Pongsri Thai

[menton1]

Went to the theater over the weekend, and was looking for a more casual-type place to have dinner before the show. Our revered Zagat gave this an "11" for decor, so I braced myself. To our surprise, the place was quite attractive. Nice subdued lighting, black tile walls, gray carpeting on the floor, black tables. I would give this about a "16" for decor, not an 11. (See thread on Zagat)

Turned out to be a very pleasant dinner. The Thai salad was predictable, fresh, good, with a good vinaigrette. The sliced steak with cucumber was excellent, very tender, and had a wonderfully exotic marinated flavor with an excellent sauce all around it. It was prepared medium rare as I had asked for it. We also had a Shrimp with vegetable dish in a ginger sauce, also very good. The desserts were fair, but the coffee was strong and fresh. All in all, just what the doctor ordered for a nice, casual, less serious meal before the show. Service was efficient, tab was $50 before tip for 2. And the decor is MUCH nicer than Zagat says.

[Jason Perlow]

Its a solid thai restaurant, I've eaten there a few times.

[Pan]

The place used to be consistently good a few years ago, with superior service, but I found it inconsistent after that and have stopped going. However, it doesn't surprise me that you had a good meal there. And yes, the decor is attractive. Pongsri Thai is a small chain, so it's hard to know what the decor rating refers to, though I recall that the Pongsri Thais at 2nd Av. and 19th and in Chinatown both have very decent decor.

[johnjohn]

Having dinner next week with friends I haven't seen in awhile. I suggested Thai food, and someone picked Ponsgri Thai Restaurant (Bayard and Baxter). This place doesn't ring a bell with me - anybody been?

johnjohn

[tommy]

it's a relatively well-respected chinatown thai place, with a sister restaurant in midtown. i haven't been in probably 3 years, but haven't heard reports of it taking a turn for the worse. i've always had a decent enough meal there.

Edited June 18, 2003 by tommy (log)

[Stone]

The sister place in midtown (48th and 8th) was very good.

[Elissa]

The other day at a shop in NoHo I met a medical student whose mum was from Thailand. He said that she lives in California but that whenever she visits town she makes sure to go to Pongsri . They make her a soup that's not on the menu. He said that it was the single place in town to make it, though what that soup is, I cannot say

Compared to what I've ordered there, the food in Thailand was better, but then I ate it either in the jungle or on the beach Haven't been of late, but reliable sources say Rain on the UWS has new gusto

Edited June 18, 2003 by lissome (log)

[kjohn]

I'd like to know what that soup is, can you find out? I lik the 48th St branch of Pongsri as it has a very extensive menu. One of my faves is (can't remember the Thai name) cold beef salad. You can't get that at every Thai restaurant.

Edited June 18, 2003 by kjohn (log)

[menton1]

Pongsri Thai Restaurant Thread

I loved the place!!

[anil]

..... but reliable sources say Rain on the UWS has new gusto

Rain started off great - But as they say in a relay-race - someone dropped the baton - "They bowed down to UWS LCD" Great starts in UWS tend to sputter into {toungue-in-cheek} limp-lame-ducks.

[kjohn]

Don't I know it. What's up with that? Does the rest of the UWS not care about good food? Seems like most are content eating just about anything.

A little more on topic:

The Fish Restaurant finally reopened as a Lime Leaf, Thai and Continental cuisine. It's about the blandest Thai food I've ever sampled. You can get better Pad Thai at a New York City Street Fair (cue theme music from Time Warner local ad.)

Lemongrass seems to have improved recently. They also updated their menu. Pad See Ew (sp?) is now called "Fun in Black." The name change threw me - it took me about ten minutes to find my favorite noodle dish on the menu.

There's also something notably darker: S&M Thai Style.

Edited June 19, 2003 by kjohn (log)

[johnjohn]

I had a really nice meal here last night. There were 8 of us - most were new to Thai food - so the menu choices weren't too adventurous. We asked the waiter to suggest apps and entrees that would be a good for people new to Thai and that we could share. There was a ton of food, and I was well on my way to being drunk so I can't give many details.

A few dishes did stand out.

My favorite was the penang lamb curry - very flavorful with a nice amount of heat. The lamb was in thin shards of meat - I would of preferred thick chunks, but I still enjoyed it.

The seared steak salad. It comes with mint, bell peppers, chili sauce, lime, and fish sauce in lettuce leaves. Very tasty - lots of things happening in your mouth at the same time.

Pad Thai - I have actually stopped ordering this - too many bad versions floating around. But I really liked it last night. Not the usual sloppy sticky sweet mass of noodles that you usually get.

Hot and sour chicken soup with coconut milk - A really nice rendition.

Someone mentioned last night that in Thailand they use forks – not chopsticks. That restaurants put chopsticks out for Americans, because they expect to see them in that part of the World. Is this true?

johnjohn

[menton1]

Someone mentioned last night that in Thailand they use forks – not chopsticks.  That restaurants put chopsticks out for Americans, because they expect to see them in that part of the World.  Is this true?

johnjohn

Absolutely true-- same at Vietnamese Restaurants, they do not use chopsticks in Vietnam! Vietnamese language is in Roman letters, as well, also something unexpected.

Thanks for your report, I wrote about this place and liked it as well, will be returning there when I am in the area.

[Jason Perlow]

Wha? What the hell do they eat noodle soup with? That makes no sense. Bourdain can answer this one for sure.

EDIT: see http://goasia.about.com/library/weekly/blvmannersa.htm

[menton1]

Wha? What the hell do they eat noodle soup with? That makes no sense. Bourdain can answer this one for sure.

From a Thai Website:

When dining Thai style, use a spoon and fork rather than chopsticks and unless you are offered chopsticks, don't show your ignorance of Thai dining by asking for them! Rice is eaten with a spoon and fork, or, in the case of Thai sticky rice, with your fingers. Chopsticks are reserved for eating Chinese style food or for noodles. A total relief for all of those amongst us who are totally kack handed with chopsticks….

Taste of Thai Website

Edited June 24, 2003 by menton1 (log)

[Lyle]

Vietnamese use no chopsticks either.  Don't know about Malaysia or Singapore....

Then why do so many first generation Vietnamese in the United States use them?

[menton1]

My mistake, Vietnamese DO use chopsticks.

Thai do NOT use chopsticks.

My brain was thinking about the Vietnamese use of Roman l;etters, and I messed it up... Sorry.

[Jason Perlow]

Well, the thai use them for noodles and noodle soups as well. You don't really see it used in thai restaurants in the US for the most part, because noodle soups are not integral to the cuisine served here. But in Thailand noodles and noodle soups are very popular, and the chopsticks do get used.

[Pan]

I had a really nice meal here last night.

Where? There are several branches of Pongsri Thai.

[tommy]

I had a really nice meal here last night.

Where? There are several branches of Pongsri Thai.

bayard/baxter? johnjohn's initial question was whether or not this place was decent.

[Elissa]

I'd like to know what that soup is, can you find out? 

Tracked down the fellow whose Thai mom never misses a meal at Pongsri when she's in town, since they alone make her favorite Thai soup. The soup is called "Good Deal Luke Chin" (or at least those words will make it recognizable) and has ground beef, beef balls, noodles and a host of other delights; and it's huge, he says: enough for 2 people. Enjoy

[LESider]

Went to the Pongsri at 23rd and 7th Ave. with a Thai friend and he ordered off their Thai Menu. Really amazing. We had Softw Shell Crab with Salted Duck Egg Curry and many other dishes unavailable in English. I always wonder why they only offer a watered down version of Thai food in NYC. probably to avoid people sending food back that's" too spicy or not what they expected." Anyway if you can crack the code they can make some really interesting thai food here. My friend oredered this one Larb like salad served in a coconut tuille that he called "thai taco" . He said that he's never seen this dish in a restaraunt in Thialand only served as "street food".

[Pan]

That's really annoying. So since I can't read Thai, I can't get a really good meal there.

[JosephB]

That's really annoying. So since I can't read Thai, I can't get a really good meal there.

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I visited the Bangkok Grocery today on Mosco St. While I was chatting with the owner, Nong, she mentioned that she had an excellent Thai restaurant to recommend to me -- Pongsri in Chesea. I told her that I recently heard on eG that it was good if one read a Thai menu, but that I was skeptical. She told me to go to Pongsri, tell them that Nong sent me and that I eat the same way Thai people do, and then leave the rest to them. She assured me that meal would be memorable.

[zimonsays]

i live close to the one on 23rd st. i order from there all the time. the food is always good, not the best but always good...