Go Spicy at the New Thai Food Cart At Your Own Risk
Last Tuesday, we reported news of a new Thai cart on 52nd and 6th Ave and despite its makeshift appearance, your guys’ comments seemed to suggest that this cart is totally worth checking out. I’ve had the opportunity now to stop by a couple times and I can confirm that the cart is, in fact, a great deal.
The menu (written entirely by hand) isn’t super extensive, but the choices available are some of the most popular Thai dishes. An order of five vegetable or vegetable/chicken dumplings will run you $4. Pad Thai, Pad See Ew, Pad Kee Mao, and red and green curries are all $7 if you get them with chicken, or $8 if ordered with shrimp (those are the only protein options). There is also basil chicken and chicken with peanut sauce for $6 each.
My first visit, I ordered the basil chicken. I was given the option of white rice or egg-fried rice (I opted for the fried rice) and I was asked if I wanted it spicy, to which I foolishly replied, “Sure.”
Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this meal quite a bit, but wow it was spicy! I have a reasonable tolerance to these sorts of things, but I was constantly reaching for water as I ate this. I actually couldn’t finish the whole thing because my mouth was burning up. Only order this one “spicy” if you like things really, REALLY hot.
Otherwise, everything was pretty solid. The chicken and peppers were juicy, and the rice had large chunks of egg in it, which was awesome. The rice was also soft and clumpy, but not in a bad way. The portion size is enough to fill the average dude, but really hungry people may want to check out the Pad See Ew, which I ordered my next visit.
Yes, this is absolutely huge! I’m usually not one to leave food untouched, but I had no problem splitting this into two separate meals. Not only is the container giant, but it’s densely packed. You’re definitely getting your money’s worth here.
Unlike the basil chicken, which took no time at all, the Pad See Ew was made to order. I had to wait around 5-8 minutes as my noodles were heated, spiced, and prepared in front of me. In the end, everything was hot, fresh and delicious. Again, there were large chunks of egg mixed in – awesome! The noodles and broccoli were soft and packed a good amount of flavor.
The shrimp was great quality. There were about 6 or 7 good-sized pieces, each tasting meaty and satisfying. It’s definitely worth the $1 extra if you’re not in the mood for chicken.
The chicken/vegetable dumplings are fine, but nothing to get too excited about. I might not have had a fresh batch, but the dough seemed somewhat dried out. The inside was a plain-tasting blend of chicken and vegetable flavor; I couldn’t really make out anything specific.
I was the only one ordering both times I visited the cart (around 1:30pm), but based on Tuesday’s comments, it seems as though business may be starting to pick up. Unless the one guy manning the cart brings in some extra help, I imagine lines will move pretty slowly. If you’ve got a huge appetite and some time to spare, this is definitely a worthwhile destination for your Thai fix. Just think twice before ordering anything “spicy.”
The + (What somebody who likes this place would say)
- HUGE portions
- Noodles are fresh and made to order
- Food is well-seasoned and flavorful
The – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)
- Menu is limited
- Dumplings are so-so
- Long wait time
Thai Food Cart, 52nd & 6th Ave.
Posted by Chris Thompson at 9:00 am, April 16th, 2013 under 52nd Street Thai Food Cart.
10 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
having “things really, REALLY hot” is the only way to go.