Best Thai in the US!

These were the words proclaimed by a Thai friend about SriPraPhai at 64-13 39th Avenue in Woodside, NY. I'm no expert, but it certainly was tasty! You could also tell that it was at least relatively authentic from the slew of choices on the menu. To say the least, I was overwhelmed. Thankfully, my pseudo-choice (my choice was an "unknown" item and weird sounding...which was my goal to order something different than usual but I overachieved...) was accidentally side stepped as we pondered whether or not to get a vegetable side dish. Incidentally, we ordered enough food so all turned out well. What did we eat? I'm not really sure. In trying to figure out what dish to try, I didn't hear what else was ordered. =\

One of the specials of the day: Steamed mussels (they're huge and meaty!) with some spicy/sour sauce that is always served with seafood. Simply made and not bad. It was a nice break from the spicier dishes at the table. ;)


Red curry with seafood. It had pineapples, hot peppers, sweet peppers, Thai eggplant, basil, shrimp and squid. It was nice and flavorful especially with the coconut milk. I love all Thai curries so I was happy to eat this one. =9 It wasn't too spicy unless I swallowed and breathed wrong. ;)


Sauteed gailan (Chinese broccoli) with crispy pork. This is the standard vegetable dish that Thai people always order, so of course we had to order it. ;) The pork is like the skin and then some. I don't know what it's called but I've seen it before. it's that thick slab stuff. I didn't eat it, but everyone else said it was tasty.


Deep-fried soft-shell crab. It was served with a green mango salad that you eat with the crab. The crabs were very crunchy...maybe a bit too crunchy (overfried) for me, but I didn't mind too much. Slather a bit of slightly sour but fresh tasting salad on the crab for a nice combo of flavor. The salad made the crab less oily and unhealthy tasting.


Southern-style curry with shrimp and stinky beans (sa-tor bean). The beans taste weird...almost chemically. I'm told it's an aquired taste and often eaten by Thai and Indonesian people. I was warned I'd smell terrible afterwards, almost garlicky. On top of that, I would be afflicted with potent flatulence. Hmm...I know someone with whom I need to lock in a small room as revenge!! Anyhow, I'm currently at the stinky breath phase...I really liked the curry on this one because it was very hearty, almost meaty. It reminded me very much of the ground shrimp hot sauces like in sa cha sauce or Indonesian hot pastes. Our Thai friend says this type of curry is very similar to Indonesian curries. Aha!! While the beans look similar to fava beans, the texture is more like...boiled Chinese almonds. This was the spiciest of the dishes and the most interesting for me.


Dessert was chosen from the refrigerated case and warmed up for us. It was black beans and tapioca in a salty-sweet coconut milk based soup. It was a weird mix of flavors as the saltiness hits you immediately but as you eat, it tastes more sweet. The flavor reminded me of some Asian coconut candies I've had. Unfortunately, I was too full to eat pass one bite and explore further.

I had an immensely satisfying meal this evening. My friends tell me that a bonus of eating here is that the leftovers taste even better the next day! Mmmm...definitely going back to this place!! I loved the flavors of the herbs and spices. It's definitely not your typical Americanized Thai outpost. Mmmm! Another plus is that it is not expensive at all! I want to try everything on the menu now...Of all the dishes tonight, my favorite was the stinky bean. Next in line has to be the red curry because I love curries. =P Next time, should I feel more adventurous, I will buy some of their pre-packaged sauces in the refrigerated case to take home to make my own authentic tasting Thai meal. Yum!

Go employee of the month!! Woo hoo! ;)