We just received word here at Shoestring Austin HQ that a cool free lunch event is happening TOMORROW (Tuesday, October 26) here in Austin, so check it out. As per the email we received:

On Tuesday, October 26, Pei Wei Asian Diner will host a free lunch for its local fans. Executive Chef Eric Justice will be on-site preparing a Thai-spiced aromatic chicken dish paired with lettuce cups and coconut rice, traditionally known in Thailand as Laarb. The off-menu, authentic street fare will be available free of charge for the first 250 Pei Wei lovers to arrive.

Where: Republic Square Park (422 Guadalupe)

When: Tuesday, October 26 from Noon to 1 PM

Pei Wei currently has 5 locations serving the Austin area, from Round Rock down to the Bee Caves. We haven’t had a chance to check them out, so this might be just the incentive we need to give them a whirl! (Seriously, who says no to free food?)

So there you have it! For more information, check out the Pei Wei Facebook Fan Page, or follow them on Twitter @PeiWei.

After sautéing up some chicken, letting it simmer in the simmer sauce for the allotted time, and having steamed some broccoli and cauliflower to complete the meal, I served it up with some fancy looking sprigs of cilantro on top:

A disappointment, brought to you by Thai Kitchen's Green Chili Simmer Sauce

Looks tasty, right? Well, it would’ve been, except for the fact that Thai Kitchen’s Green Curry 10-Minute Simmer Sauce is apparently totally lacking in green chili! WTF?! Although green chili is one of the ingredients listed on the bottle (under “green curry paste,” it is the primary ingredient), it tasted to us like there was nothing spicy in the jar at all. I don’t think I even tasted any garlic or lemongrass, so I fired off an email to Thai Kitchen inquiring therein.

The result? NADA. It’s been two weeks and not even a “thank you for your comments!” email in return. Therefore, I must strongly advise Thai-lovers out there to avoid this product. It is bland in the extreme and, frankly, we would have had a better tasting sauce if we’d just made a brown gravy to pour over our chicken.

In the meantime, we will keep on searching for the Thai spice mixtures of our dreams. Stay tuned when we finally hit up an Asian grocery!

Got any suggestions for products we can find locally that will kick our Thai meals up a notch? Any recommendations for spicy green chili would be greatly appreciated!