Saturday, April 25, 2009
SEN YAI SEN LEK – Minneapolis
The menu read well; we decided to share several dishes. Our first starter was Tod Mun – a threesome of lightly breaded fish cakes with kaffir lime leaves and a peanut cucumber relish. The only time kaffir leaves are eaten is when they are added to Tod Mun. The cakes had great flavor but a bit too chewy. Our second starter was Gai Satay – 5 skewers of grilled chicken breast. The cucumber salad was excellent; the accompanying peanut sauce was bland. The satay was served with toast points… not necessary.
For dinner, our first entrée was the Nuea Yang Naam Tok – a marinated, thin sliced, slightly pink steak garnished with bits of green onion, cilantro, toasted rice powder (yumm!) and mint. The marinade of fish sauce, tamarind, lime juice & Thai chilis add incredible flavor to the beef. The steak is served over mixed baby greens. The small serving was delicious! Our next choice was Pad Tee Mao (also known as Drunken Noodles) – stir fried wide, flat rice noodles, thin slices of pork, Thai chilis, Thai basil, minced garlic, tidbits of tomato and white onion. The sauce dripping from these fat noodles generally includes fish sauce, black soy, and a bit of sugar. Fantastic!
When the entrees were served, I believe it was one of the owners that came to our table and explained the 4 condiments and suggested what went with each of our dishes. I noticed this visit was made to most tables near us. Sen Yai Sen Lek lets the diner add his or her own “heat” to the dish. My favorite was the crushed red pepper and vinegar sauce! A few drizzles go a long way.
Wine and beer are served, as well as bottles of Boylan soda and imported Mexican Coca Cola. No Coke or Pepsi products will be found at Sen Yai Sen Lek.
The service was not what I expected. We repeatedly needed to catch our server to ask for replacement silverware that left with a finished dish, small plates to share our dishes, water and soda refills. It really took too much effort. The best option maybe to call ahead and get your food to go.
http://www.senyai-senlek.com/
Mmm, Mmm…
$
++
✦✦✦
Entrée
$ 10
$$ 20
$$$ 30
$$$$ 40+
Staff
+ Stop bothering me!
++ Anyone here?
+++ Stopped when in the area.
++++ As needed and friendly.
+++++ Invisibly perfect!
Overall
✦ “One visit too many!”
✦✦ “Convince me!”
✦✦✦ “I’ll be back!”
✦✦✦✦ “Same table next week!”
Saturday, September 20, 2008
KITTICHAI - New York City (SoHo)
This incredible eatery is a very modern, sophisticated space of wood, water & orchids. The dining room surrounds a square reflection pool of floating orchids. Individual orchid blooms are suspended above the pool. The subtle and artistic lighting add a beautiful elegant touch.
My friends, Julie and Raja, and I selected the 9 course tasting menu.
Our feast included:
fishcakes with cucumber & red onion chutney;
“Meing” tuna tartare served in limestone tartlets with peanuts, ginger, lime and a sweet chili sauce;
Northern Thai beef salad with very thin slices of very lean beef, Chinese long beans and roasted sticky rice powder;
crispy whole fish resting in a very light ginger curry sauce;
a salad of pan-seared hake dtom yum and Shanghai shoots and basil;
sautéed gai-lan in lemon grass and chicken stock with garlic and ginger (baby bok choy, orange peppers and tomatoes);
sliced grilled chicken breast rubbed with bird eye chili and Chinese long beans and cilantro;
pineapple braised short ribs with a delicate green curry sauce, Thai eggplant and sweet basil. This delicacy was served over fluffy steamed jasmine rice.
Finally for dessert, we had a flourless Valrhona chocolate cake wrapped in a banana leaf with a fresh cream & vanilla bean mousse. Our second dessert was the banana spring rolls – a translucent spring roll dough wrapped around bananas with cored out centers filled with chocolate and nuts – complete with a dollop of burnt honey ice cream and dusted with course granules of brunt sugar.
One word – SPECTACULAR !
The restaurant offers a full menu and bar, as well as, another tasting menu with 13 courses. The extremely friendly & accommodating staff were invisibly perfect from the moment we entered the restaurant! At $69 per person, the tasting menu is a wonderful way to experience the magic coming from the kitchen of Kittichai.
Mmm, Mmm, Mmm...
$$$
+++++
✦✦✦✦
$ 10
$$ 20
$$$ 30
$$$$ 40+
Staff
+ Stop bothering me!
++ Anyone here?
+++ Stopped when in the area.
++++ As needed and friendly.
+++++ Invisibly perfect!
Overall
✦ “One visit too many!”
✦✦ “Convince me!”
✦✦✦ “I’ll be back!”
✦✦✦✦ “Same table next week!”
Monday, November 12, 2007
BAI SRI - Puerto Vallarta
The numerous gardens, fountains, ponds and the open dining room (no windows here) create a relaxing, seductive, dining experience.
The authentic Thai and Vietnamese cuisine is superb. Bai Sri proudly serves homegrown organic herbs and vegetables. The ambiance, the high quality & freshness of their food, and the very attentive, professional service (2 waiters per table) all make the extra pesos you pay so worth it.
My friends – Mandy, Carol, & Rene – and I had a glorious evening at Bai Sri. We started with a round of their signature Thai Basil Martinis. This incredible libation is Absolut Citron shaken with a few pieces of Thai basil & garnished with whole basil leaves. Simply divine! OK, I'll admit that we did not stop at just one round…
For a starter, I selected the Tom Kha Gai (coconut chicken soup). This delectable combination of coconut milk, lemongrass, a hint of lime juice, fish sauce, and thin slices of chicken breast left you wanting more.
I could not decide on an entrée so I chose two. I had the Shaking Beef – a mouthwatering dish of tidbits of filet mignon, garlic, fish sauce, lime juice, watercress, and scallions. Perfectly stir-fried and served with white rice. My friends & I agreed that this dish was our favorite of the evening.
The second must have entrée for me was the Green Curry Chicken with mushrooms. This soup-like entrée was made with chunks of chicken breast, coconut milk, green curry, lemongrass, mushrooms, and lime juice; I believe I detected a hint of fish sauce. For me, this dish was a very close second. Yumm! This Green Curry Chicken was a first for me. I look forward to “2nds” when I return to Vallarta in the coming months.
Order several entrées & share with your dinner companions. This is a feast you won’t soon forget!
Mmm, Mmm, Mmm…
http://www.baisri.com
$$$
+++++
✦✦✦✦
Entrée
$ 10
$$ 20
$$$ 30
$$$$ 40+
Staff
+ Stop bothering me!
++ Anyone here?
+++ Stopped when in the area.
++++ As needed and friendly.
+++++ Invisibly perfect!
Overall
✦ “One visit too many!”
✦✦ “Convince me!”
✦✦✦ “I’ll be back!”
✦✦✦✦ “Same table next week!”
Saturday, August 18, 2007
TALENTO - Puerto Vallarta
Be amazed with the house magician’s slight of hand. Giovanni comes to your table and performs 4 “how did he do that” illusions. All heads turn in the bar and up from the dining room to watch the very sexy, sensual belly dancer perform on the bar level of the room. Both artists were very entertaining.
My friend, Leo, and I began with the Shrimp Rolls. These crispy, delicate nibbles were stuffed with whole savory shrimp. The shrimp rolls were served on a banana leaf sprinkled with colorful bits of peppers. The tamarind dipping sauce was divine.
Our second starter was the Sea Scallop Carpaccio. The thinly sliced, very fresh scallops were served in a mildly spicy citrus sauce with paper-thin slices of cucumbers. Superb!
Leo had the grilled salmon. The salmon served with an herb infused butter sauce came plated with garlic mashed potatoes and crispy shredded beets. He devoured his dinner; I was only able to sneak a taste of the crispy beets. I was surprised at how sweet they were, reminding me of sweet potato fries.
I ordered the Tiger Shrimp entrée. The 4 large shrimp were exquisitely wrapped with spirals of phyllo dough and then deep fried. The shrimp were sweet – absolutely delicious. The beautiful, but excessive, spirals of phyllo held too much oil for my taste. I would prefer one thin piece of dough to hold the seasonings with the shrimp while cooking. The phyllo was easily removed and I continued to enjoy my meal. The shrimp was served with a fantastic tangerine, soy and ginger sauce. A generous side of sticky rice and crispy spinach leaves accompanied the shrimp. The crispy spinach leaves were sprinkled with spicy soy. Unusual and very good.
Our libation of choice for the evening was the Mango Martini. Our server indicated the bar was known for their special martinis – so true! Tropically refreshing.
The service was somewhat lax but the ambiance, dining entertainment and a good friend made for a wonderful evening.
Mmm, Mmm...
http://talentorest.com/
$$
+++
✦✦✦
Entrée
$ 10
$$ 20
$$$ 30
$$$$ 40+
Staff
+ Stop bothering me!
++ Anyone here?
+++ Stopped when in the area.
++++ As needed and friendly.
+++++ Invisibly perfect!
Overall
✦ “One visit too many!”
✦✦ “Convince me!”
✦✦✦ “I’ll be back!”
✦✦✦✦ “Same table next week!”
Saturday, July 14, 2007
KITIMA – San Diego
For lunch, I chose the daily special. Today it was the Spicy Shrimp and Basil Rice Bowl. 8 sweet, plump shrimp were sautéed with chili, garlic, juicy chunks of tomato and fragrant basil. This fantastic combination was served over perfectly cooked sticky white rice. On a “spicy” scale of 1-10, I settled for a 3 – leaving just the right amount of heat on my tongue. It was not so hot that I lost the subtle flavors of the basil and tomatoes. Simply delicious!
The cheerful, accommodating staff only added to a relaxing hour in the middle of my afternoon of shopping.
Mmm, Mmm…
http://kitimaextraordinarythai.com/
$
++++
✦✦✦
Entrée
$ 10
$$ 20
$$$ 30
$$$$ 40+
Staff
+ Stop bothering me!
++ Anyone here?
+++ Stopped when in the area.
++++ As needed and friendly.
+++++ Invisibly perfect!
Overall
✦ “One visit too many!”
✦✦ “Convince me!”
✦✦✦ “I’ll be back!”
✦✦✦✦ “Same table next week!”
Friday, February 23, 2007
FUZIO - San Francisco
My very good friend, Rich, treated me to lunch. He ordered for both of us; I could not have been more pleased. For a starter, we shared the Firecracker Lettuce Wraps. The firecracker marinated chicken is cooked with tidbits of portobello mushrooms and water chestnuts. The wraps are served with a carrot & ginger salad and leaves of iceberg lettuce for wrapping. The sweet chili vinaigrette dipping sauce is fantastic. This very flavorful plate is an excellent starter to your meal.
For my luncheon entrée, I had the Sukiyaki Noodle Bowl with bite-sized strips of very tender steak. It was an incredible blend of sake wine and soy sauce tossed with onions, slivers of fresh ginger, generous pieces of shiitake mushrooms and Shanghai noodles. This Asian bowl was absolutely delicious. I am still licking my lips.
The very diverse lunch guests and full bar made for a very enjoyable and entertaining afternoon. If you happen to be driving, be certain to bring a pocket full of quarters. The parking meters are very hungry.
Fuzio prides itself on ensuring every plate that comes from their kitchen is rich in authentic flavors and ingredients. The tag line on their business card “Savor the world one forkful at a time.” is so very true! I wish there was a Fuzio nearer to my home.
Mmm, Mmm, Mmm
http://fuzio.com
$$
++++
✦✦✦
Entrée
$ $10
$$ $20
$$$ $30
$$$$ $40+
Staff
+ Stop bothering me!
++ Anyone here?
+++ Stopped when in the area.
++++ As needed and friendly.
+++++ Invisibly perfect!
Overall
✦ “One visit too many”
✦✦ “Convince me!”
✦✦✦ “I’ll be back”
✦✦✦✦ “Same table next week!”
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
CHIANG MAI THAI - Minneapolis
For a starter, I had the Wontons filled with cream cheese and jalapeños. The wontons were very tasty but greasier than I would expect. My main course was better. I ordered the “Khao Cadeukadeek”. This was a very tasty combination of charbroiled beef medallions with tomatoes and fried rice. It was served with sides of spicy Sriracha sauce and sweet hoison sauce. The beef was very tender, receiving kudos from both my tablemates and myself.
Sriracha is a moderately hot, bright orange sauce made from sun ripened chilies. The chilies and garlic are ground into a paste. This sauce will easily put extra zing in your burgers, soups, or sauces. Look for it at your favorite market. It is fantastic!
If you choose Chaing Mai Thai, plan on waiting for your food. I recommend ordering a starter. After placing the dinner order, it took 25 minutes for the food to arrive. The service was slow and confusingly unattentive. Go for the food, not the service.
Mmm...
http://www.chiangmaithai.com
$$
+++
✦✦
Entrée
$ 10
$$ 20
$$$ 30
$$$$ 40+
Staff
+ Stop bothering me!
++ Anyone here?
+++ Stopped when in the area.
++++ As needed and friendly.
+++++ Invisibly perfect!
Overall
✦ “One visit too many!”
✦✦ “Convince me!”
✦✦✦ “I’ll be back!”
✦✦✦✦ “Same table next week!”