Info IT

Location: 3332 N Lincoln
Cost: About $15 per person

This post is very important. I have finally come across a great Thai restaurant. Ive had plenty of good Thai food, but until a few weeks back, it had all just kind of blurred together. So my friends Kayleen and Dave kept talking about this place called Poos. It was their favorite Thai place by far, and I just had to come join them. Interestingly enough, the name was changed from Poos to Phos and then Phos Hot and Spicy. The menus still say Poos which is hilarious. In addition to the three of us, we were also joined by Renee and Dr. Jeff.

Logistics
Phos Hot and Spicy is a tiny little storefront. Theres maybe seating for 20 people. Luckily, we beat the small dinner rush and pretty much had the dining room to ourselves. You can make reservations but probably dont need one. Theres plenty of street parking nearby too. An important note is that theyre a BYOB restaurant and that the Whole Foods down the road has a pretty good beer selection.

Our waitress was really friendly and quick. She had suggestions to make, but Kayleen and Dave being the regulars they were took care of our order easily. The cost is on the cheaper side of the average Thai place with most appetizers around $4 and most entrees around $8. The portions are huge and make for great meals to share.

Note: If youre looking for a challenge, they have a wall of fame. When you order any entree you can specify how spicy you want it. If you set the record for the spiciest dish (based on scoops of some chili extract) then you get your photo on the wall. We didnt try, but you totally should.

The Food
We got a few appetizers to start like the Spring Rolls and the Nong Thong (chicken wings with a Thai spice rub). The spring rolls were relatively standard, but I liked that they didnt come apart all over the place when you picked them up. The Nong Thong was a great dish. The wings were really meaty and had this fantastic dry rub kick.



From there we split the Chicken Pad Thai, the Shrimp Pad See Ew, the Roasted Duck Curry, the Mussaman Curry, and the Praram Rongsong.The Pad Thai had a thicker sauce and more peanuts than most. The flavor was deep, the chicken was moist, and the noodles were glassy. The Pad See Ew was really spicy, and the noodles were perfectly soft and wide. The duck curry was rich and aromatic. There was a peanut flavor that permeated the dish, but the duck meat stood out strongly. The Mussaman Curry was a fantastic vegetarian dish. It was a coconut based curry with sweet potatoes and a variety of other vegetables. I was mostly concerned with the addictive broth. Finally, the Praram Rongsong was a chicken dish with broccoli and pea pods, covered in a thick peanut sauce. The sauce was the star of the dish, and if you love peanuts this is a must have.






Overall
Phos Hot and Spicy is cheap, BYOB, convenient, and much better than most Thai restaurants Ive been to in Chicago thus far. If you like spice and authenticity then this is the spot for you. Im giving them 4.5 out of 5 Pearls.




Thanks again to Dave for the solid photography.