She said:
Thank you Seattle Magazine. This week they had a pull out section on "best places to eat," and they had all kinds of weird categories - like "where to go to close a deal." One of the categories was "where to go when you're both broke." Of course I cut out the article and put it (and others) on the fridge. We referenced the "where to go when you're broke" list and Thai Tom was on it.
My first impression was that the restaurant was very small (maybe held 16-18 people at one time) and well-run. As soon as I opened the door, I was met by an employee asking for my name and number in my party. Obviously they don't like people walking into the restaurant when they're full because there is no where to comfortably stand. On a not-so-nice day out, it would stink to have to wait outside (the only option at this place), but the weather was holding out so it was fine for us. We only had to wait about 10 minutes (maybe less) and then we got a table.
I kind of wanted to sit at the "bar" so I could watch the cooks at work - they were literally setting fires that shot up 3-4 feet into the air about 2 feet from the customers - but I took the table graciously. (This is not the kind of establishment where you should attempt to be any sort of pain in the ass. I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't have said anything if I had found a rat in my food - that is how intense the owners/employees were) The menus are on boards of wood - painted on there - so cool! Nothing on the menu was more than $6.50. We got veggie springrolls (a bit too greasy, and they had a weird sauce) and two orders of pad thai for $20. Amazing.
The pad thai was really good. I would have been satisfied if I had paid $10 for it, but, since I only paid $6.50, I was more than satisfied. Of course they only take cash. I refer you back to the "intense" comment from above. (When we return to Paseo and blog about it on this website, it will remind you of this review) This is a great example of an authentic place to eat. I will take tourists here. The food is amazing and the prices match. A.
He said: Lets get the poor remarks out of the way to begin with: tiny, dark, a little smoky from the "kitchen". This place was awesome. Its small for sure, but the food was fantastic. I didn't really venture out of my comfort zone with Chicken Phad Thai, but I haven't really had good Phad Thai in Seattle until this restaurant. The kitchen and dining area can't be more than 12 feet wide and 25 feet deep, so we were breathing in a lot of the fumes from the prep area (the prep counter seemed like it could double as a kitchen counter.) The tables and chairs looked like they were borrowed from the pub scene in the first "Lord of the Rings" movie. The food was spicy - I got 1/5 stars and that was just enough for me. And cheap. 6.50 for the generous helping was the best deal I've seen on The Ave (University Way NE in the U-District for you out of towners). Its not a good place if you're more than two people due to the size, but we're definitely going to make a return trip here. Better ventilation is the only thing keeping this place from getting an A+. A.
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