Pukk

71 1st Ave (b/w 4th St & 5th St)

Note: When looking for a cheap reasonable place to dine, avoid Nolita.

A friend and I wandered aimlessly for 2 hours around the area looking for something good yet reasonably priced. Along the way, we stopped for cupcakes and cheesecake but soon found ourselves craving something more substantial.

She was visiting from out of town, so I knew it was up to me to find something. I suggested heading east and bingo—staring at us from neon green lighting was Pukk, a vegetarian Thai eatery off 1st Avenue.

The place was slightly more than half full on a late Friday evening, so we had no trouble getting a table.

We started with an appetizer called Spinach Toast, crispy fritters with spinach and lime sweet chili. The fritters were delish and the lime sweet chili was a nice compliment to the spinach.

The plethora of mock meats on the menu had my dining companion fooled. She didn’t realize Pukk was completely vegetarian until placing her order, Pad Thai w/ chicken. At this point, I informed her everything was soy based. Thankfully, she is an experimental eater, so I knew she would appreciate the change (at least that’s what I told myself before stepping through the door).

Meanwhile, I ordered the Massaman Curry w/ vegetarian duck (curry w/ sweet potato, onion, and peanut).

I really loved my dish; the curry could have been a tad spicier but nothing a little hot sauce didn’t fix. My companion enjoyed hers as well, but pad thai is pad thai. It’s hard to go wrong with such a staple dish unless you really try.

As pleased as I was with the meal, I was even more pleased with the bill. Under $20 (before tip) for what we ordered seemed like a crime. I have not had a full meal for 2 people this cheaply since The Ed Sullivan Show was the thing to do on Sunday night.

Pukk is the perfect place for those looking to eat a decent meal without having to take out a small loan to do so. The cocktail menu is quite impressive, and there are several desserts I look forward to on a return visit, probably with a vegetarian friend or another unsuspecting omnivore…


DAMAGE ~$23
VERDICT: Go

Sticky Rice

85 Orchard St

A Thai eatery in Manhattan that’s BYOB…Where do I sign up?

I hit up a Lower East Side Thai eatery called Sticky Rice Friday evening in celebration of its BYOB policy and reasonable prices.

To begin, I ordered 2 appetizers: vegetarian dumplings and fried tofu, each served with their own sauces. For the main dish, I ordered a low-carb vegetarian pad thai on special (more on this later) along with sides of sticky rice and corn on the cob to compliment the meal.

The vegetarian dumplings were delish, the sauces pairing nicely. However, the fried tofu was not. I questioned if they came from the same kitchen or whether the server thought we ordered dry bread because that’s what it tasted like.

Did you know you can have pad thai without noodles? You can when it’s low-carb. I was shocked and slightly disappointed when my dish arrived sans rice noodles. Now that I think of it, the menu tricked me. Nowhere was there any mention of pad thai without the signature ingredient. This is when you say, “Umm, hello? Low-carb? What did you expect?”

Whatever. The items listed in the description—egg, tofu, mushrooms, asparagus—were too good to pass up. The lesson learned here is ask before ordering.

Overall, the food was good, especially the corn on the cob. My companion brought a bottle of Riesling, which paired nicely with everything.

Sticky Rice is worth checking out, if nothing else but for the prices. $41 for everything we ordered felt like a crime. Make sure you bring a bottle when the menu fools you like it did me.

By the way, they serve green rice.


DAMAGE ~41
VERDICT: Go, but beware of menu.

Galanga

149 W 4th St.

Saturday night dinner was set in a normal only in Manhattan size Thai restaurant called Galanga, located in Greenwich Village. The place was about half full, and we were seated next to the brick wall, rather than the booth on the opposite side or the long table in the center. I wish I had requested the booth because I felt a draft each time the door opened.

Sir Fancy Pants started off with a glass of red wine and I with the Galanga Ice Tea, sake with lime juice and mint leaves. Next came the appetizers. We ordered the Corn Fritters. 5 corn fritters arrived on a small plate with a purple flower in the corner. The taste was similar to a corn empanada; fried on the outside with a sweet doughy mixture of corn on the inside, very good. For dinner, Sir Fancy Pants ordered the Drunken Noodles with beef asking the server to make it as spicy as possible, and I had the Pad Thai with Vegetarian Duck. I might have ventured outside my Thai food staple but did not due to a sense of urgency on the part of the server.

The food was your typical Thai food. Vegetarian Duck tends to be hit or miss, but I enjoyed it at Galanga. The rest of the pad thai was average. With the exception of the Vegetarian Duck, the rest of the dish was lacking in flavor. I ended up adding too much chili sauce and burnt off half my taste buds in the process. In addition, each time I took a bite, I felt something crunchy. This is highly unusual for a platter of pad thai. Sir Fancy Pants said his Drunken Noodles were not as spicy as he wanted, but overall very good.

The entire meal felt rushed. I did not have time to delve into the menu and see what else was available because the server kept bothering us. We got there late in the evening, so I am not sure if the restaurant was near closing time, despite several other people arriving after us. The prices are reasonable (on average about $10 per plate and $8 per drink). There is one bathroom located in the basement. The restaurant has your dimly lit, slightly romantic vibe to it. Unfortunately, I was too irritated by the draft coming from the door, the urgency of the server, and my roasting taste buds to notice.

I have enjoyed much better Thai food in the city without feeling rushed at about the same price. Save your money on this one.

DAMAGE ~ $43 (before tip) CASH ONLY
VERDICT: PASS