09.02.09
Review of Sripraphai, Queens, Thursday July 2009
6413 39th Ave. & 64th St., Woodside, Queens, 718-899-9585
Great for: savory Thai food, foodie excursions outside Manhattan, medium-size groups
My friend G was about to move to London for six months of work so it was the perfect time to have a girls’ dinner. She’s really special – I only leave Manhattan for things that start with p! (Planes, poker, and plays that I’m in. Though I guess you could say this was for pad thai.) Fortunately, it was very good food. I’m not sure it was worth an hour’s ride on two trains, but that’s a pretty tough standard.
We started with a mild roasted duck salad. They were generous with the large duck pieces, and the ginger was a good compliment to the onions, scallions and cucumbers drizzled with vinaigrette. The fried pork-crabmeat roll with honey sauce was tasty without being too much. The meat is ground fine and wrapped in a bit of tofu skin. The tom yum shrimp and mushrooms in hot and sour soup is very good, with surprisingly succulent shrimp.
The pad thai with shrimp did not disappoint. The noodles were discrete and not stuck together too much, and there was just the right amount of sauce. I rarely order pad thai but this went a long way toward changing my mind. So did the green curry with chicken, despite the many times I’ve tried curries and not been a fan. The red snapper with tomato, pineapple and onion in sweet and sour sauce was better without the sauce, which wasn’t as sweet as I’d feared it would be. Our favorite was the sautéed Chinese broccoli with crispy pork. With barely any vegetables, the terrific, crispy meat was the star of the dish, and of our whole meal.
Two brown and two coconut rice bowls were enough for the five of us. I didn’t like any of the desserts, unfortunately. Tapioca soup with ice cubes and sweet milk, green tapioca with coconut milk and corn, coconut on rice cake with rice crisps… no thanks. Some of them were warm, none of them were very sweet, and all of them were just eh. Asian desserts are probably just not my cup of tea though. The other girls seemed fairly happy. We definitely ordered the right amount of food – one appetizer and one main per two people is just about right. Each dish is quite generous, and fresh and juicy to boot.
The dining room is huge and packed at all times. I like the décor, which they evidently put thought into it. It’s cash only and no reservations. If I’m remotely in the area I will definitely make an effort to come again.
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Our cost: $125 for 5 people (3 apps, 3 entrees, 1 side, 4 rice bowls, 1 tea, 1 wine, 1 iced tea)
Noise level: echoey room packed with loud Asian people
Chance of walking in: not good. You’ll probably have to wait, they don’t take reservations.
