S&I To Go

(Saensuks and Irin) S&I To Go is the place to go to get arguably the best quality and most authentic Thai flavors according to many food lovers who have been to Thailand and miss that cooking. On Day 2 of my 30 day ethnic food challenge, a man in a white T shirt can be found taking the sun on the sidewalk outside. He wears a Thai amulet that affords the bearer luck or protection. Inside S&I a...+READ (Saensuks and Irin) S&I To Go is the place to go to get arguably the best quality and most authentic Thai flavors according to many food lovers who have been to Thailand and miss that cooking. On Day 2 of my 30 day ethnic food challenge, a man in a white T shirt can be found taking the sun on the sidewalk outside. He wears a Thai amulet that affords the bearer luck or protection. Inside S&I a portrait of a former King of Thailand and offerings to spirits are more signs of the kind of practical magic that also happens behind the curtain in a narrow kitchen. Sweet, sour, salty and spicy hot flavors harmonize and great ingredients meet practiced technique at S&I. Cheerful Khun Nay greets everyone and deftly manages the six small tables as well as all that To Go.

The menu is extensive and the walls are covered with pictures of the dishes. There is also a Thai language menu and some specials written in Thai that Nay will help you decipher if it's not too busy. S&I has iridescent green Fanta soda which is hard to find and a sweet acquired taste for some. Recommended dishes include the Duck larb salad, hot and fragrant with lemongrass, lime and chili under a light snow of toasty rice powder. Sticky rice is the standard side and can be rolled into balls to soak up the salad juices. SumTam Thai/Puu, green papaya salad with the juices of tiny crabs and a touch of volatile pla raa fish paste is hot and sour with crunchy texture and funky satisfying goodness. "Extra ingredient, minced pork noodle soup" (koai teaw muu sub song krueng) transports the lucky diner to Thai bowling night. A big steamy broth that betrays coriander, anise, cinnamon and fish sauce swimming with rice noodles and many parts of the pig, meat balls, fish cake and more. The ubiquitous caddy of chilis at hand, usually including fish sauce green chilis, vinegar prik kee noo chilis, chili paste and dry chilis serves to personalize every bowl. With noodle soups chopsticks are used but you'll notice the Thai clientele eat with a table spoon and load the spoon using the fork with most dishes. Close your eyes and listen to the tonal language and kitchen sounds coming from the happy kitchen out back. One can easily imagine being in Bangkok which isn't a stretch on this scorching day near 100.

Moo Krob is the wickedly delicious deep fried pork belly cubes that along with chilis and basil become Pad Ga Pow Moo Krob served over jasmine rice. If you only have one dish, make it this one. If you have two then the Duck Choo Chee curry is coconut creamy and red chili curry hot in perfect proportion. For a sweet finish there's warm and ripe mango with sticky rice under a drizzle of coconut cream and check at the counter for Thai sweets (kanom) and roti sai mai which is a kit of delicate crepes and Thai cotton candy rolled up to provide a sweet and savory delight.

S&I is primarily To Go and has no liquor license. If you are picking up, the liquor store just down the street has both Thai Beer and Mekhong Whisky (a kind of rum best w/soda) and either pair nicely with real Thai Cuisine.

Still 172 and under budget. Next stop? Korea.-COLLAPSE / REPLY (100 Replies) (by EATTV, created June 11, 2011)

Just went to S&I for the first time last night. My wife and I are long-time students of Kasma Loha-Unchit, the Thai cooking teacher who runs www.thaifoodandtravel.com and without a doubt, this was the most authentic Thai meal we've had in the U.S. outside of her kitchen.

We ordered from younger woman (not the older woman who seems to run the place) who spoke great English; when we told her we...+READ Just went to S&I for the first time last night. My wife and I are long-time students of Kasma Loha-Unchit, the Thai cooking teacher who runs www.thaifoodandtravel.com and without a doubt, this was the most authentic Thai meal we've had in the U.S. outside of her kitchen.

We ordered from younger woman (not the older woman who seems to run the place) who spoke great English; when we told her we had spent time in Thailand, wanted authentic, Thai-style food, and could handle it Thai-spicy, she steered us towards some great dishes:

pad ped pla duk - crispy catfish & thai eggplants stir-fried in thick red curry paste. This dish is tossed at the end of cooking with basil, kaffir lime leaf, and shredded krachai (also known as "fingerroot"), and pickled green peppercorns. Some of these herbal flavors are rarely found in U.S. thai restaurants, and we were totally thrilled with this dish. And the heat level seemed on par with what we get in Thailand or Kasma's kitchen, which is to say fiery as hell.

pad ka na moo krob - stir-fried chinese broccoli w/ crispy pork. A simple but well-executed vegetable dish to balance the heat. I belive this was cooked with fish sauce, fermented soya bean sauce, and not much else.

gaeng som - this is not a dish I've seen mentioned on this board thus far, and it was spectacular. Gaeng som is a southern-style sour fish curry. It's a brothy curry, made without coconut milk: the base is seafood broth flavored with a fresh curry paste curry paste heavily redolent of shrimp paste, along with other typical curry paste ingredients (dried chiles, galangal, shallots, garlic, etc). The sour flavor comes from plenty of tamarind pulp. This is usually made w/ crispy catfish, but since we already had another crispy catfish dish, they cooked it with shrimp and cha-om, a green Thai vegetable cooked into an omelet and cut into squares, as pictured here: http://en.petitchef.com/recipes/sour-curry-paste-prik-gaeng-som-fid-877481

This is the first time we've seen gaeng som on a Thai menu in the U.S., and I'd highly recommend trying it next time you're at S&I. It's pungent, sour, salty, complex, herbal, aromatic, and fiery - everything Thai food should be.

We also tried some cookies - the flat, deep fried ones. They're sweet AND salty with a strong aroma of ground white pepper and perhaps onions. Interesting, but probably not my ideal dessert...-COLLAPSE / REPLY (34 Replies) (by OakTownHound, created November 25, 2010)

»Searching for Aharn Thai

I'm re-searching our Thai restaurants for authentic dishes. Some have Thai menus or can be encouraged to cook things "the way Thai people eat them". I love to travel to Thailand. Thai food for Americans is something different though imo, I'm sure you agree. Recently I ate authentic Thai cuisine at Sripraphai in New York and am encouraged to look deeper. Khao Sarn, Rod Dee, and Duk Bua have their...+READ I'm re-searching our Thai restaurants for authentic dishes. Some have Thai menus or can be encouraged to cook things "the way Thai people eat them". I love to travel to Thailand. Thai food for Americans is something different though imo, I'm sure you agree. Recently I ate authentic Thai cuisine at Sripraphai in New York and am encouraged to look deeper. Khao Sarn, Rod Dee, and Duk Bua have their merits but I'd been hearing about Montien's "secret menu" and S&I Thai.

At S&I warm greeting and a small space heater warms the Take Out with 4 tables. Thai Iced Tea was regular. No beer. Tom Yum Goong was a thin broth and a poor version of the national dish. Bangkok rolls were a fine popia tod with extra thick wrappers adding a nice crunch. Sauces were standard. Outstanding Chicken Satay was as you find it in Southeast Asia and had plenty of tumeric and herbal accents. Sum Tam ส้มตำ excelled with small crabs and dried shrimp, spicy hot and the breath of the sea on it. Served with sticky rice to soak up the juice this dish transported me away from the slush outside the small storefront. Roast Pork Noodle soup was aromatic with perfect Chinese roast pork but the wide rice noodle filled broth was thin. Even lots of chilies weren't bring it around. However Larb Ped was also a winner, studded with ground toasted sticky rice and galangal although mint was missing. Duck Choo Chee ordered spicy was neutral and was lacking the Thai veggies that can make it great. My kingdom for some morning glory and pea sized eggplants.

All in all an interesting foray into Boston authentic Thai possibilities. Please let me know your favorites for real deal Thai food in these parts.-COLLAPSE / REPLY (30 Replies) (by EATTV, created January 18, 2010)