Centerstage - Chicago's Original City Guide

Articles Sections >> Arts + Words Bars + Clubs Dating Festivals Fitness Food Lifestyle Music Theater Travel + Tourism Who's Who > View All Best When Drunk Dining Guides The Raving Dish

Zinny and Merle take it slow with sauvignon blanc at surprisingly hip TAC Quick.

Monday Jul 02, 2007.     By Zinny Fandel

Food Feed

Steamer thinks I'm paranoid. Or at least I'm paranoid that he does. My worrying stops short of the big stuff, like death. It's more a nagging, gluttonous fear that I might find myself without food or drink. Given that I live within walking distance of two candy-selling gas stations and six margarita-hocking taquerias, this is highly unlikely. Still, it had me stopping at two wine stores before hitting up TAC Quick, 3930 N. Sheridan Road.

I had read about the Thai restaurant on LTHForum years ago; my former supperclub mates also sang its praises. And as someone who tends to reserve Thai food for those weekend nights when I haven't showered, have seven bucks in my wallet and want to overwhelm my belly with three servings of noodles, I was eager to try a Thai restaurant that was known for its food rather than its convenience and price.

I was terrified that I might end up pairing a perfect meal with a totally horrible chardonnay. In keeping with my commitment to try to shop where I eat, I knew that I should swing by Sheridan L Liquors for my wine; it sits just 50 paces north of TAC Quick. But on my last visit to the tired-looking store, I grabbed a bottle of red, not taking the time to inspect the chilled selection, which made me nervous about what I'd gotten myself into this time around.

I fretted my way from downtown to Boystown, got off my bike and snuck into Kafka Wines, trying to justify the fact that it's kinda close to TAC Quick, especially if you really like to walk. I've only been to Kafka a few times, but I appreciate its mid-range prices and helpful staff. Less appealing is its relatively small refrigerator, though I consoled myself with the knowledge that it wouldn't be stocked with Yellow Tail.

After making good on a staff member's recommendation that I buy a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, I was on my way...and early, which gave me plenty of time to scope out Sheridan L's surprisingly large refrigerator, which stocked plenty of Thai-spice-friendly Riesling, including an incredibly hip-looking bottle dubbed Clean Slate from Moel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany. I felt better about Riesling vs. Sauvignon Blanc, knowing the latter would find an eventual home in my belly. Better yet, when I opted for the former, I learned that it was chosen Best Riesling at the 2006 San Francisco International Wine Competition. Well done, Sheridan L.

Now calmed, I met Merle at TAC Quick, which was just about as surprising as the liquor store. I expected typical Thai restaurant decor: slightly dingy wood and, in the worst cases, carpeting. But TAC Quick was as sleek as the wine label: lots of windows, crisp white walls, simple lines—the kind of place that I'd love to bring a bunch of couples to for a long dinner of tasting this and that.

When it comes to the this and that, there's plenty to chose from here, including the secret Thai menu, which isn't so secret anymore. But Merle and I were plenty overwhelmed by the basic menu and small specials list, which included intriguing dishes like wild boar pad ped. Armed with the knowledge that we'd be back in two shakes of a lamb's tail assuming the food was good, we decided to give the standard menu a go.

We split an order of doughy chive potstickers that came simply littered with bits of green, along with steamed shrimp dumplings, slowly dipping them into a sweet soy sauce. We broke into the Riesling, which Merle described as "happiness." It had the sweetness I wanted to combat the spice but also retained plenty of the crispness that I so love in Sauvignon.

Off to a strong start, we moved on to entrees. I kept it pretty basic with green tofu curry; Merle went with pad khee mao with beef, a dish of stir-fried wide rice noodles with brown sauce, basil, tomatoes, carrots, bean sprouts and onion. I was too busy chipping away at my giant plate to taste Merle's, but he dubbed my dish "buttery like lobster." It was kind of true. Forget watery curries. This was a sea of rich coconut lovin', studded with a mountain of white rice and an archipelago of vegetables: thick rounds of eggplant, strips of red pepper, broad jalapeno slices and plenty of basil.

It was enough to convince me that Thai dining doesn't have to be reserved for those nights when I'm still hungover at 6 p.m. I'm looking forward to wading further into TAC Quick's menu, and doing it true Zinny-style: No in-and-out, Merle and I drank, ate and chatted for a little more than three hours. The damage? Just $24 before a hearty tip. Now that's my idea of dinner.

Zinny Fandel's tales of living the (mostly) BYOB life are intended to be attempted at home and in the community, preferably at BYOB restaurants. If you know of a BYOB spot she simply must tipple at, let her know.