fancy dress

Once, during a dinner conversation with my roommates, I was asked if I could only eat one type of food for the rest of my life which I would choose. We went around the table and shared our personal choices and when it came to my turn, I quickly blurted out Thai food. It didn't really take me much thought at all. I love Thai food.

Kurt is a coworker of mine at one of my three summer jobs (yes, THREE) and we needed one more hang out before I left for Guatemala. Naturally, we ate at a trailer which seemed like such an original idea for a one-last-hangout-before-you-leave type situation, but turned out to be a popular choice on how to spend time with me. Anyway, he frequents a Thai trailer and has raved about it to me and when I can possibly combine good people with my favorite type of food, I jump on the opportunity.

Coat & Thai is precisely the trailer that Kurt loves. It's located along South Congress in the same park as Hey Cupcake! and Mighty Cone. Now, this stretch of trailers isn't my favorite and here's why: it's just too gimmicky-feeling for me. It's like it's trying too hard. It's on one of the coolest streets in the city, but that also makes it a bit touristy. It's really not the trailers' fault, they are probably smart to be there for business reasons, but I don't really like going there to eat. It makes me feel like I'm going to McDonald's in Paris (which I did, but only out of necessity). I just don't feel cool there.

With all that said, I was still excited to try a new Thai trailer. Especially one this cute and with such a clever name. They get extra points for both of those in my book.

As is typical, we walked up and started reading the menu. Thai menus can either be extremely clear about what you're going to get or very vague, there usually isn't an in between category. This menu was just the perfect level of whelming-ness (neither over nor under), but I still solicited the help of the nice girl working the window in making my dinner selection. I ruled out a noodle dish (I was feeling rice-y) and since Danny was getting a curry, I opted for an entree dish. I settled on the E-1 or Pad Ka-Pao with beef. Danny chose the Red Curry and Kurt ordered the Cashew Chicken. All three of us also got a beverage to complete our meals. Mine was the mango juice. The amiable girl at the window handed us each a number and we took a seat and chatted while we waited.

Less than 10 minutes later, we exchanged our plastic number cards for styrofoam containers filled with meat and vegetables in sauces next to scoops of rice. After taking photos (all with my phone again, lo siento), the food was still so hot I couldn't taste much. I did reach over and try a bit of Danny's curry and confirmed that Thai red curry is maybe my favorite food on the planet. And this one was really good. I should have negotiated a trade, but I was trying to be mature and hide my jealousy. I think I failed since I took at least 10 bites of his food. I'm just lucky he likes me and he didn't bat my hand away as it slid across the table to steal another spoonful. 

But back to my own food now, and I have to say that it wasn't spectacular. I remember the first bite of beef inspired me to think that it was a bit tough and possibly overcooked. The next was better, but I wished I had gone with chicken. The flavors were good throughout, but I enjoyed my bites without beef in them more since the vegetables held a better texture. I ate most of the dish though, so don't you dare think I hated it or anything. I just liked the curry better and after tasting that, mine seemed to lack the ability to hold my attention. Maybe I'm tunring into a 'Thai snob' but the Pad Ka-Pao didn't convert me to the Coat & Thai team. Now, if I had ordered that red curry the story could have had an entirely differnt outcome. Now I wonder how their Pad Thai compares as well.

I'm going to give this establishment 3.9 out of 5 trailers. They have their work cut out for them if they want me to be a repeat visitor based on the location alone, and I think they didn't succeed in overcoming that. I did find my meal plesant; way above the line of "edible" and even past "good" but just not into the "outstanding" section. The price was fair (around $7) for the amount of food and the staff was incredible. Maybe I'm getting harsher with more practice, but I'm sticking with the score. Don't hesitate to try it yourself and let me know what you think. If I go again, I'm getting that red curry with zero hesitation. Hopefully Danny gets the Pad Thai.

Guest Reviews (in the order I received them):

Coat and Thai, a quick fix for Austin's Pad-Cravings

The Thai restaurant scene in Austin is a funny sort of phenomenon. People here pride themselves on their worldly palettes and appreciate a broad knowledge of all things curried, spicy, and different. "You haven't had Ectipopian food?! When I was in Ectipopia, I swam with the Ectipoop tribesman who taught me to catch the [fill in the blank with mythical fish-beast]". Yeah, yeah, you were a badass once, and young. This kind of attitude seems to be amplified to a five-pepper degree by Thai food culture. People are crazy about their pad-whatchamacallits, and why not, they're delicious!  I can't count how many times I've been unknowingly thrust into a which-thai-place-is-best argument: Madam Mam's [You went to UT]; Titaya's [you graduated from UT and you fancy yourself on the up and up]; Thai Kitchen [you live nearby and you're smart.] With so many Thai food-loving Americans (hipster/yuppie/young-

progressive-family) flooding into Austin, and so few Thai people (the land-locked state of Texas is not getting less land-locked or closer to Thailand than the west (or east?) coasts anytime soon) the arguments seem only to be heating up.

Enter a quick fix to the "I want Pad-whateverthehell, and I want it now!" craze. Coat and Thai serves up all the usual fare you'd find at other Thai places and throws in a healthy handful of lesser known dishes. The menu is made up of family favorites of the trailer's owners and the love and nostalgia shine through. The food is very tasty, not my favorite but better than some [cough] [madam mam's] [cough] and comes quick with a smile. They've got a good selection of cold, canned beverages straight from the motherland herself and they're on display, which is always nice if you don't know what the hell a mangosteen is. I didn't but apparently it's delicious.

The one thing for me that wasn't stellar were the portions. I've gotten used to taking home another half-meal for later (I'm of the opinion that Thai is better the day after) and was a little let down to find out that it was all gone before dipping below the 2000 degree fahrenheit mark.

This issue is offset by their pricing. It's very reasonable, between 6 and 8 bucks a dish.

Go there, be happy. It probably won't be exhibit A in your case, but everyone needs an exhibit B, right?

-D

A certain sandwich chain says, “funny name, serious sandwich,” but with this trailer on South Congress it’s closer to “clever name, get there now!” I do have to admit, I was the one who suggested Coat and Thai. I saw it on the road craving some Thai food but pressed for time. I was definitely in for a treat. Usually I go with the classic Pad Thai or Pad Kee Mao, but since I was going to be guest writing for this blog I decided to try something new. I went with Cashew Chicken. Seems pretty ordinary right? Well, they threw in something I can never say “no” to. Well my friend that is the fruit of hospitality, pineapple.  The tangy blend of the pineapple with the spiciness of the dried chilis, just helped bring it all together. And the chicken was plentiful and very tender in the sauce. Very tasty, don’t miss this trailer. 

KL