Linda Falkenstein
What the menu lacks in choice it makes up for in quality.
The Corner Store on Williamson Street at Paterson hides its most salient characteristic -- delicious takeout Thai curries -- under a tidy maroon awning. The convenience store/sub shop offers the usual emergency items like chips and soda, as well as a variety of prepared foods for takeout.
Corner Store makes subs (served with chips, $5) and tacos and burritos, but the real, true star of the show is the Thai food, with a couple of daily curries (for instance, a yellow and a green) with rice ($6 for a deli container that serves one hungry-hungry human two of modest appetite). The curries stand up to those served at full-fledged Thai restaurants in Madison.
What the menu lacks in choice it makes up for in quality. Look for interesting sides too, like the crispy potato-filled samosa ($3 for, I think, three) with a sweet/hot dipping sauce. At least I'm calling them samosa, although the server and I experienced a bit of a language barrier that day. It doesn't matter what they are, they're terrific, although if you're taking them home a long way you might consider eating them a.s.a.p., before they get soggy.
The cooler case immediately to the right as you enter the store is also worth perusal for containers of hummus and baba ganoush ($3), tubs of curry sauce, other curries to heat up (prices vary), egg rolls, pad Thai, pork or veggie pot stickers (6/$2.50) -- all homemade. The veggie pot stickers, made with onion, ginger, cabbage and bean curd, came with a sweet and sour dipping sauce and were good even cold.
I have to give The Corner Store my favorite three-word recommendation: I'll Be Back.
