Pad thai in PDX without ketchup?

[chipqmunk]

I'm fairly new to the Portland/Vancouver area (from Seattle) and every Thai restaurant seems to have pad thai drowning in orangey-red sauce--made with ketchup or tomato paste. On a brief visit to Bangkok last year, I ate pad thai at 3 different places and never experienced this sauce. The closest I have found to authentic is at Kinnaree and May in Seattle. Whenever I am brave enough to ask what's up with the orange sauce, I am told it's a regional thing or it's the tamarind paste. I keep hoping I will luck upon some place down here that will say, "Since you asked, you must be a connoisseur of the real stuff. I will bring you some right away!"

[jesset]

The best pad thai in Portland (well, the best Thai anything in Portland) can be found at Lemongrass. Just be careful about the spice level. Medium in lemongrass-speak is hot as hell anywhere else. May still be closed as the owner is on vacation so call first. Enjoy....

[curriedbones]

Lemonleaf?

[pizzafiend]

You should also try Kesone Thai at approx. 26th and NE Sandy. My wife loves Pad Thai and has tried many places around town, and this is her favorite.

[MichaelG]

If you live in SW PDX, you might try Pepper Tree. Over a three night period, I compared their pad Thai to Thai Orchid and eSan, and it came out on top. Highly recommended...

[chipqmunk]

Thanks all for the recommendations! I have not been to any of the places each of you suggested, so I will enjoy trying them all. Some of the places where I have found the ketchupy style pad thai were Pai Tong on NE Glisan, Beau Thai on NW 21st, Erawan in east Vancouver and Kop Chai in Camas, WA. I am new to the "epic" discussion--that brought a lot of insight to the variations in pad thai recipes! It gives me hope that I can still try to perfect a recipe at home.

[extramsg]

Arawan had changed hands, I think, a year or two ago and really went downhill. Beau Thai is one of my least favorite in town. I remember their pad thai as being rather sauceless, though. Maybe that was Miso Hapi.

[Nettie]

If you're new, you might not rememeber the epic pad thai discussion from a couple of years ago:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/13582