Quick Bite: Pad See Ew at Thara Thai
A quick word about this Thai restaurant on Bloomington Road (a bit west of Prospect Avenue).That word is: Tops!
I tried their version of pad see ew there the other day. The slices of beef were very tender and flavorful, the broccoli crispy, the noodles pleasantly chewy, and the sauce sweet.
Pad see ew is one of my favorite Thai dishes. And yet on almost all trips to Thara in the past, I haven't been able to stop myself from ordering tom kha gai. I'm addicted to that spicy coconut broth—so warming in winter. I've promised myself that next time I go, I'll try shrimp tom yum, a hot-and-sour soup with lemongrass that sounds like it'll also warm you up "but good."
Oh, and—at the risk of being branded a wimp, I've found that when the server asks if I want a dish "mild, medium, or hot," I need to order it mild. I always used to say "medium" and would then be unable to converse with my dining companions while eating for reasons I won't go into in detail. They like it hot at Thara!
So—Thara Thai. Think of it as an Asian version of the American diner: You don't go for atmosphere (or location, in this case)—you go for the reliably good food and the friendliness of the staff.
Thara Thai Pan-Asian Restaurant
912 1/2 Bloomington Rd.
Champaign, IL
217-378-1986
Monday through Saturday: 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Sunday: Noon to 9:00 p.m.
(Note that personal checks aren't accepted; check cards and credit cards are fine.)
Labels: restaurants
posted by Lisa at 9:03 AM
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26 Comments:
This has been one of my favorite places to eat for quite a while. The people who work there are just so nice, and the food is yummy. It reminds me a bit of one of my favorite Thai places up in Chicago.
Also, they give you chocolate fortune cookies at the end of your meal. Can't beat that.
Best Thai food in town, hands down.
Oy, Nanette, I forgot to mention the chocolate fortune cookies. So they don't taste much like chocolate—it's the thought that counts!
I love Thara-everything there is delicious!
What do you think of Siam Terrace?
Melissa, funny you should ask. I almost said something about Siam in this post. I think the crab rangoon at Siam is the best I've ever had. They're shaped like flowers, are artfully presented, and are crispy and light. Plus, I love their panang curry. However, I was disappointed in both the pad thai and the tom kha soup I had there. Both were just kind of bland and uninteresting. So -- a mixed bag. I certainly haven't tried everything on the menu at Siam, so there may be other really good dishes. The atmosphere is great. But in my (admittedly limited) experience, Thara Thai is the better choice for Thai food.
I would also like to try the Basil Thai Cafe on campus at their new location just off of Oregon Street. I remember going to the one on Green Street years ago; seems to me the food was good but I wished they hadn't served it on styrofoam plates with plastic forks.
Ditto, ditto, ditto on Thara Thai! When it first opened, I was on a campaign to tell everyone I knew about that place because I was afraid it would close.
I too don't like the Pad Thai at Siam Terrace (love it at TT). But I have found other food there to be worth a trip (and I happen to know the owners personally, they're good people).
oh, I keep meaning to try that place---thanks for the reminder. Pad see ew is my favorite too so it looks very tempting!
"Pad See Ew" is also one of my favorite Thai dishes. I would love to eat at Thara Thai too. Unfortunately, I can't reach there by any MTD bus. The last time I went there was about 2-3 years ago.
According to my friends, you may try the best "Pad Thai" at golden wok restaurant (on University street). The restaurant serves Thai, Chinese, ... foods.
Also, Basil Thai at Urbana you mentioned serves its foods on real dishes with metal spoon and fork.
PS. Sorry for flooding this blog.
Lek, no problem—I like comments! Thanks much for the tip about Golden Wok; I've been meaning to try that place for years now. Maybe this weekend! I'd love to do a report on them.
I've been to Basil Thai a couple of times recently. I thought the pad kee mao was great, but the tom kha gai left a lot to be desired. Just like most every restaurant, they have some excellent and some not-so-good dishes.
I'm sorry about the bus situation for Thara. It's really a shame, because that's probably the best Thai food in town...
Thara thai is hands down the best place. I eat there almost daily.
Anon: Thanks for your comment. Lucky you! :)
Basil Thai in Urbana is decent - but I always cringe at their chipped plates and having to beg for a lemon or lime slice for my Pad Thai. Prefer Thara Thai.
Anon: I have had the chipped-plate experience at Basil Thai. The pad kee mao there is my favorite; for other things, I definitely prefer Thara as well.
thought I was the only one that was bothered by the chipped plates lol neways Thara Thai is my fav place for Thai food I love the family that owns the place too even tho they can get pretty busy on the weekends to me its still worth it.
Anon: Yes, the woman who runs the place (and cooks) is very nice, as are all of the servers I've had. It's a wonderful little restaurant.
if u like pad thai, turkey + shrimp pad thai inside University YMCA for lunch is the best. don't skip the special spicy sauce. small portion though. they also have tofu pad thai.
Anon, thanks for the tip. I haven't been to the Y for pad thai in eons; must go back soon.
I rather like the seafood pad ped, and no holds barred Thai hot. (I think once they remembered me and the cook spiced it up still another notch - delicious!) But we haven't been there in a while.
Kent, thanks, I'll have to try that seafood pad ped sometime. And—you're hard core on the spiciness! I always secretly wonder, when I hear people ordering their stuff "hot" at Thara, if they have any idea just how hot their food is going to be. Then I wait and see if I hear choking after their meal arrives. ;)
You're welcome!
I'm not "immune" to heat by any means. For me, the spiciness is what I imagine "hitting the wall" is like for long distance runners. After a point the endorphins kick in (along with my scalp perspiring and my nose, well, you know) and the pepperyness intensifies the other flavors.
Years ago, in Bon Appetite magazine, two of their regular columnists, Jinx and Jefferson Morgan wrote of a visit to Thailand, and the waiter cautioned them about ordering full spiciness. Jefferson disregarded this, but after sampling his order muttered something about the chef being an "oriental assassin". Every time I order "Thai hot" I wonder if I'm really getting what he got.
My name is Viston, I'm cousins with Chris and Raz and the owner Parn is my aunt. I've been working at Thara Thai for 2 weeks and it's really cool to see all the feedback. For the 2 weeks I've been working there I've seen Lunch through dinner everyday, all the die hard Thara Thai eaters come. Even if we mess up we make a totally new order for you and let you keep the mess up for free. Sometimes our die hard loyalist get free things off the menus just cause we love them, but don't brown nose just cause I said that lol. We do get busy on the weekends and definetly at lunch and that is why I'm there helping my aunt and the other workers. I definetly try to be as polite as possible and as genuine so hopefully I get to see some of you there at Thara Thai.
Viston, thanks for the comment and the "insider info." :)
If you like the Pad See Ew, try the See Ew Pad Thai with Chinese Broccoli. SOOOO GOOOD. My girlfriend and I go there practically every week. That See Ew Pad Thai is so good that I find it incredibly difficult to break away from it, even though we go there all the time!
Reluctant: Huh. I've never seen "see ew pad Thai" on the menu, only pad Thai or pad see ew. How interesting. Thanks for the recommendation.
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