When Poncharee Kounpungchart, aka PK, and Wiley Frank opened up their tiny walk-up Little Uncle on Madison in 2011, it was instantly hailed as the only place in town serving up fresh, authentic Thai street food. Their menu is modest but perfectly executed—Wiley used to be a sous chef at vaunted Lark—and the duo is so charming that you'll fantasize about taking them out for drinks, forcing them into friendship, and then cajoling them back to your place to whip you up a late-night snack. This summer, they opened a second, brick-and-mortar Little Uncle restaurant in Pioneer Square, expanding both their menu and their loyal following of hungry fans. Here the couple shares where to get great tacos with kids in tow, the fact that they (criminally) only make fried chicken for themselves, and more.
First off, why does your food taste so goddamn good?
We simply make the food we like to eat. Our great employees make a huge difference. Many of our employees did not start out like us—knowing a lot about Thai cuisine—but they are well-trained as cooks, nonetheless. We make sure that everyone enters the kitchen with a blank slate, because assumptions can cloud what we are attempting to put out.
