My Mother is visiting this week, so today I took her to downtown Tracy for lunch. I decided that the Thai Cafe was the place to go as my Mother has been eating more spicy food recently and is always wanting to try new foods.

Several of my friends always talk about the wonderful Chicken Kai or Chicken Salad that they serve there, so it was my choice today.

Chicken Kai

I had not visited the Thai Cafe for some time, so was surprised that they had upgraded their serving dishes. The salad now has a very nice presentation compared to what it was the last time I visited. I ordered the hot version of the salad to make sure that I at least had a little bit of spice. The chicken was well prepared and the slices of apple in the salad gave a nice sweet contrast to the little bit of spiciness of the dressing. For some of my friends the hot version is too hot, I guess I just have higher expectations as to how hot Thai food should be :-).

My Mother decided to order the Shrimp Pad Thai. The waitress asked her a few questions before recommending that she try the medium version instead of the mild.

Shrimp Pad Thai

My Mother really enjoyed the Pad Thai and the spice level was just right for her. I took a taste, and the flavor was on par with Pad Thais that I had tried in Bangkok. The lunch brought back memories of a trip there years ago.

So, if you are ever in Tracy and looking for a nice lunch, stop by the Thai Cafe. If I worked closer to home, it would most likely be a frequent lunch place for me.

Steven