It could be something from the "Appethaizer" list, this title presaging the appearance of the occasional fusion dish on the menu, such as the deep fried triangles, which are stuffed flour tortillas with shrimp, fish and avocado, or the fried wontons stuffed with cream cheese and avocados.
More traditional are the "cutie pies," thin crispy pastry cups filled with delicate curried chicken; or the satés, grilled beef or chicken on a skewer that you can dip into their delicious peanut sauce.
We passed up our usual favorites for a nightly special: steamed chicken dumplings, which were the only disappointment of the evening. The bland ground chicken filling had neither seasoning nor vegetables to give it flavor or texture even though the dipping sauce was so good, we saved it to use later in the meal.
The two most famous Thai soups are Tom Yum, a spicy broth with lemon grass and shrimp and Tom Kha, a coconut milk soup with chicken and cabbage.
Elle, who has visited Thailand many times, insists that (on this particular evening) the Tom Kha was the best she had ever tasted. There was a perfect marriage of flavors.
The soup was light with the richness of the coconut milk balanced by a refreshing jolt of lime. There was a perfect mouth feel and just the right amount of heat, highlighted by a few fresh crunchy vegetables.
We chose two entrées from the "Specialties of the House" menu section. The fried duck had virtually no fat and the skin was wonderfully crunchy, even more so than Peking duck, but the flavorful twice-cooked meat was a bit dry. It was served on a bed of vegetables with a zippy, tomatoey dipping sauce.
The dipping sauce added a pungent accent and the vegetables were simply but perfectly cooked. The Thai respect vegetables and treat them with veneration.
