Review: Akron, Ohio's "Pad Thai"

Nestled in the heart of Akron's Montrose area there is Pad Thai, sporting distinctive architecture and great atmosphere. I would argue it was the perfect location for my Valentine's Day dinner and classy to boot. Upon arriving, parking was an absolute nightmare. However, with the use of the free valet service, we were able to find our way into the restaurant with little problem.

Immediately upon entering you see a small fountain, and realize the floor is glass, with perfect view of gently gliding koi fish. Hostesses are all friendly, and with our reservation promptly met for 5:45, we were walked cheerily to our table. I tend to value good service as an essential at every restaurant I visit, and I was certainly not disappointed. A smiling face and excellent conversation, we were greeted, got our drinks in record time, and placed our orders after looking through the excellent selection of Thai and Chinese offerings.

The menu itself is expansive, with selections for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. There are a variety of appetizers, curries, noodle dishes, and desserts that looked to die for. We opted out of an appetizer, trying to keep our bill manageable. Whereas the food is excellent, the prices can be a bit steep depending on what you decide to order. Appetizers range from a $2 egg roll to a $13 fried soft-shell crab. Every other appetizer fell around $6.00. Regular dinner-priced entrees (including most of the curries, but excluding the noodle and rice dishes) range from $13 to $19 the more expensive dishes were those including duck or seafood. Noodles and rice ranged $8 to $15, and vegetarian dishes were all $12 or $13.

We of course ordered the pad thai, which by default includes chicken and shrimp. This was phenomenal, and something that both my date and I would recommend to anyone-especially those a bit hesitant or not so crazy about curries. We also ordered the Avocado Curry with tofu, which was a less traditional and more exploratory choice. It turned out to be an excellent one, thankfully. This sweeter curry had just the perfect balance of taste and spice, and complemented the unorthodox avocado just right. We were incredibly intrigued by the avocado ice cream, but they were unfortunately out of stock (it is an item they get in only every once in a while). We decided against dessert ultimately as the portions are fairly large. We each could have easily taken home leftovers, though that didn't end up being the case.

Overall I would suggest Pad Thai to anyone looking for great Thai food or great atmosphere. Though I wouldn't consider it fine dining, it has just enough sophistication and class to be the perfect "date restaurant." The décor is far from cheesy or gimmicky, but not so high-class that we felt out of place in our jeans. It was the perfect dinner for our occasion, and with drinks we ended up with a $35 bill between the two of us. It is certainly a bit too expensive for us to visit on a regular basis, but for special occasions such as these it really is worth the price. So if you're looking for a girl's night, a date night, or just simply looking for some great Thai food, check it out. Happy dining!