The Snail (Thai in Hyde Park)

After a meeting with the general contractor for Casa Pazzia I felt the need of some sustenance. Fifty-fifth street has at least 3 Thai spots within 2 1/2 blocks. The first 2 appeared (given a completely cursory, walk-by glance) completely generic. The Snail looked a bit homey, lived in and somehow slightly more interesting, so I went in.
I was immediately warmed by the enthusiastic but completely unforced welcome given me by the middle-aged hostess (owner?), who acted as if she had been actively waiting for me and was just starting to get a bit worried.
The menu is large, but largely standard. However I noted "northern style" grilled sausage among the apps and lost no time in ordering it.
The plate that arrived was full of bright colors and a generous portion. It's been a while, but as I recall Spoon's version of Issan sausage, the sausages are whole and there isn't a whole lot of garnish. Just a whole lot of meat. (Perhaps that's just my memory.)
Snail's version has the sausages sliced on the diagonal and into ovals about 3/8" think. The nice thing about this is that each bite gets almost completely crisped.
The sausage sat on a bright bed of thinly jullienned carrot, cabbage, ginger, and red onion scattered with cilantro and minced green chili.
One nice thing about all this was that there were lots of different kinds of crunch going on, from the variation between carrot crunch and cabbage crunch, to the crunch of the meat, to the softer crunch of the peanuts.
I was somewhat surprised that the flavor was very mild. Very good, but with none of Spoon's mind-altering funkiness, though the sausage looked like the same species. I asked the waitress if this was Issan style and she smiled and allowed as it was, but that they don't let it ferment as much as they would like because customers complained that they thought it was spoiled. She agreed that she preferred it more sour and squeezes lemon over it to get some kick back.
Despite the plate having reasonable amount of heat from the chilis, I found that dipping in Sriracha sauce really added to the overall, because it supplied both a different kind of heat as well as some vinegar tang. Despite the mildness, I enjoyed the dish a lot.
I follwed it with a bowl of Potak. The broth was fairly dark and rich and with a pretty significant kick, redolent of cilantro and filled with the expected mushroom, scallop, shrimp, cuttlefish combo. Very satisfying.
Service was friendly and quick. Water was continually refilled.
Very much looking forward to a return visit. (Perhaps if I call ahead, they'll ferment some sausage just for me.)

The Snail
1649 E. 55th St.
Chicago, IL 60615 773-667-5423

Between Thai 55 (Jarunee), The Snail, and Siam, you can almost put together a decent Thai restaurant. Thai Twee, now abandoned on 53rd street under the Metra tracks, was arguably the best of the four about 10 years ago.

The owner at Snail is indeed a charming hostess and gets to know many U of C students (particularly those living in the Shoreland, which itself is in its death throes as a dorm) by name. While many of the appetizers are good, an exremely bland and Americanized entree menu does this place in for me.

Thai 55 has their own version of chicken crack - the Bangkok Chicken - which is one of the only reasons to visit. The other two are excellent thai iced tea and recently-added bubble teas in several flavors. The noodles and curries disappoint (canned pineapple and baby corn in everything).

Siam at one point had a fantastic chef who was also very suave, to which many of the Thai students flocked. Spices were rich, noodles perfectly-cooked, meat choice and quality excellent. The tom kha khai was one of the best in the city. When he left, the spirit seemed to flee the place as well. I try it once a year, but it's a shell of its former self, and I don't know of any Southeast Asian colleagues or students that swear by it any more.

Don't get me started on Chant, the new all-style no-substance pan-Asian entry by the owners of Noodles Etc, although Noodles itself (now down to one location, at 57th and Kenwood) is sadly stronger than any of the three Thai-only places mentioned above. You'd figure that with five Thai or Thai-influenced in one square mile you'd have at least one home run, but that's simply not the case in Hyde Park.

Take comfort, though: the best Eastern flavors on the street, though, are just a few blocks west at Seoul Corea.

This has been my Battle of Hastings memorial post.

Yeah, my experiences with the Snail have been so-so, at best. I've also been puzzled by the fact they serve the food with chopsticks. However, if I'm in the mood for Thai in Hyde Park with no choice of going anywhere else, it'll be either there or Siam. I tried Chant once and all I can say is that it's the blandest "Asian" food I've had in Hyde Park, and that's saying a bit.

As a soon to be Hyde Parker (though one with ancient connecitons), I was getting excited. Guess i just got lucky with my first 2 dishes. I'm sure I'll be back, but I'll be steeled for an underwhelming future.

Still, HP produce is useful, and the new TI looks like a welcome, if pricey addition.

Guess i just got lucky with my first 2 dishes.

Believe me, nothing would make us happier than you discovering a new consistency at Snail or elsewhere. Please feel free to prove my cranky ass wrong.*

*disclaimer: this invitation only applies to mrbarolo. Non-tranferrable or re-broadcastable without the express written consent of Major League Baseball.

I used to go about once a week. My favorite dish for a long time was their drunken noodle, which is heavy and has a nice blend of basil sweetness and hot pepper spiciness. But the more I eat there, the more it seems too heavy for me. But I love the Snail and always wave at the servers when I walk by.

Plus, the BYOB has made for several memorable nights begun there with some friends and 40s, lol.

I used to love Thai Twee, although it wasn't great, it was consistent and we went - A LOT. Snail was our secondary option, and it did have great appetizers.

I miss Cholie's pizza, need to get back down just to order a Cholie's while sitting at the Falcon Inn.

Is Chollie's actually good pizza, or just nostalgic for you? I've passed it and wondered.

If you go to the Falcon Inn and drink for a few hours first, Cholie's is delicious.



It's of the Home Run Inn-style (buttercrust I guess?). I thought it was ok-to-good pizza, but definitely is better when you're inside the Falcon, at least a bit tipsy, and order through the little window that connects the two establishments.

Falcon used to have $1 drafts and a good jukebox. If you go, please report back.