Photo by Sean Dunn

Little Thai Food rocks it old-school. Not in the Old School BBQ & Grill kind of way, with a website, a Facebook page, and a Twitter account. Or in the elementary school way, like the Local Yolk, which serves only one type of sustenance, egg sandwiches. No, Little Thai Food’s attitude and yummy grub are closer to the food trucks of yore than the concept trucks of East 6^th.

Sidle up to Little Thai Food’s spot, on South First, and order from their diverse menu of classic dishes. The owners, formerly of CK Thai, in South Austin, whip up curries and stir-fries from scratch. Just remember: Patience is a virtue.

My favorite was the pad ka prow, with big basil leaves, bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, tender chicken, and Thai chilis. I ordered it medium-spicy and was pleasantly surprised by the slow burn.  The green curry was a close second: zucchini, bell pepper, eggplant, tofu, and a ton of bamboo stewing in a rich coconut milk–based curry sauce. The tofu absorbed the flavor of the sauce but still felt fluffy and light, a nice contrast to the sturdy (but still savory) bamboo pieces.

The only disappointment was the pad see ew. In terms of names, I’ve always thought this particular dish drew the short noodle. Done right, the flavorful meat, faint suggestion of egg, and Chinese broccoli are only a distraction from the light, slightly sweet sauce and the soft-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside pan-fried flat noodles. Little Thai Food’s version featured plenty of sliced carrots and broccoli, but the flat rice noodles were limp, the sauce bland, and the beef a little tough.

Much better was the chicken satay, big hunks of skewered chicken accompanied by a thick, rich peanut sauce. Traditional and tasty, just like the Thai tea, black tea swirled with condensed milk to create the ultimate sugary treat.

Innovative? No. Gimmicky? Not in the least. Some of the best Thai food in Austin? You’ve got it.

1207 S. 1st (512-567-9299). Open Mon–Sun 10–9.

Posted by Megan Giller

Tagged: Asian, Little Thai Food, Thai, Trailer Thursday

She may not have been a lady who lunches in the traditional sense, but she sure knew how to lunch: The woman standing in front of me at the Peached Tortilla ordered Belgian fries and peach poppers. Granted, the hand-cut fries rocketed out of this world when combined with peach-mint dipping sauce, and the fried poppers with powdered sugar and vanilla glaze looked like they could send me around the sun and back. But I feel sorry for said lady: She missed out on some smokin’ tacos and sliders.

My favorite was the barbecue brisket slider. Some may say that’s boring; I say it’s classic. Dressed up with a sweet buttered-and-grilled Hawaiian bun, roasted peach barbecue sauce, and creamy coleslaw, this sandwich was elevated to the next level. I also liked the crunchy catfish taco, with cornmeal-encrusted, tender catfish, bacon-spiked mustard greens, and coleslaw on a griddle-warmed flour tortilla, and the delightfully cilantro-laden Szechuan veggie taco, with tender Japanese eggplant, diced tofu, and Asian slaw.

Are you noticing a pattern here? The common denominator at this Asian–comfort food fusion trailer is slaw. Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that I’ve always had a thing against coleslaw. Maybe it’s because my father’s name is Cole, and anything that included him as a side dish seemed a little suspicious. Regardless, I’ve never quite gotten on board.

But back to the cabbage at hand. Jalapeño or Asian, both slaws overwhelmed the tacos and sliders with bland creaminess. In fact, in almost every offering, the proportions were off-kilter. I wanted more tasty mustard greens and less of the ubiquitous you-know-what on the catfish taco, as well as less cabbage and curry peanut sauce on the soppy chicken satay taco. I liked the chiffoned basil and sweet summer squash on the southern squash taco, but the overabundant basil aioli and sweet onions rendered it inedible; similarly, the slightly dry báhn mì slider lacked spicy sriracha mayo but was swamped with carrot salad. And we all know that carrot salad is just a substitute for slaw.

So please, Peached Tortilla, lay off the slaw, for all our sakes. Or don’t—then I’d have the perfect excuse to order fries and peach poppers for lunch.

(Oh, and if you want to get your hands on any of these sliders or tacos while surrounding yourself with awesomeness, check out the Gypsy Picnic this Saturday at Auditorium Shores, from 11 to 8. Thirty trailers. Live music. Sampler plates for $3 or less. Did I mention thirty trailers, all in one place? See you there.)

Posted by Megan Giller

Tagged: Asian, comfort food, Peached Tortilla, Trailer Thursday