Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City
If I didn’t love Thai food enough already, my experience producing a series of virtual programs for Turnstile Tours and Thai Select USA sealed the deal.
On the programs, we included restaurants that were Thai Select picks and had submitted themselves. So in the last few weeks, I’ve been doing the tough research of eating at the ones who operate within New York City (see here, here, and here).
But outside of that, I’ve found myself drawn more and more to exploring Thai cuisine. Which was basically the goal of the series itself.
Thai Diner had been on my radar since they opened shortly before the pandemic and my family and I spent a wonderful dinner there recently dining in their lively and safe outdoor seating area.
The food here comes from the team behind the hugely popular (but recently shuttered) Uncle Boons nearby. The concept is diner-style food with an authentic Thai menu. It works really well. Everything we had was so good that you’ll be seeing me write about this experience again in the coming week or so.
The first thing that blew my mind was a traditional Thai salad which I’ve had all over the city, but never moved me quite as much as the one at Thai Diner.
Som Tum, as most people know, is green papaya salad. Often the papaya is way too under-ripe and the salad has just a hint of sourness with not much else going on. That’s not how it’s supposed to be.
It’s supposed to be bright, funky, spicy, balanced, and crisp. This version was all that and more.
The green papaya was at the right level of ripeness (not too hard, not too soft) and had quite a bit of flavor on its own. It was highlighted with plenty of funky fish sauce, potent Thai bird chilies, crisp green beans and carrots, and a lovely crunch from peanuts and dried shrimp. The dressing was as balanced as it gets – salty, sour, sweet, and spicy.
As I mentioned, I love Thai food, but this is a dish I’ve never been totally crazy about. Leave it to authentic and focused spots like Thai Diner to change my mind and show me once again why this cuisine is one of the best. Price: $12
| THAI DINER |
| 186 Mott Street (at Kenmare Street), (646) 559-4140 Nolita |
| thaidiner.com |
