

hey another positive Marco review ,yet another thread...(but this is a dukes thread about salty pizza)...........see below

really this marcos is thought out well prepared ,well presented fine food cooked by a caring chez marco while the bukes is more your typical american fatty , mass produced ,one size fits all bennigans type food cooked by thai peope that sometimes think about what they do.it is good if you want a good size portion of american food this is the place in CM . when they mess up your order either under cook or over cook,salt too much whatever SEND IT BACK do not cry on TV ,the dukes is a large place that cranks out many dishes with no time to dilly daly over each plate.

two very different foods. with Marcos you can actually feel like you are dining out in a fine restaurant with very special dishes prepared just for you and as you take a bite of his food close your eys for a few seconds .... your tastebuds may trick your brain into thinking your are in the south of france dining in a little cafe with good friends

That is what I said before, if you have a restaurant at least control everything that leaves the kitchen, don't start a chain. A chef cannot, never, teach someone what is in his mind. A chef is The King in The Kitchen.

Never ate at Marco's but if he is cooking himself I sure will go there next week.

[IanForbes]

I salted a mine once. Does that count? I even had some bites.

cmjantje makes a good point. A restaurant made famous by a certain chef preparing the food does not do so well when said chef takes a day off. This is especially true in Thailand where staff are usually paid minimum wages and can't be expected to match the level of the master chef. And, the restaurant can't be expected to shut down on the day the master chef takes the day off.

I wish I had been involved with this forum more when I was still in Chiang Mai. I could have added a little better perspective and a few more pictures... Maybe even some of the food. I just finished a relatively cheap frozen pizza I bought in a super market. It cost me less than 150 baht for the 12 inch size. It actually was pretty good, all things considering. I normally make my own starting with the basic ingredients of flour and yeast. I usually make my own pizza dough and freeze it for later. The toppings are pretty much standard everywhere. Food preferences are such a personal thing that I hardly think you can make one size fits all statements on what is good and what is bad.

[piercefilmlid]

Hi all

after all the recent fuss/ravings about the Duke's, I thought I'd give it a try, having

managed to not eat there yet in the year and a half I've been living here.

And to be honest, we won't be eating there again. We thought we'd try some of our

favourite farang foods so ordered buffalo wings, ribs, and a pizza, and I had a couple of G n Ts

The sauce the wings came in was horrible, quite sour and un-appetising, and a small portion, the ribs

never came at all!!! so can't comment. The pizza was impressive looking, but SO SALTY

to make it almost inedible, and the G n T's were 150 bht each, extortionate!

For the 'pleasure' of all this we had to stump up 850 bht! Enought for us to eat out

every night for a week locally, including beer!

(one more thing, why do Americans have to talk so loudly when eating out, is it a cultural thing?)

So... won't be eating there again, but could list it in my top 10 worst places I have eaten

in Chiang Mai

David

Last week I paid my first visit to Dukes (Night Bazaar).

A bit like eating in a gold fish bowl - some blinds may help the ambiance of the place

Staff and service were ok, and portions were generous.

Gf's salad was nice but my pizza was, yes, too salty.

For one pizza, one salad, one glass of wine and a soft drink ....750 baht.

At 9pm the place was empty.

[elektrified]

Last week I paid my first visit to Dukes (Night Bazaar).

A bit like eating in a gold fish bowl - some blinds may help the ambiance of the place

Staff and service were ok, and portions were generous.

Gf's salad was nice but my pizza was, yes, too salty.

For one pizza, one salad, one glass of wine and a soft drink ....750 baht.

At 9pm the place was empty.

I believe this has to do with the lack of tourists in town as well as the poor economy and not because the food is bad at the Dukes. Let's be realistic here and not bash the Duke's unfairly. Restaurants and bars are empty everywhere in Chiang Mai now. Has anyone ever seen a single customer in that huge fancy place between Wawee Coffee and The Riverside bar/club? I passed by there two nights in a row and there was not one customer in there at around 9:00 P.M.! The 2nd night I passed by there, I stopped to take a peek at the menu and was almost stampeded by 5 employees when they thought a customer had shown up! Furthermore, I was out last night and it was so dead in town that some bars on the moat had only one customer sitting there. Some bars on Loi Kroh closer to the Night Bazaar were closing their doors at 10:30 last night! I drove around again around 11:30 last night. There was hardly any traffic. Other than a couple of lonely katoeys standing on Chiapoom/Kotchasarn looking for customers, it was dead out there!

[Ulysses G.]

Marcos was complaining about how dead his place was last night - on a Friday - and he has been full the last few weeks since gatorhead brought his restaurant up on Thai Visa.

It is not a good time of year to start with, but the International Economic crisis is not helping anyone either.

On the other subject, anchovies and pepperoni both have a lot of salt and I have noticed a number of people salt and pepper their food without tasting it first. Could this be a possible answer to the "too salty" dilemma?

[gatorhead333]

I believe this has to do with the lack of tourists in town as well as the poor economy and not because the food is bad at the Dukes. Let's be realistic here and not bash the Duke's unfairly. Restaurants and bars are empty everywhere in Chiang Mai now. Has anyone ever seen a single customer in that huge fancy place between Wawee Coffee and The Riverside bar/club? I passed by there two nights in a row and there was not one customer in there at around 9:00 P.M.! The 2nd night I passed by there, I stopped to take a peek at the menu and was almost stampeded by 5 employees when they thought a customer had shown up! Furthermore, I was out last night and it was so dead in town that some bars on the moat had only one customer sitting there. Some bars on Loi Kroh closer to the Night Bazaar were closing their doors at 10:30 last night! I drove around again around 11:30 last night. There was hardly any traffic. Other than a couple of lonely katoeys standing on Chiapoom/Kotchasarn looking for customers, it was dead out there!

i think the local cheese is salty sometimes i think. the dukes night market is one thing,

the riverside dudes is pretty busy still regardless and ~~20% cheaper than dukes night market so eat at the original less expensive place!!

but i don't get it? what is the point? this eletrified was justs stating the obvious the nite bizzo dudes place is dead... so what .

o.k. you look at some new place(it is new opened few months ago unknown with little advertising opened in a sea of old time excellent restaurants..

did you look right next door to the new place?? there is a place called the Riverside it was so packed we could not get in there. did you notice the Riverview packed out too. The Steak House -by La Crystal you really need reservations to eat there weekend nights unless you are lucky. when we hit it there were two tables of 20 people each! we got booths had to break up our group but it was worth it. Y r these above places packed out and why do i go there??? entertainment is key for us and all three mentioned above have music more a fun,party atmosphere with good music and good food if you know the menus.

Edited May 31, 2009 by LivinginKata

[DavidOxon]

Marcos was complaining about how dead his place was last night - on a Friday - and he has been full the last few weeks since gatorhead brought his restaurant up on Thai Visa.

It is not a good time of year to start with, but the International Economic crisis is not helping anyone either.

On the other subject, anchovies and pepperoni both have a lot of salt and I have noticed a number of people salt and pepper their food without tasting it first. Could this be a possible answer to the "too salty" dilemma?

Sadly not!

Someone who orders a pizza with anchovies, pepperoni AND olives, isn't a saltaphobe!

I have never, ever used salt when eating out, and only use it at home for potatoes, pasta

and a little in my bread to control the rise in the heat here.

Eating out tonight (at a nameless mediteranean type place) wife and I both

found the zuccini wrapped chicken with parmasan very salty too

and think the problem must lie in the cheese. Maybe Dacheeso is at fault?

[gatorhead333]

maybe you have a sensitive palete where salt is concerned but maybe one of these answers or several are the answer to your salty problem:

Does this happen on a daily basis, or on intervals? Does your tongue or part of it ever look white - that could indicate a fungal infection known as thrush, which occassionally happens after a treatment with antibiotics.

In some cases, liver failure causes this taste to occur.

Gastroesophogal reflux disease can cause the salty taste (even when no pain is present). Do you suffer from frequent episodes of heartburn? I have in the past.

Some medicines can make everything taste odd. for example the drug enalapril, which is a drug used to prevent heart failure. Also iron supplements can cause this. Avoid supplements with more than 20 mg iron per tablet. Many antibiotics, especially penicillin-types, can cause this, as ampicillin, amoxicillin.

a metallic taste is a vitamin or mineral deficiency - I can't quite remember which one but I think it is iron or magnesium. Haven't got a clue about salt taste though.

you could be pregnant.

Sometimes, chemotherapy may cause a salty or metallic taste.

pregnant women taste salt sometimes.

Many antidepressants could cause the metallic taste.

You could have Chemical Sensitivities.

I heard somewhere it could be a leaking filling.

It could be small amounts of blood in the mouth, blood tastes coppery and salty. not a vitamin deficiency, but too much of a vitamin/mineral can cause metallic taste. if you are taking supplements or vitamins look on the labels and see if there is an abnormally large amount of something. like if you're taking a daily vitamin that shows 200% of the recommended daily value of B12, it may be causing the taste. it may be several weeks after stopping the supplement before the taste goes away. shouldn't be lasting effects.

Edited May 31, 2009 by LivinginKata

[sabaijai]

I have had the Duke's pizza on about 7 occasions.

My fav was an xtra lrg that I shared with a few friends.

Triple (yes triple) Gorgonzola, olives, onion, capers....and I recall mushroom. But we requested non-tinned and I think they came up with some fresh.

How about the olives, griff? Have they got around to using decent olives yet? It's been well over a year since I gave them 3 tries

[Ulysses G.]

David told me a long time ago that they were using the fresh Greek kind that you like, but when I tried them, I was not overly impressed. It probably takes a while to develop a taste for them.

[daoyai]

All possible, but much more probable is that the OP Oxen often prepares his own food (he mentioned baking bread and cooking at home) in which case his food will have a much lower salt content than almost all restraunt food. If the Duke or anyone starts with typical canned (salty) tomato sauce for the pizza then as mentioned many topping choices will also be salty. Many places salt food to a high level because people with unhealthy eating habits expect that taste and if the levels were lower they would think it bland. Many of us will someday have strokes because of this, bon appetite.

[LivinginKata]

Argumentative posts have been removed. Let's keep it civil and on topic, thank you.

[gatorhead333]

All possible, but much more probable is that the OP Oxen often prepares his own food (he mentioned baking bread and cooking at home) in which case his food will have a much lower salt content than almost all restraunt food. If the Duke or anyone starts with typical canned (salty) tomato sauce for the pizza then as mentioned many topping choices will also be salty. Many places salt food to a high level because people with unhealthy eating habits expect that taste and if the levels were lower they would think it bland. Many of us will someday have strokes because of this, bon appetite.

good point regarding our health !!

whether at your home or eating out salt is a chemical, a drug that affects ones health! salty food causes high blood pressure which is refered to as the "silent killer" once you hit your late 40's must be careful about amount of salt consumed in your diet

[Loaded]

Does Dukes allow you to cover your pizza with ketchup?

If yes, I won't go but the missus will.

Edited May 31, 2009 by Loaded

[sabaijai]

David told me a long time ago that they were using the fresh Greek kind that you like, but when I tried them, I was not overly impressed. It probably takes a while to develop a taste for them.

I remember you mentioned he said that before. The olives I was served on a pizza (not over-salty btw) and later with a 'Greek salad' were canned olives. iIf they were greek, it was in name only. Maybe they had run out when I was there. I hope to give it another shot one day soon.

I also think it's harsh to trash a restaurant based on only one visit. It's tough enough running a restaurant in good times.

[Ulysses G.]

I quite like "cheap canned olives", but it took me years to develop a taste for them. I certainly would like to broaden my horizons in the olive department.

[Rasseru]

I quite like "cheap canned olives", but it took me years to develop a taste for them. I certainly would like to broaden my horizons in the olive department.

I would recommend you begin your broadening effort with some medium-priced canned olives.

[sabaijai]

I quite like "cheap canned olives", but it took me years to develop a taste for them. I certainly would like to broaden my horizons in the olive department.

Why not make your own? Just shape wet cardboard into olive-shaped parcels, add soybean oil and salt

[Rasseru]

. . . As far as I'm concerned I would recommend he begins his broadening effort with some Popeye cartoons.

That explains a lot about how you learned English!

I can hardly wait to ask him to say 'I yam what I yam.' If he is in a philosophical mood, perhaps he will be willing to entertain me further with a quick 'I think, therefore I yam.'

[PeaceBlondie]

I know half the players here, but we find that moderating these CMai food topics is too much trouble. You can "Duke" it out at a restaurant. Closed.

[getgoin]

Thank You