Martha’s Pick:

Mercy Thai
4104 Rivers Edge Parkway, Council Bluffs
Fare: Thai
Cost: $62 for three appetizers and three meals
Reservations: We got takeout, but there were only two diners seated at 6 p.m. on a Friday. Not needed!

Greetings, Eaters and Readers!

When I moved to Council Bluffs at the end of 2023, I did wonder how good the restaurant scene was on this side of the river. I still ask fellow CBians any chance I get to tell me about the places that deserve the attention of the greater Omaha population. And while I don’t use every one of my monthly picks to explore Council Bluffs, I was excited when Jac agreed to September’s research being a comfy “grab take out and come hang out with me” session on a recent Friday evening.

I had heard about Mercy Thai just enough to know I needed to try it. For every culinary gem I have found in CB, I would regularly find myself thinking or feeling that we didn’t have many (any?) out-of-this world Thai or Indian or Korean spots. So when people spoke highly of Mercy Thai, I hitched all of my expectations to their wagon as we placed our online order for pick up.

Would Mercy Thai make me feel like I didn’t *have* to drive into Omaha for similar quality and experience? I tore into the plastic bag with high hopes.

Crab Rangoons ($3.50) | Rice Balls ($6.95) — Rice, garlic, black pepper, sweet soy sauce, clear noodles and pork

Long-time lovers of crab rangoons, Jaclyn and I each got our own order. Turns out … we didn’t need to.

Through no fault of the restaurant, they were lukewarm by the time we got home and ate. I also wasn’t enthused by these rangoons because the wrap was hardened. Jac ate a few more than I did, enjoying them regardless of their temp. She noted they reheated well in the air fryer the next day.

I hedged my bets and got the rice balls, too. I had hoped they’d be soft, steamed balls of flavorful rice. But I should’ve done a quick Google search to know they’re actually inside a pork casing – so each bite comes with a snap. I didn’t pick up on much of a flavor, either. Couple that with their cooled temperature? I’d pass on these in the future.

Beef & Chicken Pad Thai ($13.95 each) — Rice noodles, bean sprouts, peanuts, garlic, eggs, pad Thai sauce, oyster sauce

I got Chicken Pad Thai and Jac got beef. Not sure you can tell though because … there was hardly any meat in either of our dishes. We could count about 5 pieces each among the pile of noodles. Don’t get me wrong, I love noods. But I also want to balance them with protein.

The flavors of this pad thai were fine. Nothing earth-shattering, but good enough. Although neither of us really cared for the leftovers —when usually we do.

I never know how to pick a spice level when comes to Thai food. But I like a bit of a kick to my bite. And a level 2 at Mercy Thai ain’t it.

Pineapple Fried Rice ($13.95) — Chicken, rice, scallions, Chinese broccoli, carrots, egg, pineapple, garlic

Jaclyn and I both wanted to try the pineapple fried rice. Classic comfort of fried rice meets sweet pineapple infusion? Pass the big spoon, please! Mercy Thai’s pineapple fried rice had an okay mixture of almost everything — but the elements that were missing, Jaclyn and I both felt were critical to a tastier fried rice.
We hardly saw any pineapple bits, nor did we taste it much. And the raisins and cashews we usually see in other versions were no where to be found. Our portion was rice, egg and broccoli heavy — and if we’re blunt — flavor and pineapple light. We both agree there is better pineapple fried rice at other establishments.

Final Bites

My final judgement on all things Mercy Thai is softened by two things: 1) at the time of our meal, I was on the backend of a nasty head cold. I was tasting everything at maybe 50% of it’s actual flavor profile. Any bite that landed flat — I couldn’t help but that it was a ME issue, not a Mercy Thai issue. And 2) I always give a restaurant the benefit of the doubt that their food would taste completely different — nay, better — if I had ordered and eaten in the restaurant. Fresh to the table, as the chef and staff envisioned it.

The reality of our take out experience left both Jaclyn and I feeling underwhelmed. The meal before us did not quite live up to the hype both of us had heard and read about over the years. Jaclyn confesses she would be hard pressed to find herself going to Mercy Thai on her side of the river, especially when it means she would have to drive right past her personal favorite — Salween Thai. And truthfully, if anyone asks either of us where to go for Thai when they’re in the area? We’ll both probably recommend a few other places before we mention Mercy Thai. If at all.

As a local CB gal now, I’m saving room for a redemption visit — but I’ll eat in, of course. For all these reasons, we both give Mercy Thai a merciful … sideways fork.

Cheers!
The Good Bite Gals

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