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Ting’s Thai Kitchen Restaurant
18983D Hartmann Road (Hardester’s Shopping Center)
Hidden Valley Lake, CA.
Lunch: Noon to 3 p.m.
Dinner: 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Telephone: 707-987-1063
Reservations are not required but are recommended.
Being a frequenter of Chic Le Chef in Hidden Valley and an associate of Julie Hoskins, I’ve been to Ting’s Thai Kitchen Restaurant several times. The two business are just spittin’ distance apart. That’s a fact.
When you enter Ting’s you can’t help but notice the elegant Thai décor with lots of shiny polished wood and assorted elephant decorations, an important animal in Thai and Buddhist cultures. The feel of the room is like you just entered the dining room of the royal palace. Quick fact: The King of Thailand is the longest reigning monarch in the world today.
The hostess who was also my server greeted me immediately upon my entrance and said I could sit wherever I wanted. She’s a tiny, pretty, young lady with a striking accent and a charming smile that made wish she would stop by my table more often. What can I say, I’m a lonely old man; that’s not a quick fact, though.
My visit to the restaurant occurred at approximately 3 p.m., so there were very few people in the dining room. With the exception of one person poking their head out of the kitchen momentarily, the hostess was the only staff member I saw during my visit. Quick fact: Thailand was called Siam until 1939.
Ting’s boasts of having free Internet, so I decided to make that part of my review also. Seeing my laptop computer on the table, the hostess asked if I needed a password and then brought me a mildly worn Post-It note with the code. I’m guessing that this Post-It is used over and over again, so if you use it please don’t throw it away. I entered the code and was immediately connected to the Internet. The connection is lightning fast and pages loaded faster than even my home computer.
The menu consists of several pages with every Thai dish I could think of, and has numerous photographs of the food to thoroughly tempt you. There are also many vegetarian dishes available. Quick fact: The word “Thailand” means “Land of the free.”
I ordered the Pad Thai lunch special, which is kind of like ordering a hamburger in an American restaurant or pasta in an Italian restaurant. If they can’t do Pad Thai well nothing on the menu is going to pass muster. Quick Fact: Pad Thai is the national dish of Thailand and was popularized by the prime minister in the 1930s and 1940s as a way to promote national unification but also to cut down on rice consumption during a shortage.
The hostess asked how hot I would like the Pad Thai to be and I said “Hot.” She countered with asking, “From one to five, one being mild and five being really hot?” I went with “four” just to be safe. Quick fact: a Thai chili can range from 50,000 to 100,000 Scoville units while jalapeños average 2,500 to 8,000.
The first item to arrive was a cup of soup. If you have never had a Thai soup with the coconut-based broth you have got to try it! It isn’t sweet like you may think, but is savory and includes things like kaffir lime leaves (a fragrant citrus flavor with perfumey overtones), galangal (a slightly medicinal flavored cousin of ginger), chili peppers and basil. Oh my, I love them all! Tings has several very good soups. Quick fact: Almost 95 percent of Thailand’s population is Buddhist.
The Pad Thai showed up quickly. I ordered the shrimp version which contains shrimp, rice noodles scrambled eggs, bean sprouts, tofu, peanuts, cilantro, lime, chili peppers, soy and fish sauce.
The Pad Thai was full of my favorite flavors. The dish was not only hot in temperature but also had just the right amount of chili burn. I was sweating but still could enjoy all of the flavors.
Everything was cooked perfectly and the contrasting tastes and textures made me so happy that I actually smiled as I ate. Quick fact: The country of Thailand is larger than Spain but smaller than Texas.
The price is slightly higher than the other Thai restaurants in the county, but with the elegant interior, high quality of the food, free Internet access and convenient location it is worth it. My lunch special with a beer cost $20 including tip.
Last quick fact: Everyone can find something they will enjoy at Ting’s.
Ross A. Christensen is an award-winning gardener and gourmet cook. He is the author of "Sushi A to Z, The Ultimate Guide" and is currently working on a new book. He has been a public speaker for many years and enjoys being involved in the community. Follow him on Twitter, http://twitter.com/Foodiefreak .
Judy Luchsinger declared her candidacy on the courthouse steps Oct. 16, and on Friday Wally Holbrook held his first official campaign event in Finley.
Both Luchsinger, 64, and Holbrook, 58, bring to the race experience, education, knowledge and a determination to improve the education of local children.
They're seeking the job currently held by Dave Geck, whose first term in office ends next year. Geck announced late last month that he will retire at the end of his term.
The two candidates have hit the ground running, taking out the necessary forms to begin fundraising. The process for collecting signatures in lieu of filing fees and filing formal declarations of candidacy will begin early next year, according to the Registrar of Voters Office.
On a rainy Friday afternoon, about two dozen people stood outside the Hells Bend School in Finley, protected from the rain by the tents set up for the event, to hear Holbrook officially kick off his campaign on Friday afternoon.
Among those in attendance were Lake County Board of Education President Dr. Mark Cooper and retired Lake County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bill Cornelison.
Holbrook was a teacher before becoming a principal and later a superintendent, a role he filled in three districts for a total of 16 years.
Emphasizing the need to collaborate and innovate, Holbrook invited the community to join him in a series of conversations that won't be predicated on his election as county superintendent of schools, but instead would begin right away in an effort to help local schools and students.
“We can't wait another day on this,” he said.
Holbrook shared with his audience two experiences that he said impacted him and led him to make his choice to run.
One took place on the first day of school when he was the new superintendent of schools in Kelseyville.
After welcoming students, he was walking back to the parking lot and he saw a young woman hunched over in her car, weeping. He stopped to see if she needed help, and he said she looked up at him, then pointed to the school and said, “I just gave them my little boy, my baby, I'm so scared for him.”
His voice cracking, Holbrook noted, “I've never forgotten that.”
The second event concerned a graduation event, during which he congratulated a young woman and asked her what she was going to do next. She responded, “I'm going to Disneyland!”
When Holbrook clarified and asked her what her plans were after school, he said her smile faded. “Oh, I dunno,” the girl replied.
Children can't leave local schools unprepared for their future, said Holbrook. “We can't let that happen.”
He promised to work with parents and the community to benefit children, ensure that teachers and staff are well-trained and well-compensated, make schools clean, safe and fun, and see young people involved in the community.
Holbrook outlined some of the challenges ahead, among them resources and instructional effectiveness.
“When it comes to budget and finance, we know we're in for rough times,” he said, adding that the community has to be willing to accept the challenge to do better.
He also said he wanted to convey a sense of optimism amidst the challenges.
“I'm optimistic that we can do good things for kids,” he said.
Luchsinger emphasizes experience, accomplishments
Dr. Judy Luchsinger is no stranger to the Lake County Office of Education.
Starting out as an English and math teacher in Lakeport, for 16 of her 27 years as an educator she served as the county's superintendent of schools.
Holding a doctorate in educational administration, along with lifetime teaching credentials in K-14 education and administration, Luchsinger was county superintendent of schools from 1979 to 1995, when Cornelison defeated her.
In her time there, she amassed a lengthy list of accomplishments.
Luchsinger said she established school music festivals, spelling bees and the Academic Decathlon, initiated courted and community schools, implemented programs to reduce truancy and gang activity, and during her tenure the Taylor Observatory also was constructed. Many of the achievements are commemorated in a commendation she received from the state Legislature.
During this time when cooperation is being discussed increasingly as a way of addressing dwindling educational revenues, Luchsinger pointed out that she saved the county $15 million through group purchasing and other collaborative efforts.
Fiscal accountability is a key area for Luchsinger. “I have the record of setting up services to school districts and saving the county money,” she said, and she wants to bring quality management processes into schools to achieve accountability in student achievement.
Like Holbrook, Luchsinger pointed to the difficult times for public education, noting that the state could be facing another $21 billion budget shortfall over the next 18 months. “The likelihood that the legislature and governor will have to look to public education to shoulder part of that burden would not be a surprise.”
She wants to see the policies and procedures that she previously instituted at the Lake County Office of Education – meant to ensure accountability, transparency and prevent the unnecessary spending by administrators – reinstated, and suggested that they can publish the district's budget, currently about $16 million annually, online so the public can see it and be assured the money is being spent wisely.
She said that creativity can be used to address the county's stretched resources. When a single district can no longer afford a full-time nurse, psychologist or music instructor, the county office can hire and share the costs so that, as student numbers decline – which she said they're doing by 3 percent annually – they can still provide all the educational resources that larger districts can afford.
In addition to bulk purchasing, Luchsinger said pooled resources can provide superintendent search functions, administrator and school board training in-house, and provide staff development and create teacher support networks without using costly consultants.
That allows districts to put more money toward student learning, placing tools and resources into classrooms to get better outcomes, she said.
In recent years Luchsinger has worked as a a private consultant, implementing the quality management requirements in corporations on three continents.
Luchsinger said people talk about the school “system,” but few of them understand how it works or how to ensure that the system operates the most efficiently with respect to student achievement and providing services in a cost-effective manner.
She said her experience as a consultant and coach has given her tools to use in the local schools, because quality management can help them set goals and targets.
“This is what I do for corporations right now and I would welcome the opportunity to bring it back to public education,” she said.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
Joshua Isaac Wandry, 35, and Deborah Ann James, 47, appeared briefly before Judge Richard Martin in Lake County Superior Court on Friday before their case was continued until next month.
Wandry and James, along with 59-year-old Thomas Loyd Dudney – all of them from Sonoma County – are facing numerous charges for an alleged Oct. 20 attack on 49-year-old Ronald Greiner of Lakeport.
The charges against Dudney and Wandry include premeditated attempted murder, aggravated mayhem, torture, home invasion robbery in concert with another, first degree burglary with a person at home, assault with a firearm, assault with a blunt force object, assault likely to cause great bodily injury and serious battery, and special allegations of use of a firearm, according to District Attorney Jon Hopkins, who is handling the case.
James is charged with attempted murder, robbery and burglary, according to court records.
Police and deputies found Greiner hogtied, shot and beaten at his S. Main Street home on the morning of Oct. 20, as Lake County News has reported. Greiner's home also allegedly was burglarized; he told investigators that the suspects who broke into his home were after his medical marijuana.
Dudney already has been ordered to stand trial in the case, which is scheduled to take place on Feb. 9.
There could be more suspects in the case.
Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office told Lake County News on Friday that sheriff's investigators are continuing to work the case, and they anticipate more arrests.
Wandry – who remains in the Lake County Jail – and James, who is free after posting $100,000 bail, were set for preliminary hearing on Dec. 4, but other court matters caused a delay, as Lake County News has reported.
At that time, Wandry's defense attorney, Stephen Carter, and James' defense attorney, Komnith Moth, had just received about 50 pages of discovery in the case from Hopkins, who noted some of the new information he was dealing with included a summary of cell phone numbers.
In addition, phone messages between Dudney, Wandry and James were being reviewed by investigators, it was reported in court Dec. 4.
On Friday, when the case was called, James was running late, and when she appeared Judge Martin warned her that it was the second time she had appeared late to a hearing. If it happened again he said he would have her placed back in jail.
Carter said Friday morning that in the past week he's received more discovery from Hopkins, noting, “they're giving it to us as they get it.”
As a result, more issues have arisen that he said required more investigation. Carter filed a motion to continue, which he said he had discussed with Hopkins.
“I think it's only fair that the attorneys have time to digest all the information that keeps coming in,” said Hopkins.
The preliminary hearing was set for 9 a.m. Jan. 22. The defense and prosecution agreed that the hearing likely would take about two hours.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
The crash occurred along Highway 20 near mile marker 44, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The CHP reported the crash shortly before noon.
A vehicle rolled over and trapped at least one subject who had injuries, according to the report.
The highway's eastbound lane was blocked with emergency vehicles, with firefighters from Northshore Fire and Lake County Sheriff's deputies on scene.
An air ambulance was requested because a 2-year-old child was reported to have head injuries and needed to be transported to Children's Hospital Oakland.
Further details about the crash, how many vehicles issued and the names of those involved were not immediately available.
The area where the Friday incident occurred has seen a number of serious crashes in recent years, as Lake County News has reported.
Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .
Joseph Roy Starrett, 37, was arrested for being a felon in possession of a gun late Thursday, according to Capt. Kurt Smallcomb.
Investigators wanted to talk to Starrett in regard to the fatal shooting of Michael Anthony Hunter, 24, of Talmage.
Hunter was shot to death in a fight at a home on Mill Creek Road in Talmage early Wednesday morning, as Lake County News has reported.
At 9:30 p.m. Thursday the Mendocino County Sheriffs Office received information that Starrett was visiting a residence in the 500 block of South Harrison in Fort Bragg, Smallcomb said.
Sheriff's deputies – in conjunction with Fort Bragg Police officers – proceeded to the location and arrested Starrett for being a felon in possession of the firearm.
Starrett was then transported to the sheriff's office in Ukiah for questioning in regards to the shooting death of victim Michael Hunter, Smallcomb said.
Smallcomb said Starrett was subsequently booked into the Mendocino County Jail, with bail set at $25,000.
Anyone with information regarding the death of Michael Hunter is encouraged to telephone 707-467-9159. Callers can remain anonymous.
Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .
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