Zab Thai Kitchen, Evanston

Zab Thai opened around the corner from us some time ago, and we kept telling ourselves that we would try it out, but it was only this evening that we finally got around to it. It is, in my opinion, the best Thai restaurant I have tried in Evanston. OK, the competition is not all that tough (although there are quite a number of Thai places here, but none other of great distinction). I was impressed that the menu goes beyond the usual standards. They have a very good assortment of salads, including green papaya (som tum), steak salad (yum nua), and chicken larb among others. We tried the som tum, which was excellent -- thin slices of papaya in lime and garlic, with shrimp, peanuts, and raw string beans. We also had appetizers of calamari with crispy basil and, more unusual, Thai style escargots, which came with a peanutty sauce with basil, chili, and star anise (at least that's what I tasted), in a dish with round holes topped by what looked like miniatrue tagine covers! The escargots were tender and the sauce fantastic; they give you garlic bread to sop it up.
For dinner, we had red curry (they gave us the choice of mild, medium, and hot; the medium packed a considerable punch, and we were relieved we did not ask for it hot); sizzling duck; and jam jam mussels, "mussels in spicy sweet chili jam with onion, bell pepper, and basil leaves" according to the menu -- something I have not seen at other Thai restaurants and which the waiter told us was a specialty of Phuket. The Thai custard was also particularly good, not too sweet. This is a place to which I will definitely return, though I wonder whether they can be induced to develop a secret menu.

Zab Thai Kitchen
503 Main Street
Evanston, IL 60202
847-328-5433
328-5434

Thanks for the report, I know where I will be having lunch!

And an added bonus -- they're on Rewards Network!
>>Brent

Thanks, Chapulin. I walk past Zab literally twice a day, five days a week, and have yet to stop by, so your post is just the kick in the keester I've needed. To those planning to visit, there is NO signage whatsover outside, apart from a menu hanging in the window; for purposes of navigation, it's two stores west of Hinman Ave. on Main St., just to the east of Oceanique. Very pretty inside; I'm glad to hear that the food lives up to the decor.

Seconding sundevilpeg, I definitely need to get over there.

I had basil chicken with pot stickers and cucumber salad for lunch. It was pretty mild but the chicken was moist and the basil leaves were good. It's not at all like Thai Grocery's version, this has large pieces of chicken, onions, peppers and leaves of basil. I think even Cathy2 could eat this comfortably. The potstickers were filled with chicken and nothing special but they were tasty enough. THe cucumber salad was very fresh with sliced red onion.

All in all, not bad for a local place but I would like to do a larger gathering there and see what the kitchen can really do.

I'll have to check this out, too. Say, do you North Shore folks have a preferred place for Thai, if Zap Thai doesn't meet your needs? We've been going to the Cozy Noodle on Dempster, for convenience as much as anything.

How much better is it than Siam Pasta?

I make the drive to TAC or Spoon. Thai Homemade over on Western and Lunt used to have some good stuff but the last time I went in there they had reduced the menu to the barest cliche Thai food with corresponding Schaumburg esque taste profile Gone was the thai fried chicken, larb, som tum, nam tok, all the things that I will normally order. I ended up with some forgettable noodle dish.

1) Went to Zab thai, ordered Pad Thai and Pad Seiuw. (Pedestrian, I know, but some famous guy or other said you should judge a place by its most basic foods.) We were pretty underwhelmed, although the dining room is very nice. We'll probably stick to Siam Pasta, especially since their prices are $1-2 cheaper as well.

2)

Octarine wrote:I make the drive to TAC or Spoon. Thai Homemade over on Western and Lunt used to have some good stuff...

Phew, for a moment I thought you were saying that Spoon Thai had gone downhill. Never did check out Thai Homemade, now you've gone and saved me the trouble.

Where/What is TAC?