Red Corner Asia

After a long week, cheap Thai food is a satisfying way to kick off the weekend. There are several good places in Thaitown, but we go here because they take credit card and have a parking lot (valet on Fri nights/weekends), although I somehow scored a meter with nary a turn around the block.

Green papaya salad with dried shrimp. We've had an interesting history with ordering papaya salad here. We used to order it medium spice, but it was always a gamble because each server would interpret it differently. We've just resorted to ordering it "not spicy/very mild," which isn't the ideal way to eat papaya salad, but at least, we know what we're getting. I think the major factor in the inconsistency is that I'm Asian and Charles is white, so there might have been conflicting accounts of Asian spicyness and Not-An-Asian spicyness in the kitchen.

Pad thai with fried tofu. I find their version sweet, but Charles likes it.

Red curry with chicken. You have to be careful about what you order at Red Corner because it's not a place where everything is good. Roast duck over rice is my usual, but every now and then I get bored with it and try something else. I usually end up regretting it (for example: crispy duck with panang curry - the coconut milk was overwhelming). Not the case with this red curry! Maybe because I asked for a medium spice level, but the flavors were well-balanced and tasty. Not the best curry I've ever had, but good enough to order again.

Red Corner Asia: 5267 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027. (323) 466-6722