Thai Palate
Hell's Kitchen (Near Port Authority Bus Terminal)
534 9th Avenue (39th & 40th Streets)
New York, NY 10018
Tel.: 212.279.9899
Fax in Your Order: 212.279.9898
Nearest Subway: A,C,E (Either 42nd St. or 34 St. Stop)
www.ThaiPalate.net
Our Review: A Simple, Easy, Tasty Treat
You'll feel like you've left busy 9th avenue and stepped into a tropical paradise even before you enter the cute hideaway known as Thai Palate. A refreshing shade falls upon the hot avenue eatery, courtesy of the lovely Italian restaurant next door, and its grape vine trellis that covers the entire sidewalk. Thai Palate is inviting from the get-go, with its cute little table outside and picture window opening the venue to the world.
Enter and you will find you've stumbled upon an impossible secret. In the midst of Hell's Kitchen, jam-packed with restaurants of all sorts, this Thai treasure has its own distinct appeal. First and foremost, this cute and cozy eatery boasts authentic Thai cuisine, serving many of the home recipes of its founder, Chanchunok (Cathy) Sookhajai. Cathy hails from Chonburi, a small village near Pattaya Beach, not far from Bangkok. Thai Palate is her second New York restaurant endeavor, a relocated operation from her Lower East Side venture, "Taste of Thailand." She has been satisfying her patrons' palates since 2002. Thai Palate is still somewhat of a secret though, only open since September 2009. So hurry on over before the folks outside the neighborhood receive word of this little wonder, because as one neighborhood regular told us, Thai Palate purportedly has "the best Pad Thai in town."
Thai Palate is staffed by young, vibrant and especially cheerful servers who might teach you how to smile again. But if they do not, the restaurant's seasoned chef will get the job done. Cute murals tell Thai tales along the walls, while relevant and romantic sounds fill the space. Nothing overwhelms the senses here though, except the food. The music is just right, and the colorful room retains a classy clean look. The scene makes for a great low-key date, the kind where you keep the attention of the object of your affection, and she yours.
Oh, and a night at Thai Palate will not break the bank either. Prices are super reasonable, if not downright cheap. Appetizers range from $3.95 to $7.50 and entrees run between $7.95 to $12.95. If you are nearby or running through the Port Authority (a block away), you would be wise to stop in for lunch, with specials served for just $6.99 Monday through Friday. And if you have a theater date planned and want to have a quick, cheap, sweet eat, Thai Palate offers specials that run from 4-7 PM, combining appetizer, entrée and beverage for between $10.95 to $18.95. FYI: the Westside Theatre is just four blocks away.
The place does not have a liquor license, so you will have to bring your own, which oh by the way, saves you money as well. There is a liquor store a block away, on 40th street between 8th and 9th avenue, but you might want to prepare ahead if you seek to impress, because the liquor store is not the most appealing and is short of options. If you are coming with a family or a group of five or more, you are advised to call ahead and make a reservation. It's a small place, but not a tight fit. Thai Palate seats about 20, but not so tightly that you learn the mysteries of the couple next to you.
Thai Palate serves traditional Thai cuisine, though Cathy adds some of her own flavor to the dishes. I started off my experience with appetizer A.2 on the menu, "Fresh Summer Rolls". What a way to start off a meal! It was as if a burst of freshness blasted my mouth, as I delighted on the rolls filled with crispy cool bean sprouts, tasty glass noodles with tofu touched by a flavorful tamarind sauce from Cathy's family recipe book. You'll get six of these, and you might forget you have company, they're so good.
Next, I ventured to try a sort of French/Thai fusion dish; that being the Palate's appetizer number A.7, the Curry Puff. It's a wonderful puff of pastry sort, filled with a savory surprise inside: chicken, potato and onion at perfect ratio, and served with a value adding cucumber sauce. You'll get four of these, and it will suit perfectly as an appetizer that will satisfy but not fill you ahead of your entrée, and allow you the freedom to keep on chatting while you eat.
For my entrée, I chose the house recommended seafood dish, number SE.67, Talay Thai, which is mixed seafood with yellow curry, egg and scallion onion. Yummy! Cathy does not disappoint us with this dish that is creative and spares no expense. Made only with real coconut milk at Thai Palate, the dish includes morsels of fresh mussels, shrimp, calamari, mini-corn and zucchini. My taste buds detected something not so Asian in the meal, and Cathy confirmed her use of tasty Jamaican curry, which adds color and flavor that I favor. You cannot go wrong with this dish, and even though it is priced at the high end of Thai Palate's menu, it is still reasonable at only $14.95. I washed everything down with a wonderful tea, and went home a happy man.
Thai Palate should also satisfy vegetarians, with a full complement of options available. In a few words, I would describe Thai Palate as cozy, cute and cheap! And for guys trying to find a reasonable date place, the Palate offers an easy, simple, tasty good treat. We are ranking Thai Palate as one of our ten best Thai restaurants in New York City NYC, and it will also be considered for our "10 best cheap eats" and our "undiscovered treats" pages as well! We suggest you check out Thai Palate now, while the place is still a secret.
