Tasty Thai
By Courtney Buell
Photography by Cody Buell
For the longest time, I thought Thai food meant meat and veggies cooked with curry, curry and more curry, along with a generous helping of coconut milk. Thai curries are good, but if your knowledge of Thai cuisine starts with green and ends with red, like mine, you’re only getting started. Admittedly, I needed to vamp up my Thai know-how (I knew there had to be more than the same old creamy sweet curries). I’m pleased to announce I was right on. And so was Salt Lake City’s Tasty Thai.
Almost everything at this reasonably-priced eatery can be made-to-order with your choice of protein. Stop in for lunch, and you’ll get even lower prices (about $7 per plate) in exchange for smaller portions and a slightly truncated menu—though it’s likely you’ll still come home stuffed.
Lunches are served with a small-but-satisfying garden salad. I took mine with the house vinaigrette: light and tangy with good, spicy kick. For a slight departure from the traditional Pad Thai, go for Pad See Ew, a savory combination of wide rice noodles, broccoli, egg, rich dark soy sauce and your choice of meat or tofu. If you like heat, try Pad Phed. Ours was made with chicken, red curry paste, fresh peppers, bamboo shoots and fresh basil—a mouth-watering variation from the red coconut curry you usually order.
If you’re feeling even more “brave,” you might like the Yum Neur salad, served with more tender flank steak than lettuce and its spicy lime dressing keeps it cool with just a touch of sweetness. If you’re a stir fry kind-of-gal, go for the Pad Him Ma Parn. It’s a lighter mix of meat, cashews, veggies and garlic sauce.
Sure, this culinary excursion may have only scraped the surface of the wondrous culinary traditions of Thailand. But education has to begin somewhere. And if it’s coming in the form of savory and tangy dishes (plus coconut milk, from time to time), Tasty Thai makes a good classroom.
{Thai It On}
Tasty Thai
1302 S. 500 East
Salt Lake City, Utah
(801) 467-4070
September 22nd, 2009 at 9:07 am
yummy thai! salt lake has several GREAT markets filled with all the ingredients needed to make delicious Thai food. Grab a good book ( Real Thai by McDermott) and head to the market!
September 24th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
I live just down the street from Tasty Thai and have dined there several times. I’m so glad you did a review on them! The owners are so friendly and always make time for chitchat. Oh yeah! And the food is awesome too!