What's the deal with the Thai? Not that I'm complaining...

While I've never been to Thailand, I've certainly had my share of Thai. I've lived in the Fremont neighborhood for nearly 2 years, allowing for frequent visits after having been already well-acquainted with the numerous Thai restaurants at my disposal. Four years ago, there were six Thai restaurants in a small stretch, but now we're down to five. I've rotated through each of those five in phases.

At first, Jai Thai drew me in with a neighborhood-related discount at lunchtime. The food was adequate. They've recently discontinued that discount, but I abandoned frequent visits long ago due to having the poorest service in town. I was tired of hunting down the wait staff in the kitchen to get my bill paid during lunchtime, dinnertime, or during late-night happy hour. For the second time last Fall, between the terrible service and finding a fly in my soup (no kidding), I stated I hoped never to darken their doorstep again...even though that Country-Style Pad Thai isn't half-bad. Neither is the late-night Fisherman's soup, nor the N4 (Guay Tiew Num) Lunch Special with that abundance of Thai basil and cilantro. I miss those dishes, but there are better alternatives.

Before I gave up on Jai Thai, Kwanjai Thai became a weekly pre-soccer habit. The pad thai in the lunch specials provided that extra boost to make it through an entire 90-minute game without needing a break -- necessary for a co-ed team that was chronically short on women. I prefer their panang curry to all others in the neighborhood, although the Garlic Shrimp (on the specials' board for three years) is a winner. The service was a welcome change from Jai Thai. I loved that the sweet ladies in the kitchen remembered me and I could always expect an enthusiastic greeting when I picked up my take-away.

Kwanjai's an extra five minute walk away and is still good when I have time. A combination of a lack of time at lunchbreaks and preference of dining companions resettled my sights on Tawon Thai. The service at Tawon is routinely excellent and the food has improved drastically since it first opened several years ago (I stayed away for months after a gross and greasy first visit). I've tried a number of their dishes; I can't think of a dish that disappointed me. They're also quite accommodating for larger groups -- they handled sprizee's birthday dinner two years ago. In fact, that was my second chance dinner and it turned my opinion around.

The other two restaurants, Kaosamai and Chillies Paste, are a little bit further out from the core -- demonstrating location, location, location importance. Why go further, even only 2 blocks, when my needs were already surpassed? Kwanjai's the farthest I went for a while, since that or Tawon called me back every time. I gave Kaosamai a shot a year ago, while on an uncomfortable second date. I didn't have any objections and I hear they deliver as far as Phinney. But, I've only tried them once. I do remember the kind waitress, but not much else.

The other untried was Chillies Paste, a place I'd put on my "need to try" shortlist list a year ago. The main motivator behind this Fremont Thai overview: I discovered the CP Orange Beef on Superbowl Sunday, right before kickoff. We were joining friends at the George and Dragon for the big game. The place was packed and the logistics needed to order and eat food would have been difficult at best. So, my Official Dining Companion and I headed across the street to the final untested Thai restaurant during the last few minutes of the pre-game commentary.


This turned into one of the most pleasant dining experiences of recent memory. I ordered the my comfort food pad thai. He ordered the special, the Orange Beef -- something I'd usually never pick first since I am not in the red meat habit. The pad thai was noticeably unremarkable, but the flavors in the Orange Beef more than made up for this. The cilantro and citrus were so vibrant and fresh, the beef perfectly cooked, and the sweet-and-sour-sauce tones of the dish have almost made up for my ongoing longing for a well-known Chinese dish with a similar profile (in an area of town where I can't find decent Chinese food). We've since returned to this little house on 36th and the Orange Beef, still listed on the chalkboard, was just as fabulous the second time around.