TAC - quick

Dropped in spontaneously Wed. night en route home from pre-school w/ boy when we realized that all the T-Day leftovers had been consumed and the larder was largely bare.

Friendly and welcoming as ever. Wife and son started with their joint guilty pleasure, Crab Rangoon. There isn't much to say about CR, except in TAC's case, they were generous in overall size and filling and as perfectly golden as I have ever seen.

Wife and I also shared grilled squid. Nearly sublime - perfectly tender w/ no trace of rubberiness, and an alchemical blend of smoky, grill-char balanced with both the sweetness of the squid and whatever the marinade or brushed on seasoning is. The dipping sauce, good as it was, was nearly superfluous.

Had spicy basil beef rolls. (This was a first for me. Perhaps they've always been on the menu, but I only just noticed them.) Interestingly, the meny described the filling as "ground beef", but in fact the wrapper was rolled around a thin slice of beef, something like flank, judging by the grain. There was basil and just the right amount of jalapeno, but also an exotic, slighly musky/sweet fragrance. I asked the waitress what that might be, and she went back to the kitchen and returned with the not-credible answer that all the seasoning in the dish was listed on the menu. Well, I have a fairly average palate, but I'm damn sure that scent was neither basil nor chili. Five spices? No idea, but apparently, they didn't want me to know.

For the boy, they accomodated our special request for a bowl with just broth and either noodles or rice, but NOTHING else. No veg., no meat, and none of the many dreaded "flecks" (parsely, cilantro, scallion) that are as kryptonite to him. It was a wonderful broth. A deep gold/amber and far more richly flavored than almost anywhere else.

Fried chicken was as great as always.

Wild boar pad ped had a great flavor and a subtle heat that built up throughout the eating from a pleasant tingle to an almost uncomfortable burn by the end. Marred only by a large piece of pure fat that was not melting and luscious but rubbery and unchewable.

Another terrific meal at TAC.

I've joined this august body only relatively recently, so for us unititiated, what's TAC? (I've deduced that the
T stands for Thai, but could use help with the A and the C.) Thanks.

Hi,

TAC is Thai Authentic Cuisine

TAC Quick Thai Kitchen
3930 N. Sheridan Road
Chicago
773-327-5253

If you use the search function simply using <TAC>, you will find lots of posts. Pay special attention to those authored by Erik M because he offers explanations of dishes as well as menu suggestions.

You may also access a translated menu via our translated menu post on Useful Stuff board. At the top is an older menu, if you scroll down there is a more current menu translated by Erik M.

Thanks for asking a question which needs answering from time to time.

Regards,