Yum Thai
The measure of a good Thai restaurant is not necessarily from their Pad Thai… but for some reason it’s the first thing I order when trying a place out. And, when I say “That Thai restaurant is great” it’s usually because I liked their Pad Thai. It’s sort of silly, but it’s something people do all the time. You recommend a place, based on what you like (and always order)- not necessarily taking into account what the person you’re telling, likes to order.
For some it’s the curries, or spring rolls, for me, it’s usually the Pad Thai. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good green curry or Pad Si Ew, just as much as the next guy. But Pad Thai is what I start with. The go to guy. If you can’t do Pad Thai… I’m probably not going back.
When I started this blog, I got a lot of comments urging me to go to Yum Thai, and I have to say I was not disappointed. A small, hole in the wall place- it’s the kind of place you walk by 100 times, not sure if you want to try it out. It looks sort of dirty from the outside, and they’ve got pictures of food in the window (never a good sign). All you need is that one recommendation to get you to try it out. Well, consider this your recommendation.
You order at a counter, and then can sit down at one of their 10 or so tables or you can take it to go. They cook the food right behind the counter, just a few feet from the tables, so it can get kind of hot in there- especially during the summer. So, taking the food to go might be the way to do it.
The +/- and a picture of my Pad Thai, after the jump… Read more »
Posted by Zach at 10:00 am, July 19th, 2006 under 44th btw. 6+B'way, Thai.
It’s funny. This will be my fourth post about Chipotle since Friday… and I’m embarassed. Not just for my blog- but for Midtown too. Why is everyone in my office so excited for Chipotle? And why did I get so caught up in it? I don’t even like Chipotle! It just goes to show how starved we are in Midtown for good food. So sick of the same things day after day, a mediocre overpriced McBurrito is like some sort of Holy Grail of dining. Here’s what I said about Chipotle a month ago, when I heard it was opening in my building:
Just to add to the confusion, Chipotle invited various V.I.P.’s and people who work in the area to eat for free today (Friday)… For people not lucky enough to be on the invite list- you get a card good for free dinner at the pre-opening event Monday night between 5 and 8pm.
Every once in awhile a dilemna arises in life, that not only shakes you to your core, but defines you as a human being. Who you are. What you believe in. Yesterday, I received some information. Valuable information. Information that you all clearly want. And it is that knowledge, that information, that has led me to the crossroads that I am at now. 
Discovered a fancy chocolate loophole the other day while eating underneath Rockefeller Center. After having a couple of slices at Two Boots (the +/- of which we can argue on a later date) my wife decided she wanted a little something sweet… little being the key word. All weight issues aside, there are tons of choices to satisfy a sweet tooth. Ben and Jerry’s 50 yards away, a chocolate dipped cone from Mr. Softee on various corners of Midtown. But since small was what she was looking for, I suggested going upstairs to La Maison du Chocolat– an upscale chocolate boutique on the first floor of Rockefeller Center.
So with that in mind, we went into La Maison du Chocolat, and she picked out a small round thing with hazlenuts in it. When we went to pay (cost… $1.41), the cashier offered BOTH OF US free samples from a little platter he had behind the counter… and I didn’t even have to buy anything.
48th St. between 5th and 6th was a madhouse today at lunchtime as shocked (and not so shocked), but mostly confused lunch’ers attempted to eat at 
There are very few things I enjoy eating more then pork. Any kind of pork really, but my favorite is definetely the roasted kind where the skin gets super crispy. It usually comes from the shoulder, and you can get it at Cuban restaurants, or Christmas parties in Miami (my hometown). But I have had delicious roast pork in other places too (if you’re ever in Bali I can recommend a great place for roast suckling pig).
On Friday, with Margon closed (great Cuban food on 46th between 6th & 7th) I headed to Cafe Cello- a similar type of place recommended to me by numerous people… The sign out front was not exactly reassuring. It had clearly been dumbed down to attract a less then adventurous New York food crowd, who would be more likely to go into a place if it sees the words “cafe”, “deli” and “American”.
But, once inside, my fears disappeared. The food looked really fresh and delicious (in contrast to Margon, which for all it’s positives, can sometimes not look so great depending on the day.) All the food is in trays under glass, so ordering is as easy as looking, deciding and pointing. The day I was there, it wasn’t too crowded- but I’ve heard you want to get there early, because once they run out of something, they don’t make more. And by something, I mean the maduros (fried ripe plantains) which apparently are the first things to go!
Anyway, once I laid eyes on the roast pork (with the crispiest most perfect skin), ordering was pretty easy. Along with a nice size portion of pork (pulled with tongs off what appeared to be a shoulder), they give you your choice of white rice w/ black bean soup, or yellow rice with pinto beans already mixed in, and maduros (there was still some left at 1pm)- all for $7. PLUS, they threw in a piece of the skin on top. Delicious!!! And the skin was perfect. If you love roast pork, then Cafe Cello is your new favorite place.