Lotus of Siam - NYC

It's been almost a year. Ha! I bet you'd given up on this thing. 'You' and me both. That makes two people in all.

Also, two reasons this is a special post: 1.) it's a revival post, and 2.) it concerns the highly-anticipated arrival of the famed Lotus of Siam of Las Vegas, in New York.

A short note about the general ambience: weird. I wish it had occurred to me to photograph the interior, but I was preoccupied first with the sort-of-fanciness of it all (no doubt trying to revamp its image to match its new trendy, upscale big-city neighbors), and second with the overly eager, almost pushy service. More on this later. Food first.

Brass tacks - we began with the same dish I had started with at the Las Vegas location, which came highly recommended by several posters on Chowhound.

Nam Kao Tod, Crispy Rice Salad

Comparing it to my memory of the Las Vegas version, I enjoyed this one a lot more. Plating and presentation clearly have been updated to match the fancy new digs. But more importantly, the flavors seemed to be more refined and balanced, as well, not so much overpowered by salt and acid. Smoky Thai sausage, salty crunchy rice, bright splashes of chili and lime - I finally get what the fuss was about. This is to beer as cookies are to milk.

Or:

nam kao tod : beer :: cookies : milk

Issan Larb (chicken)

The larb was also delicious, and actually spicy (as requested), which was a happy surprise. Despite lacking the rather characteristic crispy, granular rice flour component, the flavors were fresh, bold, and satisfying. However, the portion of cabbage provided ostensibly to be used as scooping vessels proved unwieldy, impractical, and unnecessary. Straight plate-to-mouth shoveling was the unanimously preferred method.

Som Thum

I can't seem to eat a Thai meal without it. Maybe it's my Korean blood that makes me crave a crunchy, tart, and usually spicy accompaniment to any meal whenever possible (kimchi, pickled ginger, jalapenos, sauerkraut, coleslaw, etc.). Som Thum in particular, however, also just happens to be one of my favorite dishes to eat, of any cuisine, in any season. Like the larb, it was stingingly spicy, in that deeply gratifying, itch-scratching sort of way. Spicy, tart, funky, and savory, all singing in perfect harmony to the percussion of happy crunching of papaya and peanuts. Nothing better.
And so pretty...but small. Why so small?

Crispy Duck, w/Spicy Thai Basil Sauce

Showstopper of a dish. Intensely delectable, if also a dead ringer for my favorite dish at Sripraphai (Crispy Pork Belly With Chili and Basil). Like smaller, pricier, ducky doppelgangers, these beautiful little morsels had a crisp exterior that exploded like chili-basil meaty fat bombs in my mouth. They were, dare I say, exquisite. But at $26 for, what is that 5? 6? measly nuggets of momentary molten meat nirvana*--it's half the portion at more than twice the price of similar dishes at other Thai restaurants around the city.

* Talk about alliteration! Meat poetry. And that is going to make for some interesting google search visitors.

This was my main, if only complaint about the food here. Everything was undoubtedly tasty, fresh, and well-executed. There just wasn't enough of it. Of anything. Thus, making prices seem wildly disproportionate for what it was. This is the primary reason why M and I agreed we would never return to Lotus of Siam, New York--despite the quality of the food and convenient location compared to some other great Thai restaurants in the city. For those looking to eat delicious Thai food without leaving the comfort and security of Manhattan, and are willing to drop the extra cash in exchange (albeit probably about the price of a cab ride to Queens and back), it's a fine option. Otherwise, there are far greater values to be found in the not-too-outer boroughs.

The second reason is the service. I'm not going to harp on about it, since this blog is about food, and that is my main concern. Also, it was about the second week after opening, and I know it sometimes takes a while for restaurants to find their stride. But suffice to say there is attentive, and there is obtrusive, and good service depends on knowing the difference.

On a related note, with regard to this post on Chowhound (an ongoing series of pointless scaremongering to detect and mark the downfall of Sripraphai, arguably the city's best and most beloved Thai restaurant--started in July 2009, and ongoing up to this month): I just returned this past weekend after a few months long hiatus, shared my favorite dishes along with some new ones with a few friends, and everything was fantastic. We did encounter some annoying, but brief, cautionary protest when ordering the Southern Style Curry, but after assuring our waitress that we were completely aware of our actions, everything was fine. There are reasons and occasions to visit other places for Thai food, of course, but it's good to know I can still rely on Sripraphai for a fix.

(The first picture is of the rather forgettable but innocuously pleasant dessert of tapioca and lotus seeds from Lotus of Siam.)