'Pot and Pan' Offers Delightful Thai Cuisine in Santa Monica

By Pete Allman

Pot and Pan is one of the more popular lunch and dining spots in Santa Monica. It is located at 2315 Santa Monica Blvd., diagonally across from UCLA Medical Group. Often times folks enjoy dining in elegant settings. Then there are those who enjoy quaint little cafes, which much of the time have some of the best foods. Such would be the case with The Pot and Pan.

Cheryl Johnson, the owner, prides herself in preparing all her dishes fresh every day. In addition, she and her relatives value the family restaurant. All foods are home-cooked. Jeff Leiva and Shaun Manurat, are two gentlemen who made our culinary journey a delight.

My guest Tom Hallick, who has a nice part in Gangster Squad, raved about the Pad Thai, which consisted of Vernielli noodles, blended with vegetables. I ordered Red curry with Pineapple with brown rice and a side order of vegetables. The pineapple curry is sweet and tantalizes the taste buds. The brown rice, made with sticky rice is also wonderful, especially when you add the pineapple curry over it.

Considering the price and the quality of cuisine, Pot and Pan is always packed for lunch. The price of $6.50 for Sweet and Sour soup is a meal in itself. But that's not the basis of Thai cuisine. The basic ingredients include spice from Thailand, garlic, mild peppers, basil leaves, galanda root and lemon grass. Soups and curries basic ingredients consist of coconut and bay leaves. Noodles are also a part of the culture of Thailand. There are various combinations which can be prepared with noodle dishes, such as broccoli and Tofu, eggplant, pumpkin and tofu or baby corn and mushrooms in garlic sauce.

Since I like to experiment this is what I do. However, the traditional dishes of Thailand are the soups, noodles and curries.

In conclusion to the exciting cuisine of Thailand, their salads are especially delicious particularly the spinach with shrimp, tufu, bean sprouts with peanut dressing, or tofu salad with spicy lime sauce over fresh greens, is a quick picker upper, combined with the soups.

Pot and Pan is open Monday-Saturday from 11am-10pm. Call them to cater your parties for 10 to 50 people at [310] 828-8979. Celebrity Scene News rates Pot and Pan a 4 star for quality of cuisine.

Pete Allman is a Las Vegas-based commentator, broadcast personality and celebrity interviewer. He also produces inspirational messages for television and other media. Contact him at peteonthescene@yahoo.com or (702)265-9099. Visit www.CelebrityScene.com Read more stories by Pete Allman.