I was excited when Miss Saigon opened in early 2011 on the corner of 92nd and Center, bringing Vietnamese food to some hungry West Side Milwaukee neighborhoods – Mount Mary, Kops Park, Cooper Park, Enderis Park – and Tosa.
Though the place always looked like it was doing a decent business, it closed this past summer and a banner went up advertising the arrival of Pattaya Thai in the space at 9201 W. Center St.
That restaurant opened at the beginning of November and folks in the surrounding neighborhoods have been checking it out. The buzz I've heard is that it's good, so I went over for a taste.
The interior, simply decorated with bright colors, doesn't appear to have changed much, but the menu now is strictly Thai and is available in the dining room and for take-out orders.
There are seven appetizers on offer, including fried egg rolls, steamed spring rolls, chicken wings, fried shrimp, wontons, sweet potato fries and a combo platter. They range from $4.95 for the fries to $10.95 for the platter.
A trio of salads and about a half-dozen soups side alongside a range of curries, noodle dishes, rice dishes and entrees like crispy fish fillet, stir-fried vegetables and steamed fish.
We tried the lemon shrimp ($11.95), which wedded nearly a dozen medium shrimp with a mix of vegetables – carrots, onions, green beans, cucumber – in a tangy lemon sauce, with a side of jasmine rice.
We also sampled the chicken pad Thai ($8.95). Rice stick noodles were stir-fried with egg, chicken and a sweet, dark soy sauce and served with a pile of crushed peanuts and a lemon wedge.
Both dishes were delicious, fresh and full of flavor. We'll go back to try it again, but our experience matches what we've heard from others, so I'm happy to have Pattaya nearby.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
