Brown Sugar Cafe

Food: tasty Thai cuisine that is fairly authentic. Brown Sugar has great traditional favorites such as pad thai and drunken noodle, but also interesting gourmet originals. My favorites are the curry, which comes in a rainbow of red, green, yellow, Masamam and Penang, and you can take your pick of chicken, beef, tofu, pork, shrimp or duck for each of them, each creating a different take on the dish. You can also build your own stir-fry, selecting vegetables, tofu, sauce, etc., to order your own Thai creation. A longtime favorite, as we've returned to the Comm. Ave Brown Sugar many times over the years, is the pad see ew, flat rice noodles, broccoli, carrot, and egg, which they do so well you can't help but want to order it again every single time. Last night we went vegetarian (though it must be noted the dish is very good with both chicken and beef, I can vouch) and the tofu was cooked so exquisitely it appeared a huge, glistening, golden piece of French toast sitting on the plate. The tofu was crisp outside and yet still soft (but not runny) in the middle, soaking up the flavors which marinate so perfectly as it cooks. Makes you want to lick the plate clean. Finally, one must wash down any meal here with a cool Thai iced tea - arguably Thailand's answer to the Indian mango lassi - and of course pop a tootsie roll in your mouth at the door, a Brown Sugar tradition.
Service: varies but last night the servers were quite helpful and quick. They do an excellent birthday celebration in which they turn down the lights in the dining room and flash colored lights around while singing a rousing Thai rendition of "Happy Birthday" - the entire staff joins in - to which the diners gawk in entertainment since it's virtually impossible to sing along (unless you happened to grow up in Bangkok. or speak Thai.) They make a big enough scene to embarrass even the most poised individual, it's great.
Ambience: ho-hum decor inside but the recent addition of the al fresco dining in front, fenced in with charming flower boxes adds a nice touch for dining outside on warm summer evenings.
Price: Affordable sit-down meal. Standard noodle and fried rice dishes range from around $11-$13, and specials and meat entrees are $14-$16. You get a decent bang for your buck, as the portion sizes are large, easily sharable or allowing for leftovers for your husband/boyfriend (aka trusty "garbage disposal" man) and the curry dishes all come with a bowl of rice, of course.
Reservations: not necessary but there's generally a wait and they won't seat you until your whole party arrives, so there's often a crowd awkwardly filling up the foyer. Go earlier in the evening on weekends or risk waiting for an hour for a table. If you're hungry, it's worth the wait.

3.5/5 stars.