Pacific Rim Kitchen

I note that the Pacific Rim Kitchen in Northbrook only has been mentioned occasionally in the Forum, so I thought I'd start a thread.

With the dearth of good Chinese and Thai restaurants in the Highland Park area, I recalled that I had gone to the PRK many years ago. Someone had mentioned to us they enjoyed the restaurant recently, so Grandma Bobbi and I decided to stop by for lunch yesterday. She ordered the "Pad See U" with chicken Lunch Special and I ordered the Panaeng [sic] Curry Shrimp. We both tried the egg drop soup that was quite tasty due to either leeks or onions in the soup. The Lunch Specials also came with a very nice egg roll.

The Lunch Specials currently range from $5.95 to $7.95. They also show six Lunch Box Specials ranging in price from $10 to $14. I'm sure that one can order from the regular menu too.

Besides Thai dishes, the restaurant also features Chinese dishes and has a few Korean dishes plus an extensive Japanese and sushi menu. In looking at a carry-out menu, I note that they have five curry dishes featured as Lunch Specials. These dishes would be a good sampling of their curries, which I enjoy, so we'll be back soon.

We were quite pleased with the food and the service was just fine. The food came promptly and we weren't rushed. They appeared to have a nice lunch crowd and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

We intend to frequent PRK often and would like to hear from other LTHers as to their take on the restaurant.

It should be noted that they don't deliver, but they do take orders for carry-out.

Best regards,
Grandpa Bob

Pacific Rim Kitchen
315 Skokie Rd.
Northbrook, IL 60062
847-714-1888
Mon.-Thur.: Lunch 11:30 am-2:30 pm, Dinner 2:30 pm-9:30 pm
Fri.: Lunch 11:30 am-2:30 pm, Dinner 2:30 pm-10:30 pm
Sat.: Dinner: 12:00 pm-10:30 pm
Sun.: Dinner: 12:00 pm-9:00 pm

tried it several times, the most recent (if you can call it that) was when they offered sushi (OYSY?) along with their usual dishes.

nothing particularly stood out and in fact leaned more towards the "americanized" versions of the dishes (similar to what you'd get at big bowl/stir crazy) and thus I haven't been back in quite a long time.

GB

Have you tried Simply Thai in Northbrook? I have had some success there, especially after chatting up the owner and explaining to him that I was looking for traditional thai dishes with traditional levels of heat. Not the best Thai you will ever find, but it is the best I have found that is somewhat near my house.

Simply Thai
761 Phingsten
Northbrrok, IL
http://simplybestthai.com/menu.html

iblock9 wrote:GB
Have you tried Simply Thai in Northbrook?

Grandma Bobbi was near Simply Thai yesterday and stopped by to order two dishes for dinner. Here's what happened?

She wanted Pad Se-Ew with shrimp and pointed the dish out on the menu to the person taking the order. When she got home, we discovered they had given her Pad Thai with shrimp. There were only three shrimp in the dish. She didn't care for the dish. I tasted it and found the item to probably be the worst Pad Thai I have ever eaten. The peanuts were ground so finely that they didn't give any crunch to the dish. The noodles were pasty and the sauce rather strange.

I order the Panang curry with chicken. At least they got that order right. However, the chicken was so tough it was nearly inedible. The sauce was mediocre. I feel that the bottled curry sauces at Trader Joe's are better, which, BTW, I recommend.

I've taken the time to compare Simply Thai's prices with those of the Pacific Rim Kitchen. They're quite similar and surprisingly PRK's Pad Thai with Shrimp is $0.55 cheaper than Simply Thai. Considering ST is a take-out joint and PRK is a nice sit-down restaurant, there's really no comparison.

With respect to iblock9 and others who have recommend Simply Thai and based on my one experience, I feel that the food left quite a bit to be desired and overpriced for a strip mall take-out place
.
BTW - We went to PRK last Sunday night with friends. They had never been there and enjoyed the experience. We ordered four pieces of egg roll, four entrees and no beverages other than hot tea (no charge). We had a 25% off the entire bill coupon and the total cost for the four of us including tax and a generous tip was only $54. Plus they returned the coupon for us to use again. GM Bobbi and I are going to a local theater production tonight and plan on stopping by PRK later.

I think I've finally discovered an Asain restaurant on the North Shore that serves quality food and has good prices. I find PRK to be a good value and recommend them highly. So I can get my Chinese/Thai fix reasonably close to home.

Best regards,
GP Bob

I've been to Pacific Rim a few time when shopping in that shopping center. Not a destination but I thought the food was good and the atmosphere was nice. (I don't live up there and it's been awhile, so that's about all I remember.) I'd certainly go back. As someone said above, it's kind of "Big Bowl"-ish.

I stopped by PRK last night for some carry-out and was told next Sunday (11/13/11) would be their last day of operation. When asked, the reason given was lack of business. I've been going about once a week for lunch. Good food and great prices. Services was typically slow but friendly

Any suggestions near Highland Park for some decent Thai food?

Regards.
Grandpa Bob

Grandpa Bob wrote:Any suggestions near Highland Park for some decent Thai food?

Scoot a little bit west to - viewtopic.php?f=14&t=19728&p=199940

My lat wife and I went to Thai Thai over three years ago. Subsequent posls on the site above kept us from returning. Any other suggestions?
GP Bob

If Skokie's not too far - Tub Tim Thai is a good option - http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=216646 - as well as Ruby of Siam - http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f= ... by+of+siam

Thanks, Dave, but Skokie is a bit far for a weekly lunch.
I used to go to Yummy Bowl in Highland Park, but gave up on them when I asked the proprietress why they no longer served fried rice with their lunches. She told me it didn't hold up very well overnight. So much for freshness. Anyone been to Yummy Bowl lately?
Regards,
GP Bob

Grandpa Bob wrote:I stopped by PRK last night for some carry-out and was told next Sunday (11/13/11) would be their last day of operation. When asked, the reason given was lack of business. I've been going about once a week for lunch. Good food and great prices. Services was typically slow but friendly

Any suggestions near Highland Park for some decent Thai food?

Regards.
Grandpa Bob

There's an update, the last day of operations will be Saturday, 11/12/11, according to the receptionist at the restaurant this evening.

Poor profitability was probably the major reason this place will close, as there was a tremendous amount of square footage in a B grade or better property that had to be covered in rent. I never saw them empty, but I also rarely saw them open their second dining room.

I will miss Pacific Rim and Oysy sushi; they were on my regular rotation, and their Red Dragon roll was one of the finest modern rolls in this metropolitan area.

Decent food but terrible and downright openly rude service took me from 2x a week for a lunch to not having been there in a year.

A friend and I went last night and helped them close the place. I always found the food enjoyable and, as others have posted, the service poor. They never seemed to have enough waitstaff and the waitresses tended to not be very compitient. But once I became a regular, they started being more friendly.
Tis a pity, I won't have a nearby place to enjoy some decent Thai food. Skokie is too far from Highland Park, but I appreciate the suggestions above.
Best regards,
Grandpa Bob

It continues to amaze me that the area around Highland Park/Northbrook can't produce a decent Thai restaurant. Every new hybrid chinese/sushi/thai place that open holds promise, but none ever gets there. For what it's worth, though, I've been taking out the Thai from China Kitchen in Highwood and it's pretty good, at least the Pad See Ewe is.

Sigh, we still travel from Northfield to TAC, Sticky Rice, or Spoon whenever we want Thai.

Octarine wrote:Sigh, we still travel from Northfield to TAC, Sticky Rice, or Spoon whenever we want Thai.

I think some of the furthest north highest-quality Thai food can be found at Elephant Thai on West Devon, which happens to be a GNR. It may not be quite at the level of the places mentioned directly above but it's a bit closer, very good, and consistently so. I'm glad that it's so close to my office because it's a very reliable lunch option.

I can also recommend Siam's House in Niles. It's up and down but more often than not, it's up. They turn out perfectly respectable versions of several basic dishes and also have a couple of delicious signature items. It too, is near my office and I eat there fairly often.

=R=

Elephant Thai
5348 W Devon Ave
Chicago, IL 60646
(773) 467-1168

Siam's House
7742 N Milwaukee Ave
Niles, IL 60714
(847) 967-2390

Ronnie,
Neither or the places you mention are less than 20-25 minutes from Highland Park. Thanks for the suggestions.
If anyone hears of a good Thai place opening nearer to HP, please let me know. Right now I'll just have to content with Thai food withdrawal symptoms and frequent Casa de Isaac more often than usual at lunchtime.
Bert regards,
Grandpa Bob.

Grandpa Bob wrote:Ronnie,
Neither or the places you mention are less than 20-25 minutes from Highland Park. Thanks for the suggestions.
If anyone hears of a good Thai place opening nearer to HP, please let me know. Right now I'll just have to content with Thai food withdrawal symptoms and frequent Casa de Isaac more often than usual at lunchtime.
Bert regards,
Grandpa Bob.

Bob, they're both within 30 minutes but not at rush hour.

I don't think it's going to happen in or near HP but I sure hope I'm wrong. The Thai population just isn't there to support authentic Thai food.

=R=

Ron,
When was the last time you were in a Thai restaurant anywhere in the northern suburbs and saw any Thai folks dining there?
Last night I was at the Golden Chef in Wheeling on Milwaukee and the only Chinese there were the cooks, waitstaff and Esther, the owner. Love their pike filets with ginger and scallions. They served me enough to take home leftovers for at least two more meals. Great food, good prices and extra large portions.
Regards,
GP Bob

I will also miss PRK- it was one of our regular go-to places for pre-Ravinia dining.
I loved the tuna tartare "martini" they did.
However I must say I'm not surprised.
It was almost never really busy when we were there, and service was often poor.
We often wondered how they stayed in business.....