[truth]

Khun Pic's Bahn Thai
3429 SE Belmont St
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 235-1610

Just got a recommendation to try this place. Apparently been around 10 yrs or so, chef/owner grows some veggies etc. What's the PF.org word on this joint?

[Dan]

truth, on Oct 27 2008, 01:16 PM, said:

Khun Pic's Bahn Thai
3429 SE Belmont St
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 235-1610

Just got a recommendation to try this place. Apparently been around 10 yrs or so, chef/owner grows some veggies etc. What's the PF.org word on this joint?

The deep fried catfish special (only available on Friday/Saturday, or by pre-arrangement) is unbelievable. Everything else is merely great.

(as you can see, I'm on the fence about this place )

You need to get there pretty early - as close to their opening as possible...if you're in the second seating, you could have a long wait for your food.


----------------
Edited to add: this is a husband/wife team. The wife's sister runs Lemongrass. The husband did all the renovation work on their building, which is a cool little Victorian house hidden behind a very jungly garden.

[McBrowney]

I love this place, and have had truly awesome food. I haven't been in a year or so since I moved from the neighborhood, so things could have changed. I know a lot of people don't like to deal with quirkiness to have a great meal, but if you're up for it, it's worth it. I especially love the salad rolls; she puts small slices of tart green apple in them and the peanut sauce served alongside rocks.

The owners are some of the nicest people around. The husband is not much of a waiter (he'll be the first to tell you this), and the wife literally cooks every dish. No help. This may have changed, but I doubt it. So ya, sometimes they get stressed out, sometimes everyone sits at once and tickets pile up, and sometimes the wait can be long. I always suggest to people 3 things: to go right when they open, don't be starving, and don't have any place you have to be at a certain time after dinner, ie a movie. Go with an attitude of patience and an open mind, and have a nice time. The dining room is lovely, the food is excellent and prepared with love, and it's a unique experience, especially as Thai goes in this town.

Also, they are VERY accommodating of vegetarian/vegans, which can be nice if you need that sort of thing.

[ExtraMSG]

Here's my take in a nutshell. Been there many times over the years:

* boring menu very competently executed; everything very fresh
* slow service; cash-only is annoying
* expect to see the husband/waiter come out of the kitchen with food on him that's been thrown by the wife/cook

With Pok Pok and Dang's, I feel no need to return anymore. With the overall quality of standard Thai having risen in PDX over the last 10 years where you can go to a place like Thai Palace and get a very competent meal very cheaply, I especially feel little need to return.

[lemonpie]

Despite the validity of previous comments Khun Pic's remains my favorite. Yeah sure, there's some drama in the kitchen but Mary consistently puts out some of the freshest and tastiest mainstream Thai dishes in town. I am particularily fond of her magical Tom Yum soup. Perhaps I'm just a sucker for the authenticity of their mom and pop operation.

[pjpj10]

Has anybody been to this old Belmont staple? Its next to Paradox and looks like large overgrown bush during the summer.

[ExtraMSG]

Merged your question, Pipi. See my comments above.