Splurge: Noodle Dishes from Sripraphai

This post is about a week overdue and deserves a concerted effort, but unfortunately its compilation will be as hasty and haphazard as my spontaneous trip to the restaurant in question. The comforting dishes at Sripraphai were a welcome respite from the cumbersome chore of helping friends move in last week's sub-arctic winds. Luckily, we were in the possession of a vehicle (one black 2003 Toyota Camry, to be exact), which enabled such borough exploration.

When we got to the restaurant at 9:30, which was packed well-past peak dinner hours, the waitresses informed us that the kitchen was closing and we had all of 1 minute to order. This fact was both a disappointment and a blessing in disguise. While it meant that I'd have to speed through the extensive menu of the supposed best Thai restaurant in all of New York City, it also implied that a second, proper trip to the restaurant at a later date was inherently necessary. I had read about sweet sausage dishes and well-cooked pork and mango salads from the Frank Brunis and Adam Platts, but with one look at that sweet-faced, tired waitress I could dither no longer. Her innocent yet glazed-over eyes lured the expected "pad see ew!" from my lips.


Of the three dishes we ordered (pad see ew, drunken noodle, and pad thai), I liked mine the least. The ingredients were the freshest I've ever tasted at a Thai restaurant (the beef, which tends to be a bit tough at other eateries, was plump and soft), but the sauce was just too sweet. The dish, with its wide, chewy noodles, tasted just like kugel. No complaints about the pad thai, but I'd go for the drunken noodle. I feared it'd be too spicy, but it reminded me of an Italian sausage, peppers, and onions sandwich in Asian noodle form. I'm not sure why these dishes conjured up such an inharmonious array of ethnic delicacies, but I digress.

I can't wait to go back (sometime before the kitchen is closing) to sample some of those recommended unique dishes!