Pam's Real Thai

As much as I love Thai food, I can’t claim to be an expert on it. I ate at Pam’s Real Thai Food, on 49^th st. between 9^th & 10^th ave.s, for the first time about four years ago at the recommendation of a friend and I was immediately hooked. A little over a year ago I went to Thailand for a couple of weeks to eat all that I could; Pam’s, is now one of the only Thai restaurants in New York where I will go.

I know that this qualifies me for sheer snobitude (yes, it’s a word) but this is one of the drawbacks to knowledge and experience. That you are aware of what you might be missing out on, namely authenticity. Something Pam’s is rich with. Som Tum, a salad made of shredded unripe papaya, was served at almost every meal when I was in Thailand and is on most Thai menus in New York. Pam’s Som Tum is certainly the most reminiscent of those I had in Thailand. There is an oxtail soup in an aromatic broth that is incredible. The whole fish “Pam’s style” is always great. And if you think you can handle spice, the catfish pad ped will put you to the test, definitely worth the pain though.

Pam’s has it draw backs though. While the servers are always nice, they are not always attentive or thorough. Pam’s also seems to have “white people food” and “thai people food” and it is sometimes hard to convince the staff that you are worthy of the “thai people food”. My advice is to order things that you might think Thai people would eat. Be sure to start with som tum, and to ask for a side of fresh chili and some sticky rice. Let them know you are not afraid of spice or strong flavors and they will take care of you. It might seem like a sir pooflerus* effort, and it is, but the reward is well worth it. And it comes at a very reasonable price.

While these flaws might detract from aspects of your eating experience, the food will most certainly be delicious enough to overshadow them. And Pam is almost always there to see to that.

*Side Note: I know that is not how you spell superfluous. “sir pooflerus” is my gamer tag on xbox, I thought it would be clever to switch them out for those who might get the reference. So the meaning is twofold 1. it is something that the aforementioned “sir pooflerus” {me} would do and 2. it is seems superfluous.