DC Eats: Thai Cafe

Rating (A+)  Yes, you're seeing this rating right.  This restaurant is an absolute family fame, no contest, no question.  Every time we cohesively try a new Thai restaurant, we're always disappointed. I think everyone has that restaurant where all others are determined as disfavored or favored based on.  It's the love that you hold all others up to.  I think that sufficiently introduces all of you to Thai Cafe.  This restaurant is in a small strip of shops next to Springfield Mall.  Yup, nothing fancy here, just a simple northern Virginia restaurant, but with some deliciously tasty food.  

I recently posted in one of the "My Week in Food" posts that we had stopped by Thai Cafe, to share the Drunken Noodles and Pad Thai.  I generally like to get one noodle and one curry dish, but someeeebody only likes to get noodles when we have Thai food, so I compromised on that.  Drunken Noodles is hands down both of our favorites, and while I'm not usually a Pad Thai fan, this one always makes me happy - it's the perfect sweet, limey, savory flavor.  I mean obviously I asked for the 'spice tray' or 'chili tray' however you term it, which comes with four different spicy toppings - (1) pickled jalapeños in vinegar; (2) prik nam pla (fish sauce, diced Thai chili, and lime juice); (3) garlic red chili paste; and, (4) dried red chili pepper flakes.  Most Thai restaurants offer some sort of combination of these four. My personal faves are the prik nam pla (because fish sauces makes every Thai dish better - at least I think so!) and the garlic red chili paste ( I mean garlic + chilies? What more do I need to say?).  

Drunken Noodles are flat rice noodles with onions and green peppers and all tossed in a chili basil sauce.  We added chicken into the whole shebang - mmm!  Then we ordered the Pad Thai (also with chicken).  The Pad Thai is thin noodles with stir-fried egg, bean curd, onions, bean sprouts, scallions and crushed peanuts.  All freakin delicious!