They say that spicy Thai food is a good way to encourage babies to speed up their exit from the womb. No idea if this is true or not, but I am certainly using it to my advantage in re TAC Quick.

Today's lunch consisted of crispy on choy and Thai coffee (him), and fish maw salad and tom kha with tofu (me). The best bit about the fish maw salad is that my husband is doubly ooged out by it (both the "fish" and "maw" parts are repellent to him) so I don't have to share. Ha ha.

Next week we are busting out the big guns: papaya salad. Wish me luck!

re: labor inducers, both my kids arrived within 24 hours of the Duke of Perth's fish and chips. YMMV, it sure worked for her:)

I don't know if I can take that suggestion, Octarine - I can barely tolerate fried things anymore anyway, and now that my stomach is a tiny, acidic hellpit? I might not survive.

Can anyone recommend a few fish or tofu dishes for me? I'm making my first trip to Tac Quick on Saturday and I've recently become vegan (with a hypocritical tendency to eat fish), so I'm trying to arrive prepared. I've scrolled through the thread and made some notes already, but I'd like to hear of people's favorites. My hubby-to-be and I go to Sticky Rice a lot, so I'm familiar with -and love- the more authentic Thai dishes. Thanks in advance!

The catfish rice soup is great on a chilly day. Khao tom pla.

I love the salted crab papaya salad more than just about anything else on the menu. It's a cold salad, yes, but it's got enough spice to keep you warm. Also, there is a good possibility they can make you the delicious crispy on choy salad sans chicken. Given that this is one of the most amazing things on the menu, I recommend asking!

What a difference a photo (and photographer) makes:

TAC's Pad Prik Khing, by ronnie_suburban:



TAC's Pad Prik Khing, by kennyz:


Which one would you rather eat?

Photo aside, I liked TAC's Prik Khing with crispy pork, but it wasn't as satisfying as the version at Sticky Rice, where in my experiences the flavors have been deeper and the sauce has been richer without being as oily. Still a tasty dish at TAC, and I'm very happy to have multiple Thai restaurants nearby, each with its own high, medium and low points.

Roti is back! Had it tonight, was as great as ever. Server said tonight was the first time it was back on the menu, she didn't say how long it would be available.

I too had roti tonight and it was really good. It is my understanding that the guy who made the curry powder had dinner at the restaurant tonight and asked Andy to make this dish for him so I'm not sure it will last very long. I would call the restaurant before I arrived if I had my heart set on this dish.

Naem Pork Ribs are back on the specials board because of Time Out's "100 best things we ate and drank in 2010" list.

I was really disappointed on Friday night at TAC. I had some pork at home and was grilling it and wanted dipping sauce but the last couple times I made it it was terrible. So I headed down (15 miles) to pick some up.

I was very surprised when they flat out refused to sell it. I was willing to pay a substantial amount, anything up to $10 bucks for a pint would have been fine by me. They told me that even if I bought an entree they would charge me $1 for a 1 ounce container. That's an impressive markup for some lime juice, fish sauce, and chili pepper.

I went to Sun Wah instead.

Just an FYI. TAC Quick has updated the specials board. Last night I saw Green Curry Pasta, Spicy Curry Noodles (which is from Andy's Banana Leaf days) and a third item I unfortunately cannot recall at the moment.

ronnie_suburban wrote:
Kra Phrao Kai Khai Yeow Ma
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? In the case of this dish, they arrived together, along with delicate, aromatic crispy basil leaves. The dish consists of stir-fried, minced chicken and crispy basil leaves served over preserved eggs. It's a symphonic explosion of intense flavors, textures and aromas.

I tried this dish at TAC Quick for the very first time tonight and all I can say is wow - plenty of heat, rich and savory, so flavorful and the crispy holy basil leaves did so much for the texture of the dish. I've tried many a great dish at TAC Quick, but this was my favorite to date.

Andy is on fire with updating the specials board this year. There is a new dish called Som Tum Tod, which is deep fried papaya served with lime juice, garlic, thai chili, tomato, long bean, shrimp, cashew nuts and a sweet sauce. Delicious. Green Curry Pasta was my favorite new special for the year, but this dish steals the title. I highly recommend it.

Just a quick post to say that I'm an 'effing moron.

I got off the L at Sheridan on my way home tonight, and for the first time made the connection between the little Thai restaurant I've been going to since I bought my condo, and the place on the GNR list. I've always referred to it as "that Thai Place", without ever remembering its actual name.

I think my stupidity may have unwittingly proven the ultimate example of what constitutes a 'Great Neighborhood Restaurant'.

That papaya salad is definitely in the league of crispy en choy and the fish maw salad, for reals. That said, it would be inaccurate to suggest that the specials board has changed all that much: it still sports basil brisket and the fried pork dish, and the mango sticky rice and "spicy curry" (just a spicier version of their pad thai) are not all that "special." Our waitress, who looked new and was definitely not all that familiar with the menu, steered us to the latter dish without telling us it was just pad thai until after we had a "hey, wait a minute..." moment upon tasting it--the dish was fine, but disingenuous.

Great as ever, yes. But it's still quite disappointing that this restaurant is not evolving much anymore.

Okay, so TAC Crazy just posted this exact same photo, but damn, it's good. Our first visit to Tac Quick. What a wonderful, cheap, fabulous, quick, friendly place!
Thanks LTH!by yooperann, on Flickr

TAC Quick was firing on all cylinders yesterday. We started with Crispy on Choy, which has to be one of the best dishes in Chicago in my experience. We also had 2 selections from the specials board - Som Tum Tod and Pad Prik Khing. Seeing the pictures of the Som Tum Tod above led me to suspect that the flavor profile might be similar to the Crispy on Choy, but it was much milder. Really delicious, and I thought the cashews were a nice touch. The Pad Prik Khing was excellent as well, crispy caramelized bits of pork belly with long beans in deep flavored, brick-red sauce. I loved it.

We were also at Tac Quick yesterday, and had that version of the papaya salad. Quite good, though I'm not sure it really qualifies as a salad when each morsel is deep fried

We also had the chive dumplings (better than usual IMO), the marinated grilled pork skewers, and the green curry omelet dish, which was really yummy - and was almost but not quite too hot for me.

Reading this thread is just brutal... I've five months pregnant and the only thing I've been really craving is Tac.... I'd start with some Tod Mun Pla, Crispy Calamari and Cucumber Salad. And then I'd get A Wonton Noodle Bowl, my absolute favorite thing on the menu. And I'd encourage my husband to get the Clay Pot Lover so I could steal some of that too... man, I've really got to go down there soon...

We cooled our heels at TAC for dinner last night during the Cubs game rain delay. We started with the gyoza which where perfectly prepared and took the edge off our hunger. For the table, we ordered the peanut curry, lad nar with tofu and the basil brisket off the specials menu. Everything was flavorful and delicious. I'm still thinking about the basil brisket. The noodles in the lad nar were perfect -- love the crispy/soft balance. I need to get back there sooner than later.

kitchensqueen wrote:Reading this thread is just brutal... I've five months pregnant and the only thing I've been really craving is Tac.... I'd start with some Tod Mun Pla, Crispy Calamari and Cucumber Salad. And then I'd get A Wonton Noodle Bowl, my absolute favorite thing on the menu. And I'd encourage my husband to get the Clay Pot Lover so I could steal some of that too... man, I've really got to go down there soon...

I ate so much TAC in the final month or so of my pregnancy, I half expected to give birth to a basil leaf.

A visit to the beach was followed by its traditional accompaniment, dinner at TAC Quick (as it has been done since the Enlightenment, so I'm told). Tonight I got to try something I've been looking at for years: the "shrimp paste rice with various mix-ins." Normally anything fishy repels my husband, but he ordered something I didn't want to share (sweet & sour soup with BBQ pork) so it was only fair. The idea of these unidentified mix-ins was intriguing. And it didn't disappoint! The rice was redolent of the fishy funk I love, and the mix-ins were dried preserved shrimp (different from the ones found on the som tum, not sure how though), egg, pork, and tiny angry peppers. Delicious.

Husband also had a Thai iced coffee, which was SWEET! and not much else. Someone with a higher sugar tolerance might like it, though.

From Today's Dish:

“The chive dumplings are game changers,” Pollack said when she ate at an unassuming 40-seat BYO Thai and sushi place in Lincoln Park called Rock Wrap & Roll (2187 N. Clybourn Ave.; 773-472-2800). The restaurant, which opened this past spring, has two chef/owners, Chef Kit and Chef Itti. Itti also owns TAC Quick, a neighborhood Thai spot in Lake View where the not-so-secret secret Thai menu compares with the best in the city. Popular dishes at Rock Wrap & Roll include moo ping—marinated pork skewers—and prik king, crispy pork and string beans with jalapeño and red curry paste. We’re thinking it won’t be long until Rock Wrap & Roll’s connection with TAC Quick is about as secret as that Thai menu.

I always thought Andy was part owner of Tac Quick for some reason.

Yes, Andy is part owner of TAC Quick.

Though I have yet to dine in at Tac Quick, I have now ordered out several times. I just realized I had yet to post my recommendation for a renewal of their GNR and had no supporting documentation.

Khao Moo Dang Chinese sausage and BBQ pork loin over rice with hardboiled egg garnish





sausage was sweet, and pork was juicy

Neua Dad Deaw Thai beef jerky



tender, crisp and yet juicy - not dry and rough like I've come to expect from a beef jerky.

Moo Ping Thai style grilled marinated pork with our spicy homemade sauce


Tac Quick - my go to for Thai carryout.

I had a wonderful dinner at TAC last Thursday night. It has long been one of my favorite places to eat in Chicago and i'm not sure why it took me so long to return after I cam back last summer.

Andy is such a wonderful chef. It shows in everything that hits the plate in his restaurant. The pork neck was thinly sliced and wonderfully seared so that all of the elements of sweet and chewy, smoky and spicy all race across one's palate.

Since it was my first visit in some time, Andy was kind enough to make my favorite orange curry with water spinach and some thinly sliced pork.

The remainder of our dinner consisted of the fish maw salad, the rice noodles with ground pork and barbeque pork, the crispy pork with basil leaf and preserved egg, and the crispy pork with basil and green beans.

I had two newbies with me who had no idea what to expect and were amazed.

We're so fortunate to have so many fine Thai places on the north side. Aroy has been getting a lot of attention of late. But, TAC was hitting on all cylinders last Thursday night.

Andy, the head chef at Tac Quick has left. He is going to open his open resturant but I don't have any more details yet.

Hopefully the quality remains but I think it will be hard with the loss of him.

I defiantly am going to try his new resturant whenever it happens be.

ATK (Andy's Thai Kitchen) opens this Sunday. 11am at 946 W. Wellington. Andy rocks and serves some of the best, most authentic Thai food in Chicago. Congratulations Andy on your new restaurant!