Thai Me Up
Once again the Harris Teeter supermarket on Cloverdale Avenue in Winston-Salem is the improbable home to a Thai restaurant, Thai Sawatdee. Vegetarians can celebrate - most of the dishes can be made with tofu, so there’s a great variety to choose from. (Although I haven’t found a Web site for the restaurant, local blogger Julie James has posted an image of the restaurant’s takeout menu.)
Everything I’ve tried at Thai Sawatdee has been delicious. The Pad Khing is a gingery stir-fry brimming with bright, fresh vegetables - light and satisfying. The Som Tum, a green-papaya salad, singed my eyebrows. Next time I’ll order it mild, rather than spicy. (You can request a condiment tray of pepper flakes, red-pepper sauces, etc., so that you can adjust the heat of any dish to your liking.) But my true love is the rich, coconut-milk based green curry. It never, ever fails to make me happy.
Lunch is an incredible deal - $5.95 for an entree, soup of the day and spring rolls. On days when the soup of the day has been non-vegetarian, the hostess has gladly substituted a vegetarian soup in its place.
A small dining area with about a half-dozen tables is tucked into a niche beside the entrance to the store. It offers a good view of grocery shoppers and folks coming in to order takeout from Thai Sawatdee. To me, this simple setup is part of the restaurant’s charm. And even if it weren’t, the green curry would keep me coming back for more.
