Pure Love

Typically, when we meet reps for lunch in my biz, we go someplace fancy and take advantage of those oh-so-fun expense accounts.  Fancy can be nice, but I follow the food, regardless of the setting.  Today, I was meeting a rep who happens to also be a friend so I knew she wouldn't freak out if I suggested something a little more laid back and ethnic so I threw out Pure Thai Shophouse and as I suspected, she was totally up for it.

I had read that Pure Thai Shophouse was the best Thai on 9th Avenue - a bold statement because there are a LOT of Thai places on 9th.  I had to see what made this place stand apart from the others.  Pad Thai is Pad Thai, right?  Wrong.  The appetizer offerings were good but standard.  The main course selection, however, included some dishes I had not seen on a Thai menu before now.

We sampled some apps, but the best was our entrees.  Mallory got pad thai and I ordered the special but asked for a little extra spice.  I don't remember what it was called, but there was shrimp, shiitake, glass noodles, ginger, snow peas, tomato, and jasmine rice.  Sorry about the picture - I was mid-meal when I remembered to snap it.  It was a wonderful departure from my typical pad see ew.  The ingredients were fresh and the noodles light so I didn't enter my typical post-Thai food coma.  The portions were ample and at lunch available for a mere $8 - pretty tough to beat.  Between the prices, the portions, and the variety of dishes, I think Pure Thai Shophouse is the current Thai ruler of 9th Avenue.