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Your yardstick for Thai food

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Photo of V e s t i g e ..

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03/13/2006 V e s t i g e .. says:

What dishes do you typically order to determine if a Thai restaurant is worth the basil?

For me, it's usually Silver Noodle Soup with Pork, Green Curry Chicken, Eggplant  cooked with Basil and Pork, Chicken Fried Rice, Pad Thai, Mango and Sticky Rice.
Photo of Tania S.

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03/13/2006 Tania S. says:

Tom yum soup is one of my favorite dishes.  Just found a really good Thai place in the East Bay called Tammada Thai Cuisine (near Union City Bart) so if anyone is out this way, check it out.
Photo of Tania S.

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03/13/2006 Tania S. says:

Tom yum soup is one of my favorite dishes.  Just found a really good Thai place in the East Bay called Tammada Thai Cuisine (near Union City Bart) so if anyone is out this way, check it out.
Photo of grace m.

Elite '08

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03/13/2006 grace "( | )" m. says:

Geng Khiaw Wan Gai (green curry with chicken)... MUST NOT have that unwashed-bamboo-smell-like-pis s essence.  Panang curry... must not be watery, thick but not too thick, and have yummy eggplant.
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03/14/2006 Justin G. says:

I don't think I really have specific dishes I order at Thai restaurants to form an opinion about their food. I try to look at each restaurant individually. I think it's fairly natural for one restaurant to pull off a great Pad Ga Pao while another restaurant might have a better Pad Thai. So far, Jitlada is still my favorite Thai place in the city, but it's a bit out of the way for me so I don't get to dine there as much as I'd like.
Photo of Aimee M.

Elite '08

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03/14/2006 Aimee "kitty kat" M. says:

Pad See Ew, if it's not on the menu.. i still order it.. if they make it.. and it's good, i'm sold for life.. addiction to pad see ew??  yes.. i do..
Photo of Jeannette S.

Elite '08

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03/14/2006 Jeannette S. says:

Tom ka gai is my favorite soup!  I also try the angel wings appetizers (stuffed chicken wings).  For entrees, the red curry and green curry (not sure of the thai names) and chicken basil.  Oh,  and they have to have jasmine rice served in those fancy silver rice dishes.  :)

Also, not many places serve authentic thai HOT tea.  Most places will serve thai iced tea, but if they don't have the hot version, then they're probably using some kind of powder to make it.
Photo of MiRIAM w.

Elite '08

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03/14/2006 MiRIAM "Please don't pull-the-plug Pandora!" w. says:

Tom Ka Gai or  Tom Yum Koong or a vegetarian version of either (if I'm dining with a veggie) is a must-order for me at any Thai restaurant. If the meal starts out with great soup, I know it'll usually get better.

Though many don't have it, I like to order corn cakes if I see them on the menu.  

Basil mushrooms, yellow curry, param pak and pad thai are also staple orders.
Photo of Russell W.

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03/23/2006 Russell W. says:

If they can do the most prosaic of dishes - the standards of coconut curry chicken soup and pad thai - well, the rest will probably be very good.
Photo of Dora A.

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03/23/2006 Dora A. says:

Definitely the tom ka gai soup; yellow curry...if they can accomodate an all-white meat request, like Osha (though I wouldn't call Osha the best), even better! Jitlada is a good one, too.
Photo of MiKA I.

Elite '08

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03/23/2006 MiKA "go hungry and expect the best" I. says:

ahh anything with roast duck in it and their papaya salad! hook it up!
Photo of LeRoid D.

Elite '08

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03/23/2006 LeRoid "Is that you on the Yelp sign-up page?" D. says:

Minty Chicken, Papaya Salad, Larb, Pad Thai, Fried Banana with Coconut Ice Cream are my essentials. Little Bangkok on 10th/ Irving St. in SF is my favorite.
Photo of Justin O.

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03/23/2006 Justin O. says:

Pork w/ Eggplant, or if I'm feeling like I could eat something less healthy, Duck w/ Eggplant.
Photo of Krista F.

Elite '08

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03/27/2006 Krista F. says:

It would most definitely be som tom (papaya salad) and sticky rice dessert.  Now you have me hungry!!
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03/29/2006 Bruno T. says:

Mussman beef.  so easy to make it mediocre
Photo of Sarps G.

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02/05/2007 Sarps G. says:

Tom Yum Soup is generally a great way to judge for me...the types of fresh spices used are generally indicative of how fresh the rest of the ingredients will be
Photo of Arissa C.

Elite '08

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02/05/2007 Arissa "Poetic Rebirth" C. says:

The Pad Thai - noodle consistency and the balance between tangy and sweet
Tom Yum koong- Must have fresh galanga root, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass and chilis all fresh...right tamarind consistency
ANY of their curry dishes...
What is their special house dish- and if its any good ;-)
Photo of Mike W.

Elite '08

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02/05/2007 Mike "UranusDeMilo" W. says:

I learned a neat little phrase on Yelp that comes in handy when ordering Thai food.

"Pet Makk".  I guess it means "very spicy" in Thai.

My yardstick is how well the cook delivers when I order something "Pet Makk"
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02/05/2007 Gur " Krayzeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ee" E. says:

Papaya Salad. No Papaya Salad, most likelee will make me walk out of there.
Photo of Dan H.

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02/06/2007 Dan H. says:

Do they call it Thai basil (kra pow) but it's really sweet basil (which I cannot spell) ?

Masamun beef is a great check, though I lean toward the yellow curry (gaeng galee, which I doubt is spelled correctly) usually with beef but sometimes chicken.  Personally I like a nice yellow color and a little on the rich side, not too watery.

Is the pad Thai sauce overly sweet?

Do Thai people eat there?

There's also a certain charm in the street-style food... visit the Thai places in the Hollywood area for a serious sampling of grease, but also of some harder-to-find dishes like kanome pacard (spell?  it's a radish dish) among others.  When the menu has 100+ items on it, you're probably in for some good times.

I think the first thing to note, though, is the native factor.  Not that there is anything wrong with being not-Thai, but you can tell when it's native and when it isn't.

ps Mike W: try  Pet Kon Thai, "Thai People Spicy" and especially "Pom Chob Pet Kon Thai, Krahb"
Photo of Omid T.

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02/06/2007 Omid "s t u f f e r   o f   r e p u b l i c u n t s" T. says:

If they serve your Pad Thai with a bowl of sugar, it's probably gonna be good.
Photo of Aaron A.

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02/06/2007 Aaron A. says:

My yardstick is how well the cook delivers when I order something "Pet Makk"
***
A man after my own heart. The only review I've written is almost a perfect cross between the above sentence and the title of the thread. crazy.
Photo of Dan T.

Elite '08

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02/06/2007 Dan "my real name is DFENS!" T. says:

I agree on the Pad Thai w/  beef.

Omid - anything w/ sugar is going to be good!!!! I love my Frosted Flakes!
Photo of Vik S.

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02/11/2007 Vik S. says:

"You know, that stuff you get as a appetizer at Thai food restaurants. "meecrob" is way grosser than "shit," dude. I'd scarf down a whole wet bucket full of shit before I ate another plate of meecrob." - Cartman
Photo of Raymond G.

Elite '08

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02/12/2007 Raymond "cafebum" G. says:

pad see ew and panang curry  for me. tom kah gai as well.
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02/12/2007 Dilip "Traveler" M. says:

Pad thai and the ice tea...they make up my mind...
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02/12/2007 Dilip "Traveler" M. says:

oh yes, and the panang curry....
Photo of Sammy S.

Elite '08

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02/12/2007 Sammy "Off My Sassy, B*tch" S. says:

Tom Ka Gai
Photo of Sofi P.

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02/14/2007 Sofi P. says:

Pad Thai definitely!
Photo of Jocelyn B.

Elite '08

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03/21/2007 Jocelyn "Misanthrope" B. says:

Pad Thai. Period. Hands down. Or if they offer Angel Wings (glass noodle stuffed chicken). Then hands down. But Pad Thai always.
Photo of Simon O.

Elite '08

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03/21/2007 Simon O. says:

Papaya salad, tom yum, panang curry and either ginder tofu or ginger basil.  YUM

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