Dao Thai

Last week was the first week of my second year of med school. On top of an onslaught of microbiology lectures, there were quite a few events for orientation week that second year students partake in. Each second year student is assigned a little sibling to provide advice to throughout the year. Traditionally the big and little siblings get together in small groups for an introductory meal. After toying around with the idea of hosting a barbecue for some time, I decided it would be easier just to go out with some friends. Arif, Ryan, Anthony, KVG, and I decided to take all of our little siblings out to a mainstay in the Feinberg School of Medicine diet, Dao Thai. Being one of the only reasonably priced restaurants in Streeterville (and considering that most students don't leave campus often), it would make sense that a lot of students on loans would go there. I'd had Dao multiple times before, but only when it was brought in for lunches so I was pretty interested to eat there.

Logistics
We had a pretty large group between all of us and our little siblings, but Dao was able to accommodate us easily. They take reservations, but I don't think you'll really need them. The main room is pretty large with large seating options. They also have interesting seating in the middle where you can sit on a pillow and all.

The service was pretty good. There wasn't really anything tricky to our party, and no one had any questions for the waitress. Still, the food was brought out in a timely manner, and she managed our large group well. Also, they were willing to do separate checks for all of us.

The cost is the same as pretty much every other standard Thai restaurant. Entrees are right around $7, which is a deal for Streeterville. However, they charge you $1.50 for rice with your entree which I think is ridiculous. They may as well charge for tap water. It's super cheap to make white rice, and it's included with your meal at every other Thai restaurant, so I don't think it's acceptable to charge.

The Food
Since we had a big group, we had a bunch of different dishes, but since I had just met most of the people, I wasn't about to reach across the table to anyone's plate. Accordingly, I'll talk about the things I tried, but there will be plenty more pictures.

 Phuket

The Green Curry Beef

The Pad Kee Mao

The Panang Beef Curry

The Beef Fried Rice

The Chicken Supreme

The Pad Thai

 
My entree was the Panang Beef Curry (and I bought the brown rice on the side). It's supposed to have a rich curry with a peanut flavoring, but it tasted a little too much like a spicy peanut butter. I tried the Pad Thai which was pretty tasty, but it was a little sweet. Arif also gave me a taste of his Beef Fried Rice which was a nicely done dish. Everyone else seemed relatively pleased with their dishes, but no one really seemed blown away by anything.

Overall 
Since I didn't eat everything I asked everyone else how they felt about their food. The most common response was that it was average and not much more (and I agreed). I'd just had Silver Spoon a week before this, so I felt like I was in a good place to make a direct comparison. Also, since they're both in a stones throw of each other, I think it's necessary to pick one over the other. I'd definitely go with Silver Spoon for food quality, but for catering and groups Dao is the pick. I'm giving Dao 2.5 out of 5 Pearls.