"0"^^ . "5"^^ . "0"^^ . "0"^^ . . "2012-12-12T00:00:00"^^ . "Thank goodness for Sala Thai! Fresh ingredients, spicy, and authentic fare!\n\nBeing new to Madison, my husband and I searched for a good Thai restaurant. We were afraid that even the Thai restaurants here may suffer from being \"midwestern bland\". We frequented Sa Bai Thong for a while, and recently discovered Sala Thai on Fair Oaks. \n\nWe are big fans of spicy food, and ordered the squid salad as an appetizer. It was amazing- sweet, spicy, and full of fresh ingredients- lettuce, tomato, red onion, lemongrass, squid, with small (priki-new) peppers that will make your face sweat! Following our appetizer, we ordered Som Tum (from the Laotian menu) and Gang Ped (green curry is the best and spicy enough without a special request). The Som Tum is an unknown gem of grilled marinated chicken over a bed of spicy papaya salad (don't fool yourself into thinking a salad isn't spicy here). Again, fresh ingredients (when you know what items to order!) and excellent flavor. The Gang Ped is my go-to curry dish- spicy while still comforting, fattening with no skimping on the coconut milk. I crave this dish- and it has become the dish I order regularly when we visit. \n\nWhile this is a family restaurant that can get overwhelmed on a busy night, the staff are always friendly if you are. Be sure to bring cash, and be sure to order the squid salad!"^^ . . .