Musings over the #B6 Basil Chicken

One of the little things I realized I had never partaken in while in NYC is just a plain and simple lunch special at a restaurant. The reason being for the seven years I've been here, we ate lunch at our desks every day, and on the few occasions  we'd go out for lunch with clients, etc. it would be to a fairly fancy establishment. I feel of all the tasks on my agenda, this surely must be one of the more accessible ones.

I went to Pad Thai where I saw the sign "Lunch Specials starting from $6". I got the Basil Chicken, extra spicy, which was in fact $6 and came with a choice of appetizer, from which I chose the Fried Dumplings.

Some thoughts:

- What exactly is in a Thai Iced Tea? I dont really want to look it up because they are just so damn good and I dont want to see a composition of ingredients like "pure and unadulterated heavy cream", sugar, sin, more sugar, maybe a drop of actual tea, and half and half. But of course I had one of these with the meal

- An interesting group of people around me. Down the row was a group of "The Gays" (as this is the heart of Chelsea) getting absolutely wasted on Bellinis. Oh, the Gays...how you make my neighborhood so much more lively.

- Directly to my right were two people who looked very goodfellas-ish, and still using Nextel walkie-talkies. I didnt know they even had those anymore. More importantly, I did realize the first thought that went through my head was "I wonder what those guys are up to?" But I then realized that was more borne of the idea that anyone who has time to go sit down and take an hour lunch is "obviously not working hard enough, so must be scamming".....oh, how work had warped my thinking.

- I also see two women with their children in strollers next to them chatting away. These must be the stay-at-home mom's who meet up over Thai food and walk their children around the neighborhood. Why do they look younger than me? Could they be nannies or au pairs? Or could it be that I'm almost 29, and yes, there are mothers younger than me.

- The food is absolutely amazing. If you are ever looking for quality food at a very cheap price, in a setting that makes you feel somewhat "New York-y", I'd strongly recommend the "Gay Chelsea Thai District". I dont know how they all survive, but there's four places (Nooch, Pad Thai, Room Service, and a new place I think called Shilom) that all have great food, drinks, decor, and a lively scene and are inexpensive all within a few blocks. I guess there is one fundamental truth in life: "The Gays" love their Thai.