Lunch with the Girls: The Sad

“Lunch with the girls” ~  Only four short words, but they can convey hours of fun and fabulousness.   Testing out a new  restaurant can be part of that fun, but the predictability of an old favorite is also a treasured part of the experience.

I introduced a friend to my favorite Thai restaurant, Pongsri Thai (Midtown),  a number of years ago, and it has become favorite location for lunch.  Pongsri Thai is part of a chain of 3 restaurants in Manhattan owned by the same family.  Although the management is the same, each location has a slightly different vibe and menu.  The midtown location is designed to appeal to the theater-going crowd as most Broadway shows are only a short walk away.

This location stands out to me for one reason, lobster in basil chili sauce.  A whole lobster is chopped into a dozen or so random pieces and drenched in a spicy basil chili sauce.  It is not a particularly beautiful dish, but it does not have to be.  The subtle sweet lobster flavor, amplified by the shell, holds its own against the intense chili and basil.  The result is an intense multi-layered flavor that is unforgettable.  It is instantly addictive.   I no longer see any other item on the menu.  I have not ordered another entree at this restaurant since having it. If I go too long without it, the dish whispers “come back.” At least I am not alone.  Almost everyone who has been introduced to it has a similar experience.  My mother’s birthday celebration at Pongsri Thai yielded 14 lobster orders and 1 chicken with flat noodles.

My friend Tasha  recently told me that the dish had been calling to her, so we set a date to meet for lunch.  She traveled 30 miles from her home to Pongsri Thai and arrived early.  We were seated, and  immediately ordered  Thai iced teas and lobster.  All was right in our world…then everything changed.  We were chatting and sipping our iced teas when the waitress came over.  Apparently, there was no lobster!!  We just stared at each other stunned.  We explained that we would wait how ever long it took to find some lobster, but it was not to be.  Tasha and I shared a lovely soft shelled crab dish instead, but our hearts were not in it.  We were as sad as little children who had been told that Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy and Sponge Bob had died in some horrible accident! I was assured that the missing lobster was a temporary situation, but part of me is very worried that this may happen again. I now call ahead to confirm that the lobster is in. The answer has always been “yes”, but the seconds it takes to hear that word feels like an eternity. Sometimes lunch with the girls is not all fun and games.

Pongsri Thai Midtown

244 West 48th Street, New York NY 212.477.4100 www.pongsri.com