Stop in for some Thai

there's one dish we can never stop thinking about

Hi, everyone!

How was your weekend? I’m kinda bummed it’s gotten cold again, but I guess that stretch of warm weather was the usual false start we get from springtime in Chicago (the usual “ha ha, fuck you, spring’s actually coming in two months”). So to continue wallowing in self-pity, I thought I’d bring up a type of cuisine you normally associate with tropical weather, Thai food.

(Good segue, Dennis.)

Growing up, we didn’t eat Thai food. Mom always cooked Korean food (a fact that I am thankful for every single day), and the northern suburb where we lived, Lake Forest, isn’t exactly known for its diverse population. So you can probably imagine that opportunities to try new types of food were pretty slim back then. My general experiences with Thai didn’t start until college, when I was introduced to affordable stuff like pad Thai from takeout places.

It seems like as of late, however, Davida and I have been seeking out Southeast Asian food like crazy. I think it started with my love of Hermosa Restaurant (which specializes in Cambodian cuisine, made by my friend Ethan) a few years back. The flavors he employs are bright, spicy, and intricate, and after that kind of introduction, neither of us can seem to get enough now. Cambodian food and Thai food overlap in many ways, and now since those training wheels of pad Thai have long-since busted off, I’m all in.

That’s why In-On Thai in Uptown has easily become one of our new favorites.

In-On Thai isn’t exactly a secret gem. My food-loving friends have always gushed about the place, so we’re a little late to the party. Better late than never, except for that one time I showed up at a friend’s birthday party a whole week late, wondering where the fuck everyone was.

These chicken curry puffs (three for $7) were originally recommended to me by my editor at The Takeout, Marnie Shure, who’s a regular at In-On Thai.

I’m so glad she mentioned them, because these things are delicious. The puffs are much like empanadas in that they’re made with a pastry dough and fried, but their filling also reminds me of samosas, since there’s a lot of potato inside them. The filling is notably slightly sweet, and the cucumber and red onion salad on the side is even sweeter, making for a good little refresher in between bites of puff.

I’d imagine that the sunshine beef ($8) would pair extremely well with a tall cold lager.

In-On Thai is BYOB, and there’s a liquor store just a few doors down, so you can easily make that a reality, by the way.

Davida particularly wanted to order the sunshine beef because it was similar to something she tried years ago at a restaurant in Las Vegas. It’s a jerky-like beef dish served with a spicy dipping sauce, and is the type of finger food that’s fun to graze on before your main dishes arrive. The meat is finished by being fried, which gives some bits a very crisp texture while other portions are more akin to air-dried jerky. I’m a big fan of the little crispy bits.

Speaking of finger food, who doesn’t love a good order of chicken wings ($10)?

The lightly battered and fried wings at In-On Thai come out piping hot with a side of sweet Thai chili sauce for dipping. No need to wax poetic on them, they’re just some really solid wings with a lacy fried coating. Sometimes good food doesn’t need too much explanation, nor does it have to be overwrought.

If you order the crispy ground pork salad ($12.50), don’t be confused when a plate of meatballs shows up at your table.

These minced pork meatballs are fried until they get a brown crunchy crust on their exterior, and they’re seasoned internally with an herb and lime dressing, which is the dominant flavor you’ll notice when you’re eating them. The meat isn’t packed too tightly, so you get a bit of an interplay between soft and crisp in each bite. I love the fact that they’re fried like this, because the texture is so interesting.

While the shredded papaya and wedge of cabbage on the side might appear as if they’re just garnishes, be sure to have some as you’re eating the meat, since the freshness helps cut through the tart flavor of the meatballs.

My friend James suggested we order the shrimp with tamarind sauce ($16), which Davida and I hadn’t even noticed on the menu until he pointed the dish out.

The shrimp come very lightly battered and fried, and the thin pool of tamarind sauce beneath them is sour and sweet, with that complex caramel quality that’s so distinct to tamarind. They’re topped with crispy fried shallots, and a spoonful of sticky rice with the sauce and shallot bits is a beautiful way to enjoy all of it, once the shrimp is gone.

If I had a top 10 list of favorite dishes in Chicago, the crispy fish with jungle salad ($16, also pictured in header) would be on it.

When you’re writing about food, I generally try to take it easy on the superlatives, but in this case, fuck it. This dish is fucking amazing. There’s small filets of fried fish beneath that mound of salad you see in the photo, and though I’m not particularly familiar with the concept of jungle salad, it’s an absolute banger. The stuff served here is made of apples, red onions, thinly sliced lime (including the peel, and yes, you eat all of it), peanuts, and herbs dressed in a spicy lime dressing.

This is no-holds barred flavor. It’s sour, sweet, salty, and savory, and each bite presents so much by way of texture and taste that it’s mentally dazzling. I can’t recommend it enough, and frankly, if they charged twice as much for it we’d order it anyway. On one trip we came home with leftovers, and it’s almost as good cold, eaten late at night, straight from the box.

The more I learn about food, the more I’m starting to realize just how wide the concept of curries is.

The curry I grew up with was a brown Japanese-style that’s popular in Korea, made from a base product that looks sort of like a chocolate bar (Vermont or Golden Curry, which you can get at a lot of Asian supermarkets). It took me a lifetime to understand that the version of curry I knew of growing up was nothing like the variations from South Asian countries.

So the more I try different kinds, like Thai curries, the more I’m truly starting to appreciate the subject. The stir-fried chicken with green beans and curry sauce ($13.50) is a red and slightly dry variation that’s spicy, and perfect with a spoonful of sticky rice. Curry is such a complicated flavor profile that it’s hard for me to use words other than “spicy” to describe it, so I probably sound like a dumbass, but I promise this one’s worth a shot.

By no means is what I’ve written about even a glimpse into the full menu, either. There’s about 60 different options to try between starters to full entrées, so I think the next time we visit, I think I’ll close my eyes, flip through the menu and point at three or four random items. I feel like we’ve barely gotten started at In-On Thai, but that’s what makes it so exciting.

Now that I’ve professed our relatively newfound love of Southeast Asian cuisine, I’m curious as to your favorite spots. Since I don’t hear from you all too much, start popping off in the comments section: Where do you get your favorite Southeast Asian food from?

In-On Thai
4641 N Broadway
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 944-0114

Hours:
Closed Monday
Tuesday through Thursday: 4 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Friday: 4 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Saturday: 3 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sunday: 3 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

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One last note: I’ll be off next week, since Davida and I are going to Oregon. I have a press trip to visit Tillamook’s cheesemaking facility, and once that’s concluded, she and I’ll be hanging out in Portland for a few days. If there’s any can’t-miss spots, I’m happy to hear about them! And if you want to keep up with what we’re up to, feel free to find me on Instagram, I’m easy to reach.

Okay, everyone, have a wonderful few weeks, I already miss you! Love you all, and I’ll be back in your inboxes as soon as I can.