PAD THAI

Who has the best Pad Thai in Louisville?

I think it is Simply Thai, but they are closed for vacation and I can't cure my craving.

I have tried it at Lemongrass and Yang Kee Noodle, but both failed miserably.

Tan Thai in New Albany has a GREAT pad thai. I get it 5 hot with a fried egg on top, over easy. SO GOOD.

I like Thai Taste on Lower Brownsboro!

I like this one....

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20080501/SCENE0202/80523017/Thai-Smile-5

Marty Rosen review from 08

[Robin Garr]

I agree with TanThai and Thai Taste. Simply Thai also does it very well. I hate to disagree with Brian and Marty, but the various iterations of Thai Smile have not impressed me much. The only one that has rung my chimes was the short-lived one on Hurstbourne near Moe's, and it went downhill fast before closing.

Mai's in Jeff.

Robin, not sure if you read Marty's article or what he mentions about new ownership or if you've revisited since May of 2008. It's very good now and extremely friendly and accommodating service, once you walk in and get past the old taco building facade you almost get a fine dining feel.


From article:

The Thai Smile mini-chain, which started in Frankfort, Ky., and once had links in places such as Muncie, Ind., and Chattanooga, Tenn., has dwindled now to two sites: Frankfort and Thai Smile 5 on Preston Highway. Not long ago, the quality of the Preston location had diminished to the point where a friend wryly downgraded it to "Thai Weak Grin."

I was alerted that the place had quickly turned around by my neighbor, Jack, who has traveled extensively in Thailand (and is married to a woman from Thailand).

A few weeks ago, he handed me a menu and reported that new management had turned the place around. He was right; after recent visits, my wife, Mary, and I came away convinced that this Thai Smile is as radiant as can be.

[Robin Garr]

Robin, not sure if you read Marty's article or what he mentions about new ownership or if you've revisited since May of 2008. It's very good now and extremely friendly and accommodating service, once you walk in and get past the old taco building facade you almost get a fine dining feel.

I've definitely been again since May of 2008 - we've sneaked by within the past couple of months, and I didn't see any difference.

To be fair, though, I would want to go at dinner time too. At lunch they may be calibrating on a clientele that's more interested in a quick lunch special than the subtleties of Thai cuisine. I will say that when the Hurstbourne Thai Smile was on its form, it was right up with the best Thai in town. I think I gave it a 90-plus (four-star) rating, so certainly the company has the capability.

I wouldn't object to giving it another try, my only problem being there's so much great authentic Mexican out Preston these days, it's kind of hard to pass by La Tapatia, Rosticeria Luna, etc., to go to a Thai place in a former Taco Bell that's disappointed me repeatedly before. But hey, that's how a food critic earns his pay, right? You don't take chances, you don't find the happy surprises.

There is a new Thai place in Fern Creek, on Bardstown past the Snyder. It's in the complex behind Outback.

[Robin Garr]

There is a new Thai place in Fern Creek, on Bardstown past the Snyder. It's in the complex behind Outback.

That would be True Thai in the Glenmary Center, just as you describe. It's a nice place - if I lived in the area, I'd be a regular, and the pad Thai was indeed good. I'm not sure I'm ready to declare it "best in town," though.

Here's my Sept. 9, 2009 review:
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/thai- ... fern-creek

Is the Thai place in Holiday Manor still there?

Is the Thai place in Holiday Manor still there?

Yes, I am heading there right now. I think it is called Thai Cafe. I'll post a quick review when I get back.

Spring Rolls (fried) 8/10

Tom Ka Gain (Coconut Chicken Soup) 10/10

Pad Thai 8/10
Pretty good flavor, but 0 heat.

There is a new Thai place in Fern Creek, on Bardstown past the Snyder. It's in the complex behind Outback.

That would be True Thai in the Glenmary Center, just as you describe. It's a nice place - if I lived in the area, I'd be a regular, and the pad Thai was indeed good. I'm not sure I'm ready to declare it "best in town," though.

Here's my Sept. 9, 2009 review:
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/thai- ... fern-creek

They are in the process of expanding the menu too - she isn't handing it out by default yet because it isn't done but if you ask there are lots of new tasty treats. The Thai beef soup is awesome. We always think about it being so far away but it takes about 15 Min from hikes point, which is less than it takes us to get to many of our highlands favorites in normal evening traffic.

Really wish the original family kept tighter control of Thai Smile 4/5. Their original location in Frankfort is still 100% awesome.

[Robin Garr]

We always think about it being so far away but it takes about 15 Min from hikes point, which is less than it takes us to get to many of our highlands favorites in normal evening traffic.

That's true, but remember, we're in Crescent Hill, and you can't really get to Hikes Point from there. The parks and Bowman Field eliminate straight-line possibilities to points south. I honestly find it quicker (although maybe not more "green") to jump on I-64 at Grinstead and race out to the Snyder, then around to Bardstown Road to get to True Thai (or Sake Blue, etc.) It's probably about 20 minutes that way, Just about any local-streets option is round-about, whether over Grinstead to Willow to Bardstown, or over to St. Matthews and then out Breckinridge through Hikes Point to Bardstown or through Seneca Park to Bowman field and then over Brighton to Bardstown, involves so much more traffic that it's a real disincentive. From Cave Hill to Cherokee and Seneca to Bowman Field, the road obstacles on the south tend to funnel us over to St. Matthews or downtown, or even over to Indiana or out to Hurstbourne or Springhurst even, rather than to the south.