Cheap Eats: "King of Thai" Still Reigns

Cheap and quick. The way I like my Thai. King of Thai Noodle House (184 O'Farrell @ Powell...but many other city locations) knows what they are doing. Open every night till 1 AM and located right next to Macy's Union Square, it's a popular location and often crowded on weekdays and weekends. The tables are cramped up next to each other in a room awash in lavender. Why lavender, I have no idea.

I use a Thai restaurant's Pad Thai as a ranking meter and King's version ($7.45) was delicious. Loved the peanut sauce. However, I was knocked over by their great Pad Kee Mao ($7.25), a flavorful mix of a choice of meat, flat noodles, green beans, green peppers, and a lip smacking Thai chili and basil. My BBF Susan had Pad See-Ew ($7.25) - a mix of flat noodles, meat, egg, broccoli and soy sauce. She raved about it. A must when you visit is the Thai Ice Tea - simply one of the best I've tasted. The milk and cream mix was perfect. However, there was a major misstep for the King. The Egg Rolls ($5.45) were fried little pieces of blandness. The only thing they were good for was as something to dip in the fab plum sauce.

Service here is quick. And I mean quick. Not more than 20 seconds at the table, our server brought us water. A few minutes after ordering, the food started to roll out. Don't expect personality with your service. It's quick and efficient. With the bill you get a tasty after dinner mint called (I think..I can't really read the wrapper) "UST." Have no idea what it's made of but, boy, it was tasty. Another major downside is that they don't take credit cards. But the "King" still rules with good, quick and cheap food.

King of Thai Noodle House 184 O'Farrell (and other city locations) (415) 677-9991

Cheap Eats: Teriffic New "Teriyaki" Downtown

One of the cool things I get to do is tip you to new places. This one can't get an newer and I hope it stays for awhile. "Teriyaki Experience" is a great new Japanese fast food chain which just opened their first SF location downtown (356 Kearny, between Pine and Bush..across from the Bank of America Building). It boasts a healthy food experience with fresh ingredients that are cooked right in front of your eyes and yes...you can taste the difference. The Chicken Teriyaki Rice Meal ($5.99) was a flavorful bowl of rice (duhh!) with fresh vegetables (green & red cabbage, bean sprouts, carrots, broccoli, green peppers) and freshly cooked chicken. Add in a great teriyaki sweet sauce and you have a yummy low cal lunch (523 calories...but come one...who's counting?). Another winner was the Chicken Yakisoba Noodle Meal ($6.49), a tasty combo of white meat and Yakisoba Noodles. In addition, they offer vegetarian only dishes.

This place is all about the healthy and, best of all, they don't cook with oil, just water. You can eat in their simple dining area or get it to go. Check out their menu here. And here's a tip: Since they've only been open for four months, they're offering some great discount coupons and I found several on trays by the counter. If you want a break from the other area quick eats, then get some "teriyaki" in your life.