Thai Chili

I was working late and B was still on the mend from the flu so I needed to grab takeout from somewhere located between my office and our house. Lucky for us, I work in Penn Quarter and have lots of fun options. B was craving thai noodles, so I stopped into Thai Chili in Gallery Place and was home in 15 minutes. We had ordered delivery (free for orders over $15!) from the restaurant before and were satisfied, so I figured it would be a safe bet. I've heard great things about Kanlaya, but it was another block further and I just wanted to get home quickly.

To fill B's noodle request, I decided to go with the classic pad thai with chicken and the spicy drunken noodles with shrimp. I think that most pad thai dishes taste about the same, so I wasn't expecting to be blown away with this one. It wasn't fantastic but was the warm, comforting goodness we were craving. I like that they don't put cilantro in their pad thai because there's nothing worse than having one piece of stinky cilantro messing up your whole noodle dish (at least that's my personal opinion). Also, the portions were huge! We both stuffed ourselves silly with noodles and still had two full lunches to take to work the next day. It's a good thing the portions are generous because the prices aren't dirt cheap. The pad thai with chicken is $11, while the drunken noodles with shrimp are $12.

Thai Chili has those cute little chili peppers on the menu to denote when something is mild, spicy, or "fire." Don't mess around with anything labeled "fire!" We got the "spicy" drunken noodles and were running back and forth from the fridge water dispenser to the table. Holy noodles, that was spicy! The great thing about it was that though it was mouth-on-fire spicy, somehow the spice didn't overwhelm the other flavors. You could still taste the fresh veggies and garlic sauce. If you're spice-sensitive I would definitely recommend asking for the mild version or having a tall glass of milk handy.

Second Thoughts From B

I don't think anyone who knows us would say J or I are the most adventurous, most out-of-the-box types. We certainly like to explore and try new things more than most people, but we also are comfortable in our rather conventional lives. However, as this blog attests, we do push each other outside our boundaries which is no more evident than with food.

I'm proud that J now enjoys many things that I love to eat but were not a regular part of her childhood diet. On the other hand, dinners are much more interesting for me now that I've taken a liking to some of her favorites. It is all just another reason we make a great pair.

Craving thai food is certainly one of those things that I got from J. As I understand it, Mr. Noodle was a favorite of hers in college (its food is much better than its website). Growing up, I was exposed to many different kinds of cuisine, but those known for their spices were generally avoided in light of my father's sensitive stomach. When J entered my life, so too did thai food.

Flash forward 6 years and I'm craving thai noodles. Thankfully (or should I say "bless her heart" now that we technically live in the South), J shows up with what seems like 20 pounds of said noodles. Aside from the volume, the pad thai was ok - a little on the bland side for me - but the drunken noodles were anything but bland. However, the best part of all of it was, it made me feel whole for the first time in two days. Maybe this is my new version of saltines, chicken noodle soup, and The Price is Right as a stay-at-home remedy for the flu!