Just because a restaurant isn’t on College Avenue doesn’t mean it needs to be forgotten. Asian Noodle House is a quick walk from pretty much anywhere in Collegetown and despite a constant flow of customers, there are usually always a couple seats empty to grab. It’s also a great setting to get more acquainted with someone as rice is more than manageable to eat.

Last Saturday my friend and I ordered safely, since neither of us is the adventurous type. I went with a regular rice dish with chicken and he ordered the green curry with chicken, to which the waiter proclaimed ecstatically: “You made the best choice! Best item on the menu!” I felt a little unsure then of what I committed to, especially when the waiter kept insisting that the only meat they had left to serve me was alligator, but that it would “taste just like chicken.” He continued on with the jokes and by far kept us more entertained than anywhere else I’ve been in the few block radius that makes up our college eating experience.

If you’re in the mood for a full show, complete with audience interaction, stand-up comedy and flowing conversation, you can get all this free of charge until your dinner is ready. My fears (particularly about the alligator) were allayed once I took my first spoonful. The chicken was juicy, the rice hearty and the vegetables had a nice contrasting crisp. The curry on the other hand, a thick lime green, was supposedly out of this world. The rice on the side looked soft and fluffy and the ingredients submersed in the milky green mess were plentiful.

We took a while to finish our meal, partly due to ongoing conversation and partly because the food was so good that we didn’t want to leave anything on our plates. Of course we couldn’t continue the night without a few more visits from our new friend. He sat with us, he stood with us and he was sure to kick us out by 10:00. All in all the experience was fun and the food was fantastic.

Even though my friend and I didn’t go too far outside our comfort zones in terms of what we ordered, the Noodle House has plenty of other things to try out including pork, duck, shrimp, squid and other things combined in soups, stir fry and rice. So go ahead and grab a bite for lunch or dinner, dine-in or take-out.