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| - This is probably my favorite restaurant in Madison. Nearly everything I've had here has been excellent, and the service is great, too. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is that the rest of Madison seems to share my enthusiasm for the place, and they don't take reservations unless you have a party of 5 or more.
The street parking can be a bit tedious on weekends, but usually during the week it's not difficult to find a space. There's a (very) tiny waiting space when you're waiting for a table with a few outdated magazines and ancient copies of the Isthmus; it's often cramped and I believe there are only 2-3 chairs. Make sure you check in right away with the front counter to get on the waiting list if this is the situation with which you're confronted. As of yet, I don't think there's a way to grab a soda or beer from the case and have it added to your tab once you get a table, which would be a great idea. The booths are extremely comfortable (the tables, less so, since they are crowding a bunch of them into a tight space). The bathrooms are always clean and well-supplied, but since they are single-occupancy, you can count on a line for them on the weekends.
I've had the Crab Wonton, Goi Cuon Cha Giò, and Goi Cuon Chay as appetizers. While the Crab Wonton (served with a sweet & sour sauce) is nothing to write home about, the Goi Cuon Cha Giò is fantastic - it's a spring roll wrap over a Vietnamese egg roll, so it has a nice hearty warmth while still feeling light and refreshing. The rolls come with a delicious sauce with chunks of peanuts that I only wish was a bit thicker, since it tends to run everywhere. The Goi Cuon Chay is a great vegetarian spring roll.
For dinner, I've had Musamun Curry, Panaeng Curry, Red/Yellow/Green Curries, Pho Tái (you should definitely clarify with your server if you order this, since many of them mishear it as the Pad Thai), Gà Kho Gung, and Pad Thai. The Musamun Curry is better here than I've had it anywhere else - it's not too sweet (usually the downfall of Musamun Curry, in my opinion), and the mix of spices is perfect. I always order it with beef. The Panaeng Curry (usually ordered with chicken) is alright, but I had better when living in a Vietnamese neighborhood in SF. The Red/Yellow/Green Curries are all nice, but flavor-wise not terribly distinct from each other. On the other hand, the Pho Tái is freaking amazing - the best I've had since leaving SF. There's plenty of meat (though it could be rarer when it arrives, letting the broth cook it), they bring out tons of Thai basil/bean sprouts/lime wedges to add, and there are huge bottles of Hoisin and Sriracha at the tables to adjust everything to your personal palate. It's really filling, but it doesn't work well as takeout or leftovers (Pho Tái rarely does), and you'll probably feel a touch of hunger later as the broth leaves your stomach. The Gà Kho Gung is the PERFECT meal when sick. It has a ton of chicken and fresh ginger in a broth-like sauce, which the rice absorbs well. It's one of my favorite winter meals. The Pad Thai is pretty good, but not a standout dish like some of the others. A note about spice: I tend to like things spicier than the average Sconnie, but the difference between ** spiciness and *** spiciness is bizarre and sometimes wildly fluctuates from time to time. I can't taste any spice at the ** level, but the *** level means I'll have to pack most of it to go because my mouth is too on fire to eat much. I tend to find a happy medium by choosing the ** level and adding Sriracha. My Texan boyfriend is fine with the *** spice level, though. Another note: the portions are ENORMOUS; I can't remember a time when I didn't need a to-go box. They're easily shared between at least two people.
The Thai Iced tea does a great job of blunting the spiciness of some of the food, but I suggest requesting that it come out WITH the meal instead of before the meal, so that the ice doesn't melt too much, thinning it out. I've also quite enjoyed the Crabbie's alcoholic ginger beer, though it will not soothe spiciness and sometimes seems to exacerbate it. I've always been far too full to order dessert, so I can't speak to that. They do bring out lovely little candies with the check, though; I wish I knew what flavor they're supposed to be.
While I've always had a pleasant experience, I do think it's fair to mention that some good friends (who have also been huge fans of the place in the past) did have a bad experience a few months ago. One of them ordered a new dish and thought it tasted terrible. His fiancee verified that it was basically inedible, and they alerted their server after each taking only a bite or two of the dish. She was fairly unpleasant when they requested to send it back and replace it with something else, though she did finally do so after calling in other servers. However, I've never had a bad experience, and look forward to returning.
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