Som-Tum (Green Papaya Salad)
Tom Yum Goong--Traditional Thai soup with shrimp and mushrooms in a spicy lemon grass broth.
Chicken Pad Thai
Khanom Thuay (Thai "cup" cake)
Our Protagonist had walked by this particular restaurant almost every day, peering in, noting the daily "Sexy Man Roll" special, that, oddly enough, never changed (which begs the question, shouldn't it just be a regular menu item?)...Finally, he broke down and finally dined by himself. The most important question was, was the Papaya Salad indeed a "green" papaya salad; the answer was a definitive yes. This sealed the deal, as this happens to be one of Our Protagonist's favorite Thai dishes. Looking at the other offerings, he actually avoided any of the typical coconut milk soups or curries, and went with the Tom Yum Goong, a spicy little number in a lemon grass broth. Our Protagonist asked for both dishes to be "authentically" spicy, and was even brought chili paste to bolster the spice level. Both disappeared very quickly, the soup being a nice introduction to the dish, and the salad a lovely and well-executed version of an old favorite. Chicken Pad Thai, that dish that everyone ordered but Our Protagonist when dining Thai-fashion, again, pulled his attention away from the coconut curries, wanting, instead, to go someplace different. This, too, was a tasty little dish, and Our Protagonist marveled at the interesting noodles so different than our typical, everyday pasta. For dessert, he went with something described as a cup cake, but it turns out that this is merely what the dish is made in; essentially a rice and coconut milk pudding baked in a cup in a hot water bath, the texture was not at all what he expected. Later, upon researching the dish and how it was made, it became quite clear, and the thick, sweet, liquid-y pudding made a nice ending to the meal, especially in light of it being the only coconut dish consumed on this particular outing. When it comes to Thai food, man cannot live on coconut alone...
Drunken Poet Cafe
1572 Main Street
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-955-8404
No comments:
Post a Comment