Pad Thai  (Second Visit) (First Visit)
 Akron, Ohio    Date of Visit:  03/19/15     http://www.pad-thairestaurant.com/index.htm

We hadn’t been to Pad Thai for a very long time and I really can’t imagine why. We’ve had several very interesting and delicious options. The place is still nicer than  most of the diners sitting in it, but there doesn’t seem to be any looking down on the Levi’s clad by the fancy staff.

Wanting to try something a little different on a return visit we went with a new soup, appetizer and entrees. The shrimp puffs were much heavier (none so puffy) than I would have imagined but had lumps of shrimp and veggies for a tasty filling. A sweet and sour sauce filled the end of the little boat serving vessel which added nice flavor but couldn’t alleviate the density. Good. Even better was the Tom-Yum soup with bamboo, mushrooms and lemongrass in a rangy spicy and sour broth, which left your lips warm without ever burning them. MMMMm MMMMm Great!
 



 

  
 


The Place Always Strikes Me As Classier Than Most Patrons
 


Meditation Over The Koy Pond
 

  
   
 


Shrimp Puffs Much Clunkier Than Imagined
 


But Filled With Chunky Shrimp
 

  


Loved The Spicy/Sour Tom-Yum
 


With Thai Tea For Cooling Effect When Necessary
 
  Steph ordered the crispy Thai chicken with pineapple and veggies. I’m not sure if that’s what she got. More like a sweet and sour chicken dish from a Chinese takeout, there was (so not crispy) chicken, pineapple and sweet, sweet, sweet. Sweet is fine but Thai cuisine always balances it with multiple other awesomenesses. Not so here. Where it did appear was in the incredibly varied and flavorful Thai cashew duck. Tender and luscious dark bird was paired with nuts and veggies in a simultaneously deep and bright spicy wine sauce. We need to have Thai more often, Pad Thai is a nice local option.
 		  
 


Not Crispy Or Interesting
 

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Super Sticky Rice
 

  
 


The Thai Cashew Duck Embodied Thai...
 


This, That, & The Other In Every Bite
 

  
  Change in Ranking        
  Original Score Which Way? New Score Why For?  
  B = B The Nam Sod Remains The Same  
       
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Pad Thai
Fairlawn, Ohio             Date of Visit: 02/20/10                   http://www.pad-thairestaurant.com/

For me, long before culinary school and other experiences, Thai food was so different and unique that I began to understand so much more was out there than grilled cheese and Spagettios. New flavor profiles and so many all at the same time, I got way interested in learning more.

 

  
 



Hot and Sour...Almost

Right here in Fairlawn, for some reason I often forget Pad Thai is right around the corner from us. Hot and sour soup, if it is on the menu is always my first indication of how much I will like a Chinese/Thai restaurant. Often a garbage soup, used to sell any ingredients that will end up in the trash if not cooked and sold, presents an ever changing challenge. Here the ingredients all appear beautifully and uniformly prepped for the soup alone. The only problem is there is a nice peppery flavor that goes unchecked by other flavors like the umami of the shrooms or the bite of the vinegar. Oh Dear. The hot cucumber chicken soup tried on this trip didn’t impress me anymore than the more traditional offering. Sadly, the Thai Spring Rolls turned out to be bland wraps of ground chicken saved barely by the only flavorful item so far, the dipping sauce.

  
 
Chix and Cuke Soup
Legendary Thai Iced Tea
Thai Spring Rolls		  
 
Now friends, things get much better. A dish of Nam Sod with ground pork and lettuce leaves for wrapping remind me why I love Thai food. Bright, fresh, and aggressive flavors of ginger, nuts, pork, basil, etc. each competing and complementing each other with every bite. Awesome!!! The Thai Cornish Hen was beautifully spiced and served with a delicious coconut rice. Now let me explain, I don’t like coconut, not fresh, not toasted, not covered with chocolate. It is simply unappealing to me. One benefit of writing this stuff is I feel a need to try everything. This rice is delicately wrought with everything people tell me they enjoy about coconut, I would actually order it. The curry served along the hen is layered and spicy. Just a note of honesty here. They are not shy about heat at Pad Thai. When they ask you how hot you would like your dish…be honest…they will do what you ask. Just ask the loud and whiny dolt a couple of tables away from us who told the entire restaurant the server made him feel like he needed to go way hot (she did not) and then cried and sweat his way through the dish, moaning like a kid who bit his own tongue just to see what it felt like. Like Clint said, “a man’s gotta know his limitations.”
 		  
 
O' So Delicious Nam Sod
Thai Cornish Hen w/ Curry
Check out the little bowl of Coconut Wow		  
 
Boy, I wish the soup reflected the same thought and balance of the other dishes, regardless I will be less prone to forget such palate awakening food is so close to our front door. The building is surprisingly well appointed and lush, not what you might typically expect from a Thai restaurant.
 		  
  Ratings  
 
Food
Service

Ambiance
What's Best
What's Worst

Overall		  
  B+ B B A C- B  
        Entrees with intense
but balanced mixes		 Soups and Apps
uninspired		    
 
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