ONE MAN’S QUEST FOR PAD THAI
If you’re lucky in life, you may someday realize your destiny. If you are very lucky, you may achieve it.
The Eater’s old pal Andy McMillan is of the very lucky few. Andy, a Chapel Hill native and the son of Florence and the late Campbell “Dr. Mac†McMillan, owned and ran the fondly remembered Lizard & Snake, which featured southwestern cuisine.
Lately, he’s been putting in a lot of miles hauling and setting up exhibits for Carrboro design firm Sitzer-Spuria Studios. In addition to being able to tell you everything you wanted to know about various convention centers, McMillan has become a discriminating enthusiast when it comes to Pad Thai.
A month or two back, he was eating a particularly tasty dish of the southeast Asian favorite, when it hit him.
“I said to myself, ‘I could eat this every day’,†he told The Eater in an exclusive interview. “So I did.â€
For a fortnight, McMillan sought out and consumed Pad Thai in 13 restaurants throughout the Chapel Hill-Carrboro metroplex.
The results of this intrepid, peanut-topped adventure are far too detailed to work into the space allotted. But McMillan’s findings have been verified since by not only this reporter but also a myriad of fellow Pad Thai fans.
In the top tier, all-alone, says Andy, is Merlion in Southern Village, which serves up a balanced, complex and thoroughly enjoyable version.
In the next tier is Thai Palace – which could have ranked a tier higher, but was deemed a little pricey – and Penang.
Occupying the next tier are the two (apparently unrelated) China Woks, in Timberlyne and Carrboro Plaza, and downtown Carrboro’s Jade Palace, which is good, McMillan says, but untraditional in its flavorings. “It’s a little weird.â€
Way down at the bottom of the list is Noodles and Company on Franklin Street. “They served me something that looked a little like Pad Thai, but it wasn’t Pad Thai.â€
We commend McMillan on his valiant effort and are awaiting the next chapter in his culinary quests. His next exploit, no doubt cooked up over a long haul from Vegas or something, is a little worrisome in the cholesterol department.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about BLTs,†he said.
The Eater, who out of sheer concern suggests splitting them with someone, stands ready to help.
BEST. FOOD EVER.
The above title was intended just to get attention (we’re all so busy these days). “Best of†lists are tedious and kind of pointless, and The Eater would never stoop so low as to have a “Best of†contest. When it comes to food, “the wisdom of the crowd†is more often “the reflex of the herd.†Besides, why have a contest when you’ve already made up your mind?
So, with no fanfare other than the windy paragraph above, The Eater names Brinkley Farms field peas the Best Food Ever of 2010.
Cooked right with a little pork and served with some butter and salt they are over-the-top wonderful. They’re available at many of the local farmers’ markets in the shell or shelled and fresh frozen. Brinkley, which converted from growing mainly tobacco several years ago, is a heavy producer of the classic varieties of Southern field peas, which are among the most healthy and delicious foods you can add to your diet.
Eat some. Awesome. Not kidding.
DO’S AND DONUTS
Ok, you’re going to have to admit that it is likely you’re going to have a Krispy Kreme adventure at some point. As someone who just offered to help eat a dozen or so BLTs, The Eater is no one to preach. But if you must venture to East Franklin Street and do something you’ll never admit to your cardiologist, at least wait till the “hot†sign comes on and those little wheels of wonder are at their most sublime.