Phat Thai brings Mark Fischer's cooking down the mountain

When Phat Thai went into Cherry Creek North last year, it took over an address that had seen a string of restaurant failures in a neighborhood that was on the verge of losing its dining edge...

By Laura Shunk

May 15, 2012

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When Phat Thai went into Cherry Creek North last year, it took over an address that had seen a string of restaurant failures in a neighborhood that was on the verge of losing its dining edge.

But if someone was going to exorcise the demons of the space and breathe new life into the area, Mark Fischer was a good candidate: the chef owns a pair of restaurants in Carbondale; Six89 makes the tiny town a destination, and the original Phat Thai offers an inventive menu that captures the flavors of southeast Asia without attempting to be authentic.

So when Fischer announced that he was opening a second Phat Thai here in the Mile High City, I had high hopes and expectations that it would be every good as its counterpart, making it a smashing success no matter where he put it.

For this week's review, I stopped by the Cherry Creek outpost of Phat Thai and ate my way through the menu, which, like its mountain town sibling, is an amalgamation of dishes that aren't authentically Thai.

But were they delicious? Find out tomorrow when the review is posted here.

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Laura Shunk was Westword's restaurant critic from 2010 to 2012; she's also been food editor at the Village Voice and a dining columnist in Beijing. Her toughest assignment had her drinking ten martinis and eating ten Caesar salads over the course of 48 hours. She still drinks martinis, but remains lukewarm on Caesar salads.

Contact: Laura Shunk

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