Phat Thai on The Lower East Side

Having been a huge fan of Thai food for at least the past 15 years, I’ve been keenly aware of Andy Ricker’s influence here in America. His Portland restaurant – Pok Pok – is legendary (I’ve had those chicken wings) and his more recent addition in Brooklyn is trying to bring the same salty, sweet, spicy and sour flavors to the East Coast. But he also has a shoebox-sized restaurant on the Lower East Side, formerly known as Pok Pok Wing, thats morphed into Pok Pok Phat Thai, and the ubiquitous rice noodle dish is just about all they do, along with some of his drinking vinegars, which are beguiling in their sweet/sourness. I had some extra time before dinner yesterday, so I popped into the subterranean shop and ordered a plate with prawns. The dish is extremely well-balanced – the soft noodles playing nicely with the crunchy peanuts and bean sprouts – but the addition of garlic chives and perfectly firm tofu (not to mention the notes of fish sauce and lime juice) made this a plate of pad Thai worth noting. Granted, I had to amp up the umami with some tableside fish sauce and a quick hit of dried chili flakes, but if I were jones-ing for some noodles in the same ‘hood again, I wouldn’t hesitate to drop in. But this being New York, they also deliver.

Pok Pok Phat Thai

137 Rivington St., New York City

212-477-1299