Stuck in Fremont? Chillies Paste

What: Phad Thai Lunch Special
Where: Chillies Paste Thai Cuisine (119 N 36th Street - Fremont)
When: Today at noon
Official Tasting Notes: Fremont is the Mecca of Thai food in Seattle.  There are four Thai restaurants in Fremont proper that I can think of off the top of my head.  Chillies Paste sticks out in my mind as my favorite.  Their lunch special includes a vegetarian Phad Thai, spring rolls, soup, rice and a rotating curry (depending on the day of the week) with your choice of meat.  Wednesday is green curry but don't miss coming back the rest of the week for yellow, panang, red or mussamon curry.   All of Chillies Paste's curries are rich in flavor, loaded with sliced zucchini, beans, and bamboo shoots.  Still hungry? Try their Angel Wings which are deep fried boneless chicken wings that have been stuffed with ground pork, carrots, bean threads and black mushrooms with a plum dipping sauce. There's really not a bad choice on the menu.
Cost: $7.95 plus tax and tip
Would I eat there again?  Definitely
Insider Notes:  Tamarind or Ketchup?  Having taken two Thai cooking classes and my aunt being from Bangkok, I've learned a thing or two about Phad Thai.  If the noodles are pink in color, they have substituted ketchup for tamarind.  Why you ask?!  Price.  Tamarind is native to Thailand, Phillipines, and Africa and Ketchup... native to American Hot Dogs. Ketchup is never a good substitution for anything in my book; though I do recall a friend in St Louis telling me that there was a bar there that made Bloody Mary's with the red condiment! Ketchup is very acidic and tends to break apart the noodles while cooking.  Tamarind has a unique sour taste that when combined with sugar and fish sauce, makes an amazing Phad Thai sauce. Chillies Paste uses real tamarind in their dishes.