Gastronomic Catharsis
Certain cities have certain exceptional features to which one becomes accustomed after living in one place for long enough. When one moves to a new city--even a superior city--the new can initially be unfairly discounted by the lack of one's old haunts. So it was with me, when I moved from Portland to Chicago. Portland excels in at least two areas that mattered a lot to me: coffee shops and Thai restaurants. While coffee shops in Chicago are now a solved problem, good Thai food has consistently eluded my grasp, causing me to burn through an embarrassing amount of cash in exchange for gooey pad thai and bland curries. Silver Spoon Thai in Chicago may be the answer, however. It is not the best Thai food, but it is good and vastly superior to all other known local competition.
Before even tasting a drop of Tom Yum soup, Silver Spoon stood out a priori: it is located next door to the Thai Consulate General of Chicago. The reasoning of our group was that no restauranteur in his right mind would be daring enough to open a bad Thai restaurant next to the Thai consulate. Other features that sent a good initial signal were its location in a basement and its cheapness, two hallmarks of great Thai street food in this country.
And we were right. The Tom Yum soup was enjoyable. We had something called a banana blossom salad (the subject of an ABC special earlier that week), which was exceptional. It was unclear where the banana blossoms were, but the combination of a little grilled chicken, vegetables, and a light peanut sauce worked beautifully. The Pad Thai--the litmus test of Thai street food--measured up to my astronomical expectations. Its balance of flavor was skewed in favor of Tamarind, which I enjoyed, but it was probably not spicy enough (this place has probably been discovered by too many dull-palated Chicagoans). A red curry was well-flavored, though I was disappointed by the lack of enough vegetables. Bamboo shoots were the primary vegetable--except, they are not even really a vegetable, so I felt a little unfulfilled. Other good dishes we tried included Spicy Basil Beef (again, not spicy enough), and one other thing that I have since forgotten.
The point is, there is good Thai to be had in this city, and one should not lower one's standards simply to maintain a healthy level of Thai intake. Just go to Silver Spoon all of the time. You will not be disappointed.
Grade: B+
Good: Banana blossom salad; noodle dishes have well-balanced flavors; cheap
Bad: Anemic curries; nothing is spicy enough
Location: 710 N Rush St, Chicago, IL
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Come to Fairbanks sometime. Thai food is the one food done well, and there are many places serving it. (Molly)