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Pad Thai at Thai Time on Highland Street in Worcester, MA

The day before the foodies and I met at Thai Time on Highland Street I made Pad Thai at home out of a boxed kit. Therefore, I considered myself an expert on Pad Thai and selected it with no hesitation. The options for added protein included chicken, shrimp or…both! I went for both, although I’m pretty sure there were only two shrimps, which was disappointing. The Pad Thai was stir-fried with rice noodles, egg, scallions, bean sprouts, and ground peanuts. This plate was piled high and so delicious looking that it’s photograph wound up as a featured image in the article highlighting the Worcester Foodies on MassLive. After focusing very hard to not drop the plate as it was handed to me across the table, I dove in. I actually completely missed an entire conversation at the table while I reflected on scallions. I love scallions. There were many fresh scallions in my Pad Thai. There was also a good amount of sweet, flavorful sauce covering the thin rice noodles. The dish was not spicy at all, and looking back, I do regret not testing out a few of the six hot sauces that were brought to my companions. I definitely would not have ordered the Fiery Pad Thai, but a tiny saltiness and kick would have made the dish even better. I completely cleaned my plate down to the bean sprouts, and then I even finished off those. I would absolutely return to Thai Time to try more dishes, as my choice was well balanced, well cooked, and full of fresh ingredients.

When I found out that our Foodies group was going to Racha Thai, I was very intrigued as I had never eaten there and had always regarded it as just a “take out” food counter with a limited menu and only “so-so’ food. But, as is often the case I was very, very wrong as Racha Thai features a nicely decorated, albeit smaller, dining room and some of the finest Thai cuisine I have ever tasted. Before I went to eat I surveyed some friends, some of whom had great things to say about the food, and others had driven by but had never stopped to eat.

Upon arriving our group was seated and greeted by an extremely pleasant waitress. The menu was extensive, but I already knew what I was ordering for my meal. My dining companion and I, along with another couple decided to share a few appetizers and we chose the Mini Thai Rolls and Chicken Satay. Both came very quickly, accompanied by standard Thai peanut, cucumber and sweet & sour sauces. The deep fried Rolls deep were served hot and the Satay was moist, tender and perfectly cooked. The sauces were great and worked well with both choices.

For my meal, I chose the Pad Thai, which I know is not very adventurous but, one of my absolute favorite dishes of all time. As usual I asked to have it prepared “spicy’ and when I tasted it I was not disappointed, as it was the perfect balance of heat (from red chili peppers) and flavor. The very generous portion included both tender shrimp and chicken, perfectly stir-fried rice noodles and plenty of sprouts, crushed peanuts and scallions. This tried and true recipe was outstanding and certainly rates with the some of the best Pad Thai I have ever had.

On another note, I did try my dining companion’s Spicy Noodle entree (which she insisted on having prepared “extra spicy”) and found that to be similarly tasty as my dish. -JG