A Welcome Taste of Thai in The Glare of Times Square

So last time you went to Maxie's and had your fifteen-dollar grilled cheese sandwich served up cold, you swore off Times Square dining. It's high time to renege on that self-made promise. Patrons of TKTS, connoisseurs of student rush policies, theater cheapskates of the Columbia community unite: a Thai haven awaits you just beyond that iridescent glare.
You won't mind the plasticized wood tables that Pam Real Thai offers, the chairs that look like they belong in a fast-food establishment, air thick with the aroma of basil, or the gold-frosted crystal reindeer and other Christmas ornaments that adorn the aluminum strip lighting. Instead, you'll focus on the colorful Thai photographs and posters that adorn the faux-spackled laminate walls, the chill Thai pop/elevator music, and, your favorite, the price-taste ratio of the menu items.
To start off, the restaurant offers appetizers from fried curry puffs to steamed Thai dumplings to fried tofu. Garnished with a carrot-slice gear atop a small mountain of greens, the tofu comes in nine triangle-shaped triple-dipping-ideal segments encircling a small dip-dish of bright orange sweet chili-peanut dipping sauce. The sauce is just spicy enough to be perfectly complemented by the mild, fluffy triangles of tofu, and their coating is just crisp enough to avoid any greasy-finger result.
If you'd prefer some broth to start or fill your meal, you have options like the fish-ball-inclusive Yen Ta Four Noodle Soup or the lime, shrimp, and lemongrass Tom Yum Koong. With juicy, plump button mushrooms, tender chicken chunks, and fresh cilantro and green onion swimming in rich, flavorful coconut milk, a bowl of the Tom Khai Khai is filling enough in itself to tide you over until the curtain closes three or four hours later.
Entree options feature chicken, beef, pork, whole red snapper, shrimp, squid, and mussels mixed with a variety of exciting ingredients like shredded ginger, tamarind sauce, and crispy golden garlic and white pepper powder topping stir-fried noodles or rice. On top of that, Pam Real Thai offers thirteen different entree salads with similarly enticing toppings, as well as six variations on Crispy Duck.
The assortment of curries ranges from generic Red Curry to rare Kaeng Tai Pla, and all come served with little rounds of delicate jasmine rice. For the mild Thai diner, the Massaman comes packed with peanuts, potato chunks, and baby bok choy swimming in a golden, coconut flavored bisque with a gentle tang that pleasantly tantalizes without requiring a quick dousing of water.
The waiters and chef of Pam Real Thai are versatile, eager to please, and happy to cook most menu items with soft tofu. Prices go significantly down with any such substitution, and the taste remains delicious, a perfect non-compromise for the fine-dining vegetarian bargain-finder. Vegetarian-specific dishes range from Vegetarian Duck glossy in a rich, basil-intense brown sauce, to a classic vegetable Pad Thai.
If you manage to make it to the end of your meal without bursting from the huge portions, or if you have enough self-control to hold back on your entree, take advantage of one of the three authentic Thai dessert options. Beware: the warm Rice Pudding with Durian packs a flavorful, unique punch that is slightly addictive, in a hearty, oddly fruity kind of way.
Next time you plan on going to Times Square to see a show, to guide a tourist friend around, or to visit one of the sex shops on 8th Avenue, don't stuff your face with John Jay beforehand just to avoid wasting several hours worth of remedial labor wages on a generic Applebee's Sizzlin' Steak. Think fresh, think exotic, think Pam Real Thai Food, and, for Buddha's sake, think real cheap. Just remember to bring cash.