What Ever Happened to Spoon Thai?

I ask the rhetorical question because there have been so few posts about this GNR winner lately. Tonight I joined 4 other LTHers for a fantastic meal of a bunch of dishes (GWiv took notes, so hopefully he'll post some details) that were from Eric's translated menu, the special Tribune suggestion menu, and some improvised dishes. Sometimes when a place gets discussed to death it kind of falls off the radar and this is a reminder about how great Spoon Thai can be. While running around checking out the restaurants newly nominated for GNR status, don't forget to include this gem for a re-visit.

Spoon Thai Restaurant
4608 N Western Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
773-769-1173

Wow, oddly enough, I was there for lunch yesterday and it was as delicious as ever. I was gonna write up the crispy sour fish, but I just did not have the Erik M knowledge to do this dish right. I really am not quite sure what we had. The waitress mentioned something like it sitting around the kitchen 7 days and it being a real Northern Thai dish. Otherwise, well...I mean it was one of those things that started with a "do you know what you are ordering" and ended with really broad smiles for picking the carcass nearly clean. My only complaint with the dish was that we were well, well into the fish when we discovered this cache of garlic, ginger and other goodies. It's not that the fish before was bland, but mixed in with that stuffing, well it really took it to another level.

This place does not dissapoint.

VI... is this it? With an interesting fermented sour flavor completely permeating the flesh?



If it's now on the menu, that's really exciting news, because when I had it with Erik, it wasn't.

Spoon Thai is quite the gem and one of my very favorite restaurants in Chicago. Lucky for me, I live only about a 5-minute walk away. Perhaps so little discussion because so much has already been said. Best yet, I'm always shocked when I receive the bill and wonder how it's so inexpensive.

When my relatives from NY come to visit, the two musts are always great Mexican and Thai -- two things that NY has not mastered. Just a few weeks ago, armed with Erik's translated menu, my family and I and some friends descended upon Spoon Thai for what might have been the best meal I have ever enjoyed there -- one that left my brother speechless, wondering why he could not find a rival to Spoon Thai in NY.

When my sister and family were in town a few weeks ago I picked up a bunch of food at Spoon including the banana blossom salad and the naem khao thawt. It all blew everybody away, and living fairly close the half dozen times a year I get food there is surely not nearly as often as it deserves. For me the discovery of superior Thai food is the most wonderful thing that I've gotten out of being part of this food community and, to bring it back to Stevez's subject, the two restaurants that define the Great Neighborhood Restaurants award for me and best demonstrate its mission to acquaint folks with the most remarkable food hiding out there in Chicago are Spoon and TAC Quick. They're the greats among the greats.

I guess my problem with Spoon Thai, and the reason I don't post about it, is that I often have a hard time wanting to eat anywhere else. Paradoxically, this makes me resent the place for having such a hold on me. Of course, there are a few factors at work here, including the fact that I live only 2 blocks away. In fact, this is no accident. I decided on Lincoln Square shortly after Cathy2 took me to Spoon to sample Erik M.'s recommended dishes. Last week, my daughter got big laughs from some Spoon first-timers when she advised them that the Thai Fried Chicken "is like crack." I don't know about crack, but I could swear that I once glimpsed Nirvana after a round of one-bite salad.

Josephine wrote:Last week, my daughter got big laughs from some Spoon first-timers when she advised them that the Thai Fried Chicken "is like crack." I don't know about crack, but I could swear that I once glimpsed Nirvana after a round of one-bite salad.

HAHAHA -- this might be one of my all-time favorite lines here . . . ahhhh . . . the perspective of us foodies.

Dmnkly wrote:VI... is this it? With an interesting fermented sour flavor completely permeating the flesh?



If it's now on the menu, that's really exciting news, because when I had it with Erik, it wasn't.

That's pretty much it, although our version did not have the sweet chile sauce. Instead, there was a topping of stir-fried onions and dried chiles.

Did your's have the stuffing?

The fish was one of the four of so dishes on a card on the table.

[heavily edited since I was mostly full of crap; there were a lot of comments on many of the 2006 GNRs for the first half of the year, things have just slowed of late. My basic message]:

This thread is a good reminder to keep posting on other GNRs; don't take the nomination as golden word that enough has been written. Otherwise, newer readers tend to think patronage and opinions have cooled. Stand by your faves!

BR wrote:When my relatives from NY come to visit, the two musts are always great Mexican and Thai -- two things that NY has not mastered. Just a few weeks ago, armed with Erik's translated menu, my family and I and some friends descended upon Spoon Thai for what might have been the best meal I have ever enjoyed there -- one that left my brother speechless, wondering why he could not find a rival to Spoon Thai in NY.

Have your relatives eaten at Sripraphai?

I have never been to this place, but, based on the raves on this board, I am taking my girlfriend there next week, who's coming from out of town. There will be only two of us, so we can't sample the full panoply of dishes here. Would someone be so kind as to suggest a sample meal for two that would include the best dishes available for that few people?

Thanks!
Jerry

DY wrote:

BR wrote:When my relatives from NY come to visit, the two musts are always great Mexican and Thai -- two things that NY has not mastered. Just a few weeks ago, armed with Erik's translated menu, my family and I and some friends descended upon Spoon Thai for what might have been the best meal I have ever enjoyed there -- one that left my brother speechless, wondering why he could not find a rival to Spoon Thai in NY.

Have your relatives eaten at Sripraphai?

Yes, my brother has spoken at length about Sripraphai and I should have stated that I was really limiting my statement to Manhattan.

stevez wrote:Tonight I joined 4 other LTHers for a fantastic meal of a bunch of dishes (GWiv took notes, so hopefully he'll post some details) that were from Eric's translated menu, the special Tribune suggestion menu, and some improvised dishes.

Steve,

I took notes, but bourbon was involved as we had popped into the friendly bar.......no idea on the name, 1/2 block north on the Southeast corner across from the 7-11, and ended up being 'trapped' by a downpour.

Spoon was, as typical, spot-on, fresh clean bright flavor, textural contrasts, efficient friendly service with Vanna overseeing the room and kooky regulars who outline a desired dish with fishy, funky, gritty, over the top bold and then she delivers in the form of Kaeng som Cha Om omelet (acacia leaf) Sour no coconut milk curry with acacia leaf 'omelet' and shrimp. And, also, Kaeng Paa Luuk Chin Plaa Kraay: Jungle curry w/spicy herb and veg curry w/house made fish balls

Deep-Fried rice with Northern Thai “pressed ham” is a symphony of contrasting texture, crisp rice, yielding ham, quite intense.

Vietnamese-style rice flour crepe, with bean sprouts, tofu, shrimp, and coconut, crisp, greaseless, bright flavor with the tasty, but not so subtle touch, of bright red sweetened coconut shreds for accent.

Thai Fried chicken is a long time Spoon favorite, last nights accompanying tamarind based dipping sauce, while always good, was terrific and seemed to have a more developed fermented fish component than typical.

Menu board special of soft shell crab in red curry. Plump, crisp fried soft-shell, slightly sweet note complimenting the curry, attractively presented and very tasty.

Duck Laap delighted Steve Z as he is a well know lover of all things duck.

I agree wholeheartedly with Steve, lots of new places to check with the GNRs upon us, but lets not forget the ones that 'brung us to the dance' so to speak.

Spoon Thai, go early, go often.

Enjoy,
Gary

Spoon Thai Restaurant
4608 N Western Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
773-769-1173

Edit to correct name of rice dish.

G Wiv wrote:Fried rice with Northern Thai “pressed ham” is a symphony of contrasting texture, crisp rice, yielding ham, quite intense.

Let me just clarify that it was crispy fried rice with pressed ham. there are two dishes on the menu with similar names. The regular fried rice one is...well...fried rice, while the crispy fried rice is something special and is the dish we had.

Aka naem khao thawt, per my link above.

stevez wrote:Let me just clarify that it was crispy fried rice with pressed ham. there are two dishes on the menu with similar names. The regular fried rice one is...well...fried rice, while the crispy fried rice is something special and is the dish we had.

I think the other dish simply says Fried Rice w/ while the one we are referring to is Deep-Fried Rice w/. Either way, the dish we are talking about, and in Mike G's link, is delicious.

I took notes, but bourbon was involved as we had popped into the friendly bar.......no idea on the name, 1/2 block north on the Southeast corner across from the 7-11, and ended up being 'trapped' by a downpour.

Spyner's Pub - they don't have much by way of signage, but they've got a website!

Spyner's
4623 N Western Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 784-8719

I compiled a list of spicey board favorites and brought my family there about a month ago. The waitress was happy to serve me from my crib sheet and the food was amazing. The sea food was fresh, all the right dishes were spicey and the pad thai was just right.

I do prefer the Thai Fried Chicken at Siam Noodle and Rice.
My only complaint - the food did not bring on labor. But since they don't advertise that, I think we'll be back anyway. The kid is out now.

Also, the corner liquor store a block north has a fairly impressive beer selection (Unibroue, etc), especially for being a corner liquor store.

I had Spoon Thai on the mind all day after reading this thread last night. So tonight my daughter and I stopped by rather late to find the place packed. Fortunately, they still had room for us. We tried a new dish that we really liked. It is billed as a "Shrimp Dip with Mackerel and Crudites," which is a bit misleading. The centerpiece of the dish was actually two tasty deep-fried mackerel, served with lightly steamed carrots, broccoli, beans and pea pods. All of these are for dipping in a complex shrimpy sauce. So good, and the few bones were no deterrent at all.

Spoon does seem to fall off the LTH radar for pretty long stretches, but if my dinner last night was any indication, that trend should not continue. Every dish provided a huge flavor burst which was balanced without holding back on the heat. Tom kha gai was one of the best versions I've had - it was fresh, more sour than most, and less thick with the coconut than others. Yam hèt khẽm thawng (enoki mushroom salad with roasted rice powder) was a remarkable combination of flavors and textures: chewy, crunchy, sour, sweet, funky, and HOT. Nãem khâo thâwt, well described my Erik M, was every bit as good as the version I had many years ago at Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas, which was so good that I never forgot it.

Spoon was crowded on Saturday night, but we were able to sit right away. Service tried its best to keep up, but struggled just a bit. Any waiting we had to do for our food was well worth the anticipation.

We are heading here for dinner tonight (yay for Restaurant.com gift certificates) for the first time. I have read up on the 'special' menu from Erik M.'s translations and everyone's reviews. I was just wondering if we have to ask specifically for it? Do we just say "can we have the Thai menu, please?" For some irrational reason I always find secret menus (like handshakes, codewords, etc.) daunting.

We're meeting there at 7, so hopefully someone reads this before then! Thanks!

Go to the Translated menu section (Spoon Thai edition), print out the menu and bring it yourself. They never fail to give me all of the menus that way.

Too late now, but I did copy down the thai and english names of the "items of interest" so I can always just give them the list Thanks!

last time I was there, they gave me all the menus with no prompting. And I'm no regular.

Thanks, Stagger and Kennyz. We were indeed given all menus last night - the regular booklet, a double-sided laminated thai specials menu (with english translations), and a laminated Chicago Tribune specials menu.

Because I had done my homework, we ordered items that have been reviewed here quite thoroughly - fried chicken, catfish/coconut milk custard, nãem khâo thâwt, sâi kràwk isãan (the adorable, funky little sausage orbs), pork neck larb, chinese broccoli with crispy pork, mango with sticky rice, and indian-style fried bananas - and I don't have much more to add. Everything was wonderful , possibly the best Thai meal I've ever had. We were a bit surprised by the spicy heat of the pork neck larb, though it was manageable and delicious all the same.

The staff was very nice, as well. At the end of the meal, the older woman (owner?) came over to ask for our restaurant.com gift certificate. Since we hadn't mentioned it to anyone until that point, we asked her how she knew we had one. She just waved and said with a smile, "we know." Heh, guess we looked like we were out for a bargain!

Thanks LTH for a great find. I know we'll be back to venture further into the menu!

mtyf wrote:Because I had done my homework, we ordered items that have been reviewed here quite thoroughly - fried chicken, catfish/coconut milk custard, nãem khâo thâwt, sâi kràwk isãan (the adorable, funky little sausage orbs), pork neck larb, chinese broccoli with crispy pork, mango with sticky rice, and indian-style fried bananas - and I don't have much more to add. Everything was wonderful , possibly the best Thai meal I've ever had.

. . . some of my very favorite menu items . . . particularly the catfish custard and the crispy pork w/ broccoli. And since you loved it, don't stop there . . . work your way down the Thai menu and you'll continually be thrilled.

I am meeting a friend for dinner at Spoon Thai on Wednesday. I am really excited since I have traveled to Northern Thailand and am hoping to get to experience some of the same flavors. Is the "secret" Thai menu only in Thai? Thanks so much for the clarification!

No, they will provide you with a translated version. Ask for it if they don't give it to you.

thanks so much for the info!

LTH,

Terrific recent lunch at Spoon, hit the standards with a couple of stand outs. Naem Khao Thawt, crunchy deep fried rice mixed with peanuts, red onions, herbs and spam Siam style (Thai spam like ham), fish sauce for pungency, lime brightens. Delicious on its own, Steve Z had the to add fried egg, a typical add on with Thai style fried rice. Crisp crunchy rice, salty cured ham and peanuts paired with rich runny luscious egg yolk, wow.

Naem Khao Thawt (Deep fried rice salad with Northern Thai-style pressed ham)

Mhays photo


The other 'standard' that rose above was Thai Sausage, round balls of lightly funky rice based sausage, a few split offering crisp toasty bits I found infinitely appealing.

Thai Sausage

Mhays photo


The four of us, GNR Czar Dickson and Mhays (GNR Czarina) completed the foursome, put away a well rounded lunch of Chicken Laab, Thai Fried Chicken, Duck Curry, Banana Blossom Salad and two kinds of rice, sticky and Jasmine.

Informed service, reasonable prices, Thai food that falls squarely in the not dumbed down category, as opposed to a Thai food post by Ronnie_Suburban I just read.

Spoon Thai, good as ever, possibly better.

Enjoy,
Gary