Every morning at 5:30 a.m., Toi Sawatdee, owner/chef of Lemongrass Thai Cuisine, rolls out of bed, makes a half-hour commute into San Francisco and heads straight for the market. Not the grocery store, rather the fresh produce and meat markets.
She searches for the perfect carrots, the perfect bean curds, the perfect shrimp, because everything, everyday, must be perfect to the palate.
And what better way to ensure perfection than by cooking yourself?
Once the shopping is done, Sawatdee begins food preparation for the lunch and dinner crowds that begin at 11 a.m. everyday and run strong until at least 10 p.m. every night. That is, assuming she does not have a catering event to prepare for first.
Once the servers are properly garbed in traditional Thai dress, the doors open and Sawatdee works her magic. (That would be the same magic she has been working since she crawled out of bed at 5:30 a.m.) Dedication to her restaurant is expected in a business such as this, and Sawatdee never waivers.
She opened for business in 1994 and moved to her present address at 2348 Polk St. three years ago. Even though she maintains a regular local clientele, repeat visitors to San Francisco usually come back to Lemongrass at least once during their visit.
And who could resist?
With her own recipes of marinated chicken and pork satay, Thai toast, papaya salad, po tak soup chalk full of prawns, calamari, mussels and fish and original Thai curries, Lemongrass could potentially become addictive.
The menu is overflowing with poultry, pork, beef, seafood, noodle and vegetarian dishes, and Sawatdee has priced her entreés so reasonably, you might wonder how she has stayed in business for so long. Well, just take a look around at the occupied tables when you sit down.
That’s how.
For reservations, call 346-1818 or 929-1183.
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