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by Christiane Lauterbach
As of today there are between 65 and 70 Thai restaurants in the
metropolitan area, one hardly can drive anywhere without noticing
new signs bearing witness to the popularity of a cuisine once thought
too hot and too strange for the mainstream. The corner Thai has
replaced the Chinese down the street as the place to escape routine
American food. Most operations figured out that they had to tone
down the spiciness to gain acceptance. After an initial Mom-and-Pop
phase, the best of the Thai restaurants have gone upscale, familiarizing
us with the notion of expensive items such as salmon, sea bass and
even lobster retold in the language of exotic spices.
Thai Chili stands out in the crowd of Thais. "I can cook better
here than in my country -[with] better ingredients," says chef-owner
Robert Khankiew, whose second, lavishly outfitted location is near
the ritzy Atlanta Athletic Club, in Duluth. His original spot on
Briarcliff, once known as Thai Chili ("It's the English spelling,
his daughter, Apple, maintains), has been a favorite of ours since
1994.
Step by step, we have watched the evolution of what used to be
a modest neighborhood restaurant. The space has more than doubled
in size and the focus is now softer, with plush details such as
statuary, embroidered wall hangings and traditional private dinning
rooms. The core menu hasn't changed much, but the presentations
have, and unusual specials such as ostrich panang reveal a different
level of ambition. The new suburban outpost is a superbly confident
restaurant, and in both places a soft-spoken wait staff, beautifully
dressed in shimmering silk, performs the service duty.
The two restaurants have nearly identical menus, but each has developed
a few signature items (Chilean sea bass with sweet "three flavor"
sauce in Duluth versus ostrich with panang curry and green curried
lobster on Briarcliff) to separate identity. Khankiew goes back
and forth between both kitchens and his style is remarkably even.
What makes a great Thai restaurant? The freshness and fine-tuning
of its sauces. Khankiew's curries reaming the richest and most fragrant
in the city. "Some people make a big batch of curry and use
it for two or three days," Khankiew told us, but the man who
has been cooking for more than 30 years in New York and Atlanta
likes to start fresh every day with ingredients such as ginger,
galangal (a root), lemon grass, lime leaves, holy basil, coconut
milk, a fish sauce he personally selects at the factory, and tiny
little peppers shaped like fiery tongues, all of which he describes
as "medicine" and is certain are good for you. "You
want different kinds of hot in a dish," he confides. "My
secret: combine fresh chilies, dried chilies and add black pepper."
Which curry goes with what? According to the master, red curry
is best with all meats, green with chicken, mild and unctuous masaman
with shrimp, and panang with beef. All four preparations rely on
coconut milk for a rich, creamy flavor, and the difference in taste
and color comes from the bell peppers, chilies, and herbs and/or
ground peanuts, tamarind juice and shrimp paste blended into the
sauce. I am always happy to experiment, ordering poached young squid
with onions, lime juice and ground chili or an off-the-menu fierce
green papaya salad as appetizers, followed by a fabulous short ribs
masaman curry or wild catfish sand Thai eggplant combo perfumed
with basil. Most people I take fall back on such familiar (and delicious)
items as chicken coconut milk soup, tiny Thai spring rolls served
sliced, fresh basil rolls with shrimp and pork, and classic pad
Thai (rice noodles sautéed with egg, bean sprouts, tofu and
shrimp). You may take a vegetarian to Thai Chili (lots of tofu dishes),
but watch out for allergic friends (nuts, fish sauce, etc.) and
be aware that many of the dishes rely on sugar to tame the hot spices
and saltiness.
Fear of spices is easily cured in a restaurant where all flavors
are carefully balanced. A tender mouth may want to go easy on anything
that includes basil leaves (the Thai holy basil delivers a searing
unfamiliar sensation), but we love spicy basil lamb chops and the
broad noodles tossed with the familiar-looking green leaves and
firm, fresh shrimp.
Nam-sod (a minced pork dish with peanuts, shredded ginger, chili,
onions and lime juice), larb (minced chicken or pork sprinkled with
toasted rice powder and basil leaves), and nurr-nam-tok(a char broiled
steak salad) come with fresh wedges of cabbage, and one quickly
learns to heap the spicy-hot main ingredient on crisp, cool cabbage
leaves.
Gourmet touches are everywhere. Instead of the usual sliced cucumbers,
one gets pickled vegetables with the skewered chicken sa-tay already
coated with a delicious mild peanut sauce. A dessert known as Thai
Temptation features three flavors of ice cream (coconut, green tea
and ginger) topped with a liqueur enhanced raspberry sauce and fried
banana used almost as ladyfingers. In the less busy Duluth restaurant,
the kitchen has the time to prepare an enchanting traditional sticky
rice dessert with fresh, sliced mangoes.
Chef Khankiew is also working on a cookbook, and when he is not
shuttling between his two locations, he is planning a third one
in Colony Square and refining an additional concept for an elegant
Pacific Rim restaurant.
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