Siam Inn Thai Kitchen 01-13-2011

Location: 251 W 51 St
Time: 12:30pm

Feelings: When it snows in New York, many shoe obsessed people like myself will bring a pair of heels and switch them at the office. However, during my lunch hour, I foolishly forgot to switch back to my snow boots and found myself in a favorite pair outside of the office. As I looked up with desperation and shoe panic, I saw Siam Inn's sign: $7.95 for lunch specials. I have been working here for almost three years now, but I never noticed this place existed until today. Sometimes you need a bit of desperation and city slush to find a new place.

The interior of Siam Inn is dimly lit with mirrors and modern decor which gives the vibe of a quintessential theatre district restaurant. At 12:30, it was packed with a typical midtown lunch crowd, but I was able to get my takeout order within 10 minutes.

Unlike many Thai lunch specials in Midtown, Siam Inn has eight different appetizers to choose from. Although green papaya salad and roti sounded tempting, I chose the Midtown Thai lunch standard of spring rolls. They were crispy outside, and the filling of beans inside gave an interesting texture.

The entree, Pad Se Ew, was on the salty side, but the eggs were fluffy and perfectly cooked. The portion was small, but it was a perfectly acceptable lunch. I would normally walk another block to Pure Thai, but when the weather is not cooperative, this is a perfectly decent place to have.