Restaurant experiment: Kittichai

Kittichai

60 Thompson Street between Spring Street and Broome Street

New York, NY 10012

212-219-2000

http://kittichairestaurant.com/index2.html

As it was Leslie’s birthday, she was selected this establishment to celebrate her birth.  Since Dave and I showed up before the guest of honor, we chilled in the restaurant’s bar until Leslie arrived.  The restaurant, especially the lobby and bar, are decorated splendidly.  Some cool ironwork of Thai script.  However, the price for a dirty martini wasn’t cool.  $15???  Eep.

Our large party was seated by the pond.  Inside the pond were candles floating in glass bowls, and because there was some sort of stealth current, the bowls lazily made a circle around the pond again and again.  Dave and I had fun joking with our table neighbors Andrew and Matt about which candle was going to win the race and who had placed bets on said candle.

Dave and I decided to split the caramelized pork belly with crab salad and Thai herbs ($15) as an appetizer.  It came out looking like so and was quite pleasing.  Just the right amount of crunch on the outside.  And they proceeded to win the admiration of Matt.  Success.

My main course was the pan seared scallops in a  turmeric-coconut cream broth ($28).  Yes, you are looking at that right.  This wasn’t an appetizer.  There were only three large scallops in the bowl.  $28 for this?  That’s $9.33 per scallop.  Kittichai is lucky that the scallops were fresh and prepared skillfully.  The broth was warming, and good thing too, as Old Man Winter was outside in full force.

Someone ordered the “Sankaya” Pandan-Valrhona white chocolate fondue” ($8) for Leslie and everyone to share.  I had a bite myself.  The white chocolate is actually green.  Wrap your heads around that.  Aside from that fun fact, I remember that it was okay.

So I was disappointment in my scallops (note to self: don’t order scallops again at any restaurant), but Kittichai proved to be a sexy restaurant for Leslie to celebrate another year.  I will admit that I kept looking around in case I was able to spot a celeb sitting nearby.  Alas, no luck.

Happy birthday Leslie!

Restaurant experiment: Erawan Thai Cuisine

Erawan Thai Cuisine

42-31 Bell Boulevard between 42nd and 43rd Avenues

Bayside, NY 11361

718-428-2112

http://www.erawan-nyc.com

I was here at the Lord of the Rings-sounding restaurant for a Mother’s Day brunch.  Erawan was busy with a large number of families, and it had even prepped for the holiday by tying helium-filled balloons to a lot of tables.  Erawan, unlike a lot of Manhattan Thai establishments, is not made to look like some eatery from the year 3000.  The walls are brightly painted, and there are a lot of decorations from Thailand sprucing up the decor.  My main complaint was that the tables were too close together.  Since it was Mother’s Day, maybe the Erawan employees were attempting to squeeze in more bodies into the room.  Not sure.  Regardless, packing in the people/having my chair bumped doesn’t really win brownie points in my ledger.

Our large party sipped funky cocktails; I was happy to be in the company of my Thai iced tea.  A couple of appetizers were ordered including curry puffs, jeeb pu [crab dumplings], and Thai spring rolls.  Mmm.

After glossing over the huge menu, I ordered the pineapple fried rice.  I had read some reviews online earlier (just doing my research), and noted that the pineapple fried rice came out in a pineapple half, so I was a little dejected when the dish came out on a regular old platter.  Oh well.  Maybe those reviews were old, or maybe they only do that  for dinner.

Shrimp, chicken, Oriental sausage, Thai rice, pineapple, tomatoes, onions, and scallions all collided in my meal for $16.  I would say that $16 was a dab pricey for Queens and for a Thai restaurant (Dare I say, cheaper in Manhattan?  But then again, you can’t go five feet without running into a Thai restaurant on the island).  I did have leftovers, though that was because I had eaten a bagel not too long ago.  Good stuff, I would eat the pineapple fried rice again.  Everyone else at the table seemed to be pleased with his or her dishes.

The friendly servers even gave out complimentary scarves for the mothers (and non-mother ladies).  How sweet!

Argggggggggggghhhh, accidentally deleted the pictures.  Whoopsie.

Restaurant experiment: Chai

Chai

930 Eighth Avenue at 55th Street

New York, NY 10019

212-707-8778

http://www.chai-restaurants.com [The URL is missing the "s" on the business card!  Shame!]

Mike, a Midtown restaurant review for you!

Leslie and I came here after a showing of Secretariat (characteristically Disney cheesy but with exciting horseracing scenes).  I had jotted down a list of dinner joints not too far away, and since Leslie had been to some already, it came down to Guantanamera and Chai.  Guantanamera’s menu had a few more bucks added to each item, so Chai it was.  A bevy of other folks had the same idea; practically all of the tiny tables were occupied.  But no fear, we were able to be seated promptly.

Rather, seated promptly at a table so close to surrounding tables, it was practically like dining in the laps of other diners.  Never been a fan of this trick.  As with practically all Thai places in NYC, Chai sports a slinky modern design.  I guess the benefit of such a teeny space is that the servers can’t hide from you and are pretty attentive.

Leslie ordered the pad sea eiw while I tried out the kao pad lychee which was “fried rice with lychee nuts served with shrimps, egg and scallions in a flavorful chef’s sauce.”  We also ordered Thai iced teas which were not on the food menu or drink menu, but what Thai restaurant doesn’t have Thai iced tea?

Anyway, the first thing you notice is that the portion is not stingy.  +1.  I rarely eat lychees prepared in meals, usually just as they are, so it was kind of novel to have bursts of sweetness alongside traditional fried rice tastes.  Lots of nuts in there too.  Thumbs up.

The bill was ~$25 for two entrees and two non-alcoholic drinks.  Radness.  But there was a note on the check holder that read the minimum was $15 to use a credit card.  Leslie and I had wanted to split the bill onto our two cards, Leslie pointing out that splitting the check and with tip would be ~$15 on each piece of plastic.  The waitress wasn’t having it but wasn’t expressing herself very clearly.  Leslie gave up trying to talk sense into the woman.  Minimums are dumb.

Aside from that credit card blip, I was happy with my eatery suggestion and rewarded myself with a virtual pat on the back.  Chai was a smart dining pick, meaning dirt cheap and rather delicious.  Leslie and I waddled down Eighth Avenue, and I felt nearly sick but in a content way.  If that is even possible.

Restaurant experiment: Khao Sarn II

Khao Sarn II

637 Second Avenue between 34th and 35th Streets

New York, NY 10016

212-889-8877

http://www.khaosarnnyc.com/

On a drizzly Sunday evening, I had dinner with Payal and her friends Lauren and Lisa at this chill Thai food purveyor.  It wasn’t ultra crowded, so we could sit basically anywhere we wanted.  The coolest aspect of the actual restaurant is the wooden wall which is painted pastels.  That sounded more matronly than wanted.  Hip pastels?  Thin wood that curved near the ceiling?  That’s better.

Everyone decided to go with the $19 prix fixe while I decided to be the black sheep and order a la carte.  Luckily unlike some heavily starred establishments, the whole table does not have to participate in the prix fixe.  Our waitress had  bold eye makeup, like of like inky trapezoids on her eyelids.

I got things going as I usually do with a Thai iced tea ($3).  I ordered the white rain noodles, how poetic!  Payal kindly let me gobble up her prix fixe order of edamame which I rapidly did so.  I like a little more salt on the pods, but that’s just me.  The entree didn’t let me down.  Described as glass noodles with egg, bok choy, bell peppers, broccoli, and tomatoes in a brown soy-based sauce, it was $12 with my meat choice of shrimp.  And I was pleased that there were several pieces of shrimp of a generous size, not those minis that you need a magnifying glass for.  Praise!

Lisa spotted Thai donuts on the dessert portion of the menu.  Since I’d never tried, much less heard of those goods, I decided to give them a shot.  These are fried, much like the sugar rolled donuts you find at Chinese restaurant buffets.  No sugar on these fellows though.  You dip them into sweetened condensed milk and then roll them into peanut grounds.  Yum.  The peanuts are fine, but it’s all about the condensed milk for me.  That really is the reason why I heart Vietnamese coffee. 

Payal also generously let me sneak a few bites of her mango mousse cake.  Aside from being aesthetically appealing, it was also gastronomically appealing.  I was nearly fooled into thinking it was a cheesecake.  Mmm, someone needs to make mango cheesecake. 

Service was on the slow side.  With a smile and friendly, but not fast.  In short, Khao Sarn II is recommended if you want Thai, are in that area of town, and if you are not in a rush!

Restaurant experiment: Kiku Sushi III

Kiku Sushi III

121 East 27th Street between Park Avenue South and Lexington Avenue

New York, NY 10016

212-213-9888

Three cheers for expense account dinners!  Wait, is there a difference between expense account dinners and business dinners?  Okay, Kiku Sushi III is not Jean-Georges, but I never turn down a comped meal.  And you shouldn’t either.

No clients involved, thank goodness.  Kiku Sushi III was chosen due to its proximity to our workplace and due to Kathy’s desire for sushi.  I’d walked by Kiku several times and always assumed it was more upscale than it was really; perhaps it was due to the kanji characters on the door and the generous use of dark wood.  I heard it’s quite the popular lunch locale though.  But this Wednesday evening, it was only our table and one more (a tutor and his tutee who were later replaced by a man and a woman).

AmyW, Kathy, and I shared an order of pork gyoza and the Philly roll as appetizers.  These two were fine but not particularly memorable.  Deep down, I’m a purist so the idea of smoked salmon and cream cheese being proffered as sushi still strikes me as odd.  Though I do adore salmon+cream cheese in other forms, bagels anyone?  Gyoza could have come out of a frozen bag. 

I got the sushi deluxe for my main course, along with a miso soup.  The soup was pretty decent, not too strong and not with those microscopic tofu cubes which remind me of powdered soup mixes.  The sushi deluxe certainly did contain a lot of sushi: ten pieces and then tuna rolls.  I liked the inclusion of tobiko though this particular roll had somewhat of a chemical aftertaste.  The fish slices were nearly 2x the size of the rice balls, creating a bit of a messy look.  But hey, more fish!

Dessert time!  Us three shared fried banana and green tea ice cream.  I should say here that Kiku Sushi III also has a Thai food menu.  So the fried banana is off that side of the restaurant.  Usually I love green tea ice cream, but this version was droll.  Guess I’ll stick to pints from Maeda-en or Haagen Dazs.  The friend banana was actually the highlight of the meal.  Sweet, sugary crust on the hot fruits cut up into eights, perfect for sharing.

Kiku Sushi III was your run-of-the-mill sushi place.  Not a dump, not a palace.  Somewhere comfortably in the middle.  Here’s hoping for more expense account dinners!

Restaurant experiment: Beyond Thai Kitchen

Beyond Thai Kitchen

133 West 3rd Street between Sixth Avenue and MacDougal Street

New York, NY 10012

212-254-8828

http://beyondthaikitchen.com/

Bethany and Melissa picked Beyond Thai Kitchen out as our dinner spot, and the fact that it’s right next to the subway probably helped too because the wind chill was raging, below 10.  Yikes.  The place was empty; we were the sole customers for most of the time.

Since I had eaten prior, I ordered scallion pancakes ($5) to go along with the cabernet I was sharing with the gals.  Color me surprised when the pancakes came out more as fat wedges.  I’m just used to the flat round pancakes and seeing them in a different format was jarring.  The soy based dipping sauce did add the right amount of zing.  Maybe I’m biased, but I do prefer my scallion pancakes with crunch.  But these were fine.  Might I suggested a name change to scallion dough wedges?  Or I’m sure I could come up with something more creative.

I still felt like consuming consumables, and I therefore ordered the taro custard ($5).  Rest assured that the whipped cream was centered, but the heat of the custard caused the cream to slide off.  Not a pretty picture, alas.  The custard was agreeable yet not phenomenal.  Generous serving though.

Bethany and Melissa approved of their pad Thai.  The service was all right, maybe on the sluggish side despite the restaurant not being packed.  The bathroom was glowing pink and freezing.  Is it just me or are a lot of Thai joints in NYC fond of the modern bathrooms or of modern decor in general?  Hmm.

Restaurant experiment: Rhong Tiam

Rhong Tiam

541 LaGuardia Place between West 3rd and Bleecker Streets

New York, NY 10012

212-477-0600

http://www.rhong-tiam.com/

The Coding Philosopher had alerted me to the fact that a reasonably priced establishment had earned a 2010 Michelin star.  Wild, no?  And Thai food too.  Naturally I had to check this out.

So I took Dave and the brother to this joint on the eve before Thanksgiving.  It was very dead, guessing it was because of the holiday.  Rhong Tiam is very white (paint-wise), with a raised section of tables and a lower section.  And there are Christmas lights twinkling up the place.  And a Vespa greets you as you enter.  Banjo-type music plays, some twangy European sounding stuff.

The menu is ginormous and reminds me of a diner menu.  I had a Thai iced tea as is my want.  We started off with two appetizers which were about $5 each.  Dave suggested the roti canai “crispy and doughy indian style pancake served with curry sauce” (in the foreground), and I decided we should sample the Thai nachos “minced shrimp and chicken in coconut dipping served with crispy shrimp chips” (in the background).  Both were nice, and my dinner companions were rather fond of the sauces and kept them after the severs tried to take them away.

For my main, I selected the Singapore Mee which was thin rice noodles with bean sprouts, egg, shrimp, signature sauce, and I picked out beef.  Despite no chili pepper by its name on the menu, it was spicy and made my lips tingle after.  The thought of how spicy the spicy meals are scares me.  While the noodles were good, they didn’t make me want to close my eyes and think that I could just die right then and there and be satisfied.  Dave and the brother seemed to like their dishes fine.

Man, I wish I had room for dessert, because looking now, there’s something called Thai tea creme brulee.  Drool.  So Rhong Tiam: it’s not an upscale dining experience, but it’s a tasty dining experience.  I’ll have to suggest it to Lisa since she’s the Thai fan in my circle.

Fun fact: the receipt encourages you to write online reviews.  Hee.

Restaurant experiment: Gong

Gong

173 East 99th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues

New York, NY 10029

212-360-5874

gongnyc.com

That Girl endorses Gong, and so Dave and I had dinner with her one fine evening.  Despite the place’s small size, I still managed to miss That Girl who was tucked away in the corner by the door.

Gong is probably one of the prettiest restaurants in East Harlem.  Maybe even the prettiest.  Or at the least the prettiest one I’ve been to so far.  There’s dark wood juxtaposed against white walls and curtains, and there are nifty touches like bamboo growing in tin kettles and the wavy white plate holding the spring rolls that That Girl ordered.

I shared pad see ew ($8.50), “flat rice noodles, wok fried in black soy sauce with egg & Chinese broccoli” which I got with beef.  Good stuff.  Not too salty or dull.  Dave shared his grilled tofu in chili basil sauce ($8.95) which despite being a 1 out of 3 on the spicy scale, still made my lips and tongue tingle.  Doesn’t the tofu look like giant grilled marshmallows?

Cash only, bleh.  The irritation is lessened by the cool wooden frog percussion instruments which bear the bill.  Rub the mallet over the back, croaks emerge.

Restaurant experiment: Klong

Klong

7 St. Mark’s Place between First and Second Avenues

New York, NY 10006

212-505-9955

http://klongnyc.com

Because the wait at Prune was too long for our impatient selves (20-30 minutes in case you’re wondering), I suggested Klong because Annie had wanted to throw a dinner there but they were restrictive about large groups.  Luckily Klong was three times the size of Prune and was a third less crowded.

Klong is decorated in a funky-chic-Asian way.  Among the décor: calligraphy brushes, abacuses, birdcages.  Ball bearing bead curtains covering the restroom area.  A mini lit-up river slinking along the back tables.  Swellness.

The weekday lunch special is a mere seven bucks and includes an appetizer and entrée.  For $3 more, you can add a mimosa to your lunch.  But I went the boring safe non-alcoholic route with chicken satay, pad Thai, and a Thai iced tea.  The iced tea comes in a tall skinny glass with a straw that is too short.  Long straws please!  The chicken satay was fine (I liked the mini salad in the bottom of the square ramekin), and the pad Thai was pretty palatable as well.  AmyL got two appetizers (shrimp in fried skins and spring rolls) and was satisfied as well.  Go Klong!

And Klong has kickin’ kickass business cards.

Restaurant experiment: 35

35

35 Lispenard Street between Broadway and Church Street

New York, NY 10013

212-226-8123

http://www.35restaurant.com/

Wandered around Tribeca and ended up here. Not that was was really craving Thai food, but 35 lucked out and was in the right place at the right time.

35 is a strange name for a Thai restaurant. Can’t say I like that. I ordered the lunch special: $8.50 for an entree (chicken/pork/beef) and appetizer. 35 looks all lounge and dark and slinky. The waitress was sweet and polite.

• Thai salad–”Lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, carrot and bean sprouts with light peanut dressing.” This was okay. Lots of peanut dressing. I did dig how the cucumber skins were selectively peeled away to create a striping effect.
• Pad Thai (Thai fried noodle)–”Traditional Thai stir fried noodles with tofu, bean sprouts, scallions, roasted peanuts, and egg.” I guess this didn’t really taste what what I expected/had in mind. The portion was huge, and I could barely clean the plate. Needed more scallions and egg. And I’m kinda used to the main to emerge when I’m done with the appetizer, not while I’m still working on the first course. Sigh.
• Thai iced tea wasn’t on the menu. It was $3.

What I didn’t like was being told that I couldn’t use my plastic because the minimum was $15. Screw that nonsense. I left all secretly huffy.