Thai Classic Restaurant

3332 N. Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 404-2000

I've eaten here (take out and maybe dine-in? I can't remember. Being crazy takes up a lot of my gray matter) and had enjoyable experiences each time but it was what happened when I didn't eat here that prompted this recap.

In addition to being foodies, my friends and I also enjoying cooking. And competition. So, we had an Iron Chef party at my buddy, Mike's, house. It was battle: citrus and the competition was going to be fierce. I wanted to make something that highlighted the secret ingredient but was also crowd-pleasing and palette-friendly. I came up with a great recipe/idea for a Thai Citrus Curry Chicken. I experimented with the right blend of spices, meat preparation and citrus combinations for days in order to make something awesome. What I didn't plan on, however, was making the accompanying Jasmine rice; I couldn't just serve the curry by itself. Was my plan for Iron Chef dominance to be foiled? Gack!

Luckily, I called Thai Classic at the 11th hour and put in an order for a tray of Jasmine rice...about an hour before I needed it. The woman on the phone was gracious and kind and she assured me that the order wouldn't be a problem. Great! I put the final touches on my dish, got the plating together, hopped in the shower and made my way to Thai Classic. As promised, the manager had a tray of piping hot, aromatic Jasmine rice waiting for me. $10 later, I was out the door and on my way to the West Loop.

Three minutes into my drive, I got a call on my cell phone from the restaurant. Turns out that the manager was not happy with the rice that she gave me and wanted to know if I could come back and get a new tray. I wasn't that far away, so I turned around and came back. I parked in front, threw on the hazards and exchanged the rice AND got an order of crab wontons for my troubles. She was very apologetic about having to have me come back but, after I left, she discovered that she wasn't very pleased with the rice and didn't want to have me pay for anything but her best.

As I drove to the party, I couldn't stop thinking about how impressed I was with what just happened. I'd already paid. I'd driven away. It would be a while before I discovered anything 'wrong' with the rice (and who knows if I even would). But this manager's pride in her food and sense of doing right by me as a customer compelled her to give me a call. That's beyond cool. How many people would have done that? She already had my money. I was out of sight. It was a done deal. The fact that she thought enough of her food's reputation and me as a customer to call me back and give me her best...well, that's aces in my book. I'm quick to bellyache when I get screwed. It's nice to be able to report something good, for a change.

Oh yeah, the Iron Chef party. The rice was a big hit (she gave us tons). I shaped it in a small funnel, stacked it in a bowl, surrounded it by the curry and topped with (the various citrus) zest. You know I won. First place, baby! That Jack Lalanne Power Juicer prize was all mine (and it's AWESOME).