Thai Son!
July 8th, 2006 | by Loretta |Every time I got to Thai Son, I think about how many times my father has brought me here. There was this one time we went as a family after celebrating Chinese New Year in Chinatown. Another time, I remember this more distinctly, was just a few days before becoming a freshman in high school. We had lunch together, because he worked at Wall Street at the time and the location was convenient.
Thai Son is one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in New York City, hands down. Granted that I haven’t tried that many, from friends and relatives who have (who also happen to have experienced real Viet food in Vietnam,) they agree that this is one of the more authentic Vietnamese restaurants.
The best time to have Viet food, I think, is when you want something light, but filling. If the weather is hot, there are many dishes that are cooler and easy to eat (after all, Vietnam is a rather warm and humid country…); when the weather is cold, there are noodles in soup (know collectlvely as pho) if the mood strikes.
Today I had the pleasure of going there with Erick and Ian, two good friends from high school. We met up at Elizabeth Center, then meandered a bit to Baxter street. Across the way from Jaya, a Malaysian restaurant (that I still have yet to try actually,) there is Thai Son.
Thai Son has decor that often reminds me of an indoor tiki shack. The casher is located by a glass case filled with dessert drinks, beed and soda; on top of the counter there is a Fortune Cat and also loaves of bread for sandwiches. The waitstaff is dressed in green polo shirts with black pant and an apron. Depending on the time of day, there may be a line before being seated, which is just extra time to enjoy the bamboo scape throughout the restaurant and, my particular favorite, the small coconut tree (fake) at the end of the panel that divides the restaurant in two.
Fortunately, we arrived just before things were busy rather than bustling and were seated right away.
Whenever I eat out, I try to get things that my parents can’t or don’t make at home. I ordered one of my favorites today: banh cuon cha lua. According to the English description, it is a steamed rice crepe with pork round.
The rice crepes are steamed and occupy a little more than the diameter of the inner circle of the plate (did I mention I’m a math major?) It’s filled with ground pork and a vegetable that’s called cloud ears (literal translation.) It’s a vegetable, but I’ve called it a fungus before.
The sauce that goes with this and most vietnamese dishes is pictured in that small cup/bowl in the upper right, by the water glass. It’s made from fish sauce, some white vinegar and sugar. It adds some sweet and a little tart flavor with lots of depth to dishes in which it is added.
There were about 5 or 6 crepes (I’ve forgotten) and the texture is pretty smooth and tender for a noodle. It’s served with rounds of cha, which may be thought of as a Vietnamese-type of ham-slash-bologna (though less mystery and less preservatives.) If I remember correctly, cha is steam cooked. The dish was garnished with bean spourts, juilienned cucumber and deep-fried shallots.
Ian had his first-instinct choice, which turned out to be very good. It’s called com bo luc lac, or beef cubes with white rice, lettuce and tomato. I was impressed by the fact that the cubes were very cubic.
It was a rather straight foward dish, but the taste was more complex. The beef was not overcooked– a good crust developed from browning it. Also, the sauce that went with it was very bold, but not overwhelming; it was sweet like a teriyaki sauce may be, but very distinguished (not generic.)
Erick, as per the suggestion of Ian, ordered rice with stir-fry frog legs. I insisted frog legs taste like chicken (that’s what I claimed when I had them as a child; such claims were of course from sources like my cousins and the media.)
It’s called com ech xao xa ot or frog legs in chili with lemongrass. This, I did not try, but Erick seemed to enjoy it. I just asked him to comment on how spicy it was and he tells me it was okay. Perhaps it is safe to say: no worries to those who cannot take the heat.
The bill at the end of the meal came out to about twenty dollars for all three of us after tips. And yes, these prices are for both dinner and lunch. It’s a budget-friendly restaurant for those searching for something new and authentic or just something simple and familiar. Thai Son is located at 89 Baxter street, 10013.