Enough Bo already...here's another sad story

I've been singing the praises of Kway Tiow (83-47 Dongan Ave., near Broadway, Elmhurst, Queens 718-476-6743) for a while on this site. I consider them to be by far the best Thai in town...pulling off the duel trick of authenticity AND deliciousness.

Sriphraphai (which I was actually first to write about, so I don't dismiss it easily!) is very authentic and sometimes delicious, but as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't come close.

Guess what? They're dying. No customers. They get clumps of clientele once in a while, traffic picks up on weekends, but in general they ain't making it.

Places like Bo that hang on forever in spite of dire straits can make us complacent. Kway Tiow could just...just...CLOSE at any time. If they do, it'll be a disaster (and set a bad precedent; I can just imagine other Thai restauranteurs saying "See? we TOLD you we can't get away with serving the real stuff!").

If it closes and you never ate there, you'll rue it forever. Please, folks, let's make this another chowhound mission of mercy. Go there, bring LOTS of friends; let's keep alive this one bastion. Come to think of it, I'll go get some takeout right now.

Remember: fried appetizers and soups are nbot recomended (soups are ok, not great, some of the fried apps are pretty lame). Go with specials (jump on the barbecued chicken if offered), noodles (all are great), chinese broccoli with crispy pork, larb, and the steamed bread dessert. And, as someone pointed out, their curries are HEAVY on the coconut. I happen to like that.

it's an easy subway ride..take R train to Elmhust Avenue, then walk toward (and go under) the railroad overpass. Dongan is a block or two past the overpass.

ciao

We tried KT on Saturday night. We were the only 6 people in the restaurant until about 11:00. The food was good, although I wished I had taken your warning and avoided the soup. (Tom ka gai had too many pieces of dryish chicken, but the broth was very tasty.) We had recently been to Sripraphai which we thought was superior (and packed) but everything we ordered at KT was good: several curries, seafood and the old stand by pad thai. Dessert, the steamed bread and custard was really interesting and yummy. This is definitely a restaurant worth saving.

I've heard reports that the new woman chef, who'd started out showing much potential, is not cooking at nearly as high a level as her predecessor. This still might be one of the best Thais in town, but knowledgeable reports say it's not what it was. Alas. Glad you still found it a worthwhile eat.

Sripraphai, meanwhile, remains as reliable as ever. Their pastries took a dip in quality (that hasn't rebounded) about a year ago, but otherwise they're consistent. As I've said, they're a different vibe. They don't do Kway Tiow's homey style; it's authentic stuff slung quick, much of it reheated. But good...and authentic....