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I'm not even sure how it would make the food cheaper - port volumes are not high because of specialty products. Both LA and Seattle are in top 6 in terms of port imports, but 99% of that is bulk commodities that are distributed across the country. Produce may be very incrementally cheaper in LA, but that really doesn't affect costs at Thai restaurants. In Seattle, the average price for lunch at a good hole-in-the-wall Thai place is $5-$6.
As for which is fourth of the places I've tried Thai food, I'd probably go with Portland. I did have some amazing Thai food in NYC in the East Village and in Brooklyn, but overall NYC's Thai is not consistant enough to be ranked that high.
That has not been my experience at all in Seattle, and I will tell I'm talking from actual experience.
That has not been my experience at all in Seattle, and I will tell I'm talking from actual experience.
I agree - the first thing that hit me about Seattle Thai was that it was more expensive than LA or SF... I always figured it was because of the higher cost of produce.
Even beyond that, the demand here is much greater because you have a very large Thai community that's spread out over multiple parts of LA, the SGV, the SFV, and OC. Demand is the biggest reason that foreign-made goods would end up here; the proximity which lessens delivery time and shipping cost just sweetens the deal.
There are a fair number of Thai (as well as Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese) companies that have their sole distributors based in the LA area; go and check the packaging on your favorite Asian condiments, chances are good that their US contact info will be somewhere in California, most likely in SoCal.
And, in addition to radily available imported products, many "Asian" standbys, such as the ubiquitos Tuong Ot Sriracha by Hoy Fong foods that you see in practically every Thai and Vietnamese place in the US are made in the LA area. It's about as common as ketchup around here.
That's been my experience. There are some really good Thai places in Seattle; Seattle's Thai and Ethiopian are IMHO their standout ethnic cuisines and they're generally pretty good, and their Vietnamese is increasingly awesome as well (for any Seattlites in the house, Pho Saigon on First Hill is really good).
Same goes for the port volume argument - again, that volume is not related to specialty products. The fact is both LA and Seattle have two of the largest combined ports in the country and most of their trade is with Asia. A greater volume in bulk commodities does not provide an advantage in terms of Thai specialty products. None of this stuff "sweetens the deal".
The increased demand for specialty products due to the very large Thai Community in LA is definitely a valid point for why more foreign-made products would end up in LA. And you are right about many of the distribution centers being located in LA, as well as a lot of asian condiments being produced in SoCal. However, both LA and Seattle have a good number of specialty asian-food stores and, especially because there are so many Thai restaurants in Seattle, these stores have great selections of Thai specialty products. I can't speak to whether LA has that much greater access to exotic Thai products, but I know there are plenty of restaurants in Seattle serving authentic, regional Thai food that have no trouble getting the ingredients they need locally.
There are a lot of hole-in-the-walls with great food and cheap prices like this place, especially in the Southern part of the City. There certainly are a lot of upscale places that charge more, but many of the cheaper places are just as good in quality.
That has not been my experience at all in Seattle, and I will tell I'm talking from actual experience.
And here is the menu from Thai Tom, universally considered one of the best Thai restaurants in the City, and one of the pricier hole-in-the-walls. Here prices range from $6 - $7.50 per dish. Thai Tom Menu
I agree - the first thing that hit me about Seattle Thai was that it was more expensive than LA or SF... I always figured it was because of the higher cost of produce.
Do you have any evidence to back this up? Seattle has plenty of farmer's markets and year-round produce stands with cheap, quality produce of all kinds (as in, literally half the price of the grocery store).
And here is the menu from Thai Tom, universally considered one of the best Thai restaurants in the City, and one of the pricier hole-in-the-walls. Here prices range from $6 - $7.50 per dish. Thai Tom Menu
Thai Tom at ~$7 is perhaps slightly above average. The first menu I posted is closer to what I see in most of the places I'm talking about.
It really depends on the type of place you go to. The prices I mentioned are the average for the most of the no-nonsense, nothin'-fancy Thai places. Maybe $5-$7 would be more accurate, but I'd say $6 is the average. Here is another great place that falls in that range: Menu.
And here is the menu for one of the higher-end, definitely not hole-in-the-wall places which tend to be more expensive. Here lunch entrees are $7.50 and dinner entrees are $8.50. http://www.kwanjai-thai.com/menu.html
Do you have anything to back this up? What is the difference in travel time by sea between Thailand-LA/Long Beach and Thailand-Seattle/Tacoma? Does the greater overall volume in Ports of LA/Long Beach really mean that LA gets "first dibs" on specialty products from Thailand? From what I understand, much of what gets imported into these ports are bulk agricultural and manufactured products that end up going to other places across the country. I honestly think volume to ports has no bearing on greater accessibility to specialty products from Thailand (not to mention, specialty products are often flown in, not delivered by sea).
Finally, do you have any evidence to back up that the Central Valley really provides a greater variety of food during more of the year than Eastern Washington? Living in Seattle after spending most of my life in California, and being a huge consumer of fresh produce of all types, I can say that fresh local produce is of equal quality and equally accessible in both areas. Even if it turns out the Central Valley does provide this amazing bounty and variety that Eastern WA lacks (which I greatly doubt), Seattle is literally a half-day (12-13 hour) drive from the agricultural centers of the Central Valley. All to say that, I really see no evidence that LA has fresher and better produce/herbs than Seattle for Thai cooking.
I love the food in LA, by the way. I'd argue it is the best place in the country for low- and mid-budget ethnic food overall, since it is so diverse with so many nationalities represented and there are so many authentic cuisines available (not to mention, a strong demand for these cuisines from the 17 million+ population in the metro area)
However, I think in terms of Thai food (and other Southeast Asian cuisines) Seattle can match LA in quality and variety, and I definitely think the differences you mention in travel time, port volume, and agricultural supply have no bearing on the quality of Thai food. Both are West Coast port cities that do massive trading with Asia, both have access to some of the best fresh produce in the country, and both have easy accessibility to specialty products from Thailand.
Nope for the port, just that LA's port pushes more through and there's a larger number of Thai people which would means the ability and demand to get stuff in bulk. LA is in a different USDA hardiness zone, the central valley is larger, and the growing season is markedly longer. I don't see what's confusing about this. You will have fresh herbs and vegetables from fairly close by for longer periods of the year. I understand all of this takes a backseat to the primary factor--LA simply has a much larger and likely more diverse Thai community than Seattle does.
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