Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Restaurants East Side Eats: At Pad Thai Kitchen, Stick to the Curries
Posted by Lee Stabert on Tue, Feb 3, 2009 at 6:12 AM
It's hard to describe how excited I was when I heard East Nashville had finally been gifted with a Thai eatery. Though it would be near impossible to displace Siam Café from its place of honor in my heart, sometimes you just don't want to drive all the way out there.
We've now gotten takeout from Pad Thai Kitchen (across from LP Field) about four times. Ironically, the pad Thai was the weakest thing we tried, but the curries are excellent. Twice we've ordered the green curry with chicken. It has just the right tang and is loaded with the traditional garnish of green beans and eggplant.
Just a couple weeks ago, I returned from a month in Thailand--where I had a consistently transcendent culinary experience--and was craving some curry. We ordered the Masaman, a curry with coconut milk, potatoes and peanuts, and it was wonderful.
So, despite the name, the curries shine at Pad Thai Kitchen.
Comments (10)
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What did you have in Thailand that was transcendent? I have a hard time believing anyplace here could measure up, but do tell.
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All the food was stellar. Some hightlights: things as simple as pad thai are done to order and packed with crunchy bean sprouts, a chopped chicken, chili and basil dish called pad ka prow, grilled whole fish with curry, fried chicken (believe it), and, my all-time favorite, som tom, a salad of raw papaya, lime, chili and peanuts.
They do a halfway decent som tom at Siam Cafe (on Nolensville) and they do some really good curries there—including one with cashews and ginger that we love. That is definitely my go-to for Thai in Nashville.
I love som tom, which I always get at Thai Taste off Nolensville on Haywood. The combination of spicy heat and cool is addictive. Theirs comes with dried shrimp, I believe.
Can't hide being a spineless jerk who posts obnoxious, irrelevant comments under a pseudonym. By the way, said jerk has spent enough money customizing his car in the last couple of years to easily finance a trip to Thailand.
Pad Thai Kitchen is a great addition to the zip code but you MUST try Thai Star on East Thompson Lane.The egg rolls there are hand made just as everything on the menu.It rivals Salathai and surpasses the other Thai establishments.Eat there a few times and the mother/daughter team will remember all of your preferences.While working on that side of town I would visit 1-2 times per week.Once I went in with a cold and they insisted upon making a special soup for me which cured my ills.Try the "street noodles",the sukiyaki soup,and the...just try it all!You'll be back for more.
