Thai Restaurant that Thai Patrons Frequent?

I've never eaten at a Thai restaurant in town that had Thai patrons while I was dining. Is there a secret gem out there with "authentic" enough food to warrant Thai patrons? Just curious because I wonder if the food I've eaten is the type of restaurant food Thai patrons would order/eat.

This is one of the mysteries. Even in the restaurants that have been identified as having more authentic offerings and Thai-language menus, it rarely seems like you see anyone Thai dining (other than staff). I do not know how to explain this.

Jay K wrote:I've never eaten at a Thai restaurant in town that had Thai patrons while I was dining. Is there a secret gem out there with "authentic" enough food to warrant Thai patrons? Just curious because I wonder if the food I've eaten is the type of restaurant food Thai patrons would order/eat.

For what it's worth, whenever I've been at Sticky Rice there's always been a few Thais there eating in the authentic Northern Thai manner, that is, using balls of sticky rice to pick up their food.

You're right about most Thai restaurants, though.

I've seen Thai diners at Bahn Thai, on 74th and Harlem. This is the Thai place I've raved about a couple of times on this board. There's also a Thai grocery connected to it. I swear by this place and wish more people would visit it so that, hopefully, it becomes part of the Great Neighborhood Restaurants program (I was excited to see that somebody did actually nominate it this last go-'round.) It's the best Thai I've had anywhere in Chicago--not at all toned down for American tastes.

That's not any kind of "mystery."

Why don't you try visiting a Thai restaurant at the times of the day when Thai folks are actually inclined to eat?

E.M.

Erik M wrote:Why don't you try visiting a Thai restaurant at the times of the day when Thai folks are actually inclined to eat?

What time might that be?

Regards,

But Erik, rational, easily verifiable explanations would take all the fun out of it.

So when do Thais eat? Same time as Spaniards, or same time as retired people in Florida?

Cathy2 wrote:

Erik M wrote:Why don't you try visiting a Thai restaurant at the times of the day when Thai folks are actually inclined to eat?

What time might that be?

Regards,

Try visiting Spoon, Sticky Rice, Thai Avenue, Aroy Thai, Siam's House, Yum Thai, T.A.C., Rosded, Siam Pasta, etc., between 2 and 4pm. Or, try any of these same establishments towards the very end of their operating hours.

That said, no one eats more restaurant Thai food than I do, and I manage to see Thai patrons (at whichever Thai restaurant) at all hours of the day.

E.M.

I've seen thai patrons on nearly all my visits to Spoon, at least. Usually after 9pm, on my trips.

Binko wrote:I've seen Thai diners at Bahn Thai, on 74th and Harlem. This is the Thai place I've raved about a couple of times on this board. There's also a Thai grocery connected to it. I swear by this place and wish more people would visit it so that, hopefully, it becomes part of the Great Neighborhood Restaurants program (I was excited to see that somebody did actually nominate it this last go-'round.) It's the best Thai I've had anywhere in Chicago--not at all toned down for American tastes.

I've passed by this place countless times but I've never gone in. A few times I've been down there it looked almost shut down. Have you been recently? I might take a ride over there tomorrow and check out their hours.

Erzsi wrote:I've passed by this place countless times but I've never gone in. A few times I've been down there it looked almost shut down. Have you been recently? I might take a ride over there tomorrow and check out their hours.

Same with me, Erzsi. I passed by this place countless times before I realized it was open. Apparently, it's been there for something like 19 years. I can't remember their hours, but they're pretty normal restaurant hours. Something like noon to 10 p.m., possibly with a break in the afternoon--I can't remember. I don't think I've ever stopped by and the place wasn't open.

If you do go, I recommend the mussels appetizer (I forget what it's called, and I believe it's not on the normal menu, but a special. Just ask for it, they always have it.) If you like your food really, really spicy, ask for it "Thai hot." It's the only place I've been to in Chicagoland that's given me super spicy food the first time I asked. My favorite meals there are the gai pad gaprao (holy basil chicken) and panang curry. They holy basil chicken is very pungent and spicy--lots of nam pla (fish sauce), thai birds'-eye chiles and ground chicken. It's one of the few places I've been to that does this dish right.

They also have a lot of room-temperature sour & spicy curries and, to be honest, I've never tried them since I am so hooked on the gai pad gaprao.

(Oh, and in reference to another thread, I did finally check out Bende last weekend and was quite impressed--not so much with their Debreceni, which was a bit drier and less fatty than the Hungarian kinds I'm used to, but their Csabai and Teliszalami were great.)

Bahn Thai has some good food and will celebrate twenty years sometime (Summer?) this year. I think the majority of its clientele are Thai from the surrounding area. It is probably much more 'homestyle' than other Thai eateries in the city – but IMO not better than all other Thai restaurants in the city.

Jay K wrote:I've never eaten at a Thai restaurant in town that had Thai patrons while I was dining. Is there a secret gem out there with "authentic" enough food to warrant Thai patrons? Just curious because I wonder if the food I've eaten is the type of restaurant food Thai patrons would order/eat.

Jay K, just wondering what you really seek - quality Thai food or simply Thai-quality food (i.e., food that Thais would eat)? While having an ethnic clientele (predominant or not) may suggest some measure of 'authenticity', I'm not certain it is necessarily an indicator of quality. Of course this varies with different ethnic foods/groups.

You will find excellent Thai food in Chicago - no better place to get pointers than LTHforum (see also www.silapaahaan.com for translated Thai menus which would otherwise be inaccessible to non-Thais).

sazerac wrote:Bahn Thai has some good food and will celebrate twenty years sometime (Summer?) this year. I think the majority of its clientele are Thai from the surrounding area. It is probably much more 'homestyle' than other Thai eateries in the city – but IMO not better than all other Thai restaurants in the city.

I think you hit upon exactly why I like it so much--it is very homestyle. I don't guarantee it'll be to everyone's tastes--the food is generally much more pungent and spicier than in most Thai restaurants I've been to--but I do know there's at least one other poster here who agrees that it's the best Thai in Chicagoland. I definitely prefer it to places like Spoon Thai, Sticky Rice, and AltThai. (Although I have yet to try Elephant Thai, and I have a feeling that would be more towards my liking). The only major minus I have for Bahn Thai is that the service can be a bit ornery at times and the atmosphere is, well, there really isn't much of an atmosphere. In other words, not exactly a place to take your first date.

sazerac wrote:Jay K, just wondering what you really seek - quality Thai food or simply Thai-quality food (i.e., food that Thais would eat)? While having an ethnic clientele (predominant or not) may suggest some measure of 'authenticity', I'm not certain it is necessarily an indicator of quality. Of course this varies with different ethnic foods/groups.

You will find excellent Thai food in Chicago - no better place to get pointers than LTHforum (see also www.silapaahaan.com for translated Thai menus which would otherwise be inaccessible to non-Thais).

I'm looking for food that Thai people would look to order when they go out. Bahn Thai sounds good. I want to try food that one would find closer to the type of food you'd find in restaurants in Thailand.

Ah... this post by Erik M is what I'm talking about:
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.ph ... ight=andys

or better yet this one:
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=35451#35451

Binko wrote:
Same with me, Erzsi. I passed by this place countless times before I realized it was open. Apparently, it's been there for something like 19 years. I can't remember their hours, but they're pretty normal restaurant hours. Something like noon to 10 p.m., possibly with a break in the afternoon--I can't remember. I don't think I've ever stopped by and the place wasn't open.

If you do go, I recommend the mussels appetizer (I forget what it's called, and I believe it's not on the normal menu, but a special. Just ask for it, they always have it.) If you like your food really, really spicy, ask for it "Thai hot." It's the only place I've been to in Chicagoland that's given me super spicy food the first time I asked. My favorite meals there are the gai pad gaprao (holy basil chicken) and panang curry. They holy basil chicken is very pungent and spicy--lots of nam pla (fish sauce), thai birds'-eye chiles and ground chicken. It's one of the few places I've been to that does this dish right.

They also have a lot of room-temperature sour & spicy curries and, to be honest, I've never tried them since I am so hooked on the gai pad gaprao.

Now that it's been mentioned I can't actually remember driving down Harlem Ave and not seeing this place there. Very weird I've never gone in. I'm going to have to make it a point to get there this week and try some of those dishes you suggested.

Binko wrote:(Oh, and in reference to another thread, I did finally check out Bende last weekend and was quite impressed--not so much with their Debreceni, which was a bit drier and less fatty than the Hungarian kinds I'm used to, but their Csabai and Teliszalami were great.)

Their version of Debreceni was a little drier than I was used to as well. I'm curious if it has anything to do with the vacuum sealing. I noticed when I cut into the package there wasn't even the slightest bit of grease on the plastic wrap. The salami's are really good. I have some Csabai right now from my last trip out there. I also picked up a package of the bacon as well.

Mike G wrote:So when do Thais eat? Same time as Spaniards, or same time as retired people in Florida?

That largely depends on which generation(s) you are talking about.

A good % of the Thais who dine out with any frequency in this town are 1) <30 years old, and 2) employed in the restaurant industry.

For a number of reasons--not the least of which is their manner of employment--these folks tend to keep "later" hours.

E.M.

Erik M. wrote:Try visiting Spoon, Sticky Rice, Thai Avenue, Aroy Thai, Siam's House....

I can vouch for Siam's House, which seems to be a favorite of workers from the Thai consulate.

Siam's House
847/967-2390
Rayyan Plaza
7742 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Niles, IL 60714

I have written something that may clarify some of the common questions here. Please go to this link: http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=7016

So last night I took my first trip to Sticky Rice (definitely not the last, particularly because of the coconut and mango rice dessert which was the undisputed highlight for us - two vegetarian diners). I'd never had sticky rice before, and there was some mention of Thai patrons using it to pick up their food, so what I'm wondering is, how does that work? It's so sticky! Maybe I'm sounding terribly naive here, but is there some resource anyone could point me to that would give some information about this kind of Thai cuisine?

http://www.foodiesite.com/books/thiafood.jsp

Thanks! I'll be sure to check that out.