Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City
I’m not a fan of sequels in general, but I certainly wouldn’t dream of watching a follow-up to a film before viewing the original. Could you imagine how confused one would be by Electric Boogaloo without the context from the original film Breakin‘?
So it should probably work the same way with restaurants. Yet here I was having dinner at Chao Thai Too without ever eating at the original, which is just a few blocks away.
We skipped the original (for now) because I had been hearing a lot about the newer and fancier location. Time Out even included a list item from part two. Plus there were no more seats left at Chao Thai the first.
The Thai menu was large – no doubt bigger and badder than the original. We had some wonderful spicy Pad Kee Mao noodles and Time Out’s list item, which was crunchy bits of catfish fried up, spiced with peppers and sweetened with curry paste.
The menu featured two Thai sausages under the appetizer department and we turned to the waitress to direct us as to which one to order. We ended up with the hefty E-san, which were meaty hunks of pork, spices, and herbs.The sausages are slightly fermented, but the most prominent of the “sour” flavor was the ginger. There were even large slivers of ginger and garlic hiding inside the crisp casing. Showered with fresh cilantro and accompanied by fresh raw vegetables (even more slices of raw ginger), each bite was literally an explosion of flavor and textures.
Like most good sequels, Chao Thai Too might not be completely original, but it packs a powerful punch and makes you excited for the prospect of a part three. And it’s totally in 3-D (and Smell-o-vision!)!!
| CHAO THAI TOO |
| 83-47 Dongan Avenue (between Broadway and Poyer Street), Elmhurst, Queens (718) 424-9888 |
