<a href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/04/21/dining/21minispan-1/21minispan-1-articleLarge.jpg"><img class="aligncenter" title="Mark's Pad Thai" src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/04/21/dining/21minispan-1/21minispan-1-articleLarge.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="331" /></a>Sometimes, I think that the minimalist Mark Bittman (from the NYT) and I should be BFF.  Yes BFF--that's best friends forever (fyi, MoM). But I am worried that now that I've written it, the magic is going to be lost forever and it will never happen. Okay, this wouldn't be the end of the world. I mean,d I don't actually know Mark making it hard for me to truly be BFF with him. Just as long as he keeps writing his column in the NYT The Minimalist I will be a happier camper.

Why you may ask?

Well because Mark Bittman is a no nonsense kitchen rock star. He makes tasty and beautiful dishes with just a couple of ingredients (which I can generally find Bulgaria).  Moreover, the recipes are easy to follow and usually quick to put together (which I like because I am cooking for one). There's little to no pretense and usually you can also watch a short video of him cooking up everything. Even better, usually he includes awesome variations which turns one dish into three or four (which I love because at the end of the day I've got about zero creativity left).

This week I just about died when I saw his <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/dining/21minirex.html?ref=dining">recipe: Pad Thai</a>. It was also the moment that I realized that Mark and I will never be BFF. I've got a food crush on him.<!--more-->

He wrote this about the dish:
<blockquote>IN the last 20 years or so, pad Thai has gone from being virtually  unknown in this country (America) to being a restaurant and takeout staple. It’s  easy to see why: the tangy, crunchy, slightly sweet noodles are  irresistible. But it’s difficult to understand why more people don’t  make it at home, since pad Thai is essentially a stir-fry (in Thailand  they refer to it as a Chinese noodle dish). It requires little more than  chopping and stirring, and comes together in less than a half-hour.</blockquote>
I <em>love </em>Pad Thai. Which is interesting because before I moved to Washington DC a few years ago, I'd never heard of it.  Pad Thai is maybe the quintessential Thai dish--noodles, veggies, lemon/lime flavors, a little spicy, a little savory and vegetarian or not depending on your inclination. And I miss it.

In Sofia, you can get a lot of Bulgarianized international cuisine--Chinese, Italian, Mexican, French, Indian and the list goes on and on but there's no Thai. Until now! Okay actually there's still no Thai restaurant but I'm going to give the Bittman recipe it a shot.

It's going to require a trip to the Asian food shop (or maybe it's just the Chinese food shop) off of Maria Louisa Blvd. Some creative substitutions, I am sure. And a lot of heart. But because Mark makes it look so easy, I am going to give it a whirl. Please don't break my heart Mark.