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One of my closest friends is in town this week. I haven't seen her in about a year, and I've really missed her. One of the reasons for that is that she was always the one on whom I could depend for a culinary adventure. A meal with her can often be an "experience." I'm not the only one who feels that way. So when she announced she'd be in town, another friend (Alexis, of Peep brûlée fame) arranged a ten-course Thai banquet for several people at Erawan Thai Cuisine, at 23rd and Sansom.
Up until last night, I thought I'd had Thai food. And I'd thought, as someone who practically grew up eating jalapeño peppers like candy, that I knew what kind of "spicy" Thai food was, and that I could take it. Turns out that, for the most part, I was wrong on both accounts.
The meal started off with shrimp summer rolls with a spicy fish sauce. The greens in the rolls were incredibly fresh and were an excellent carrier for the spicy sauce. The party was divided on how spicy, exactly, it was; I found it quite pleasant, but there were definitely a few tears around the table. Immediately following the rolls came a fluffy oyster pancake with grilled sprouts and a sweet-and-spicy sauce, which everyone agreed was less spicy than the spicy fish sauce. As the pancake was starchy, it also helped to dilute the spiciness of both the sauce served with it and the sauce from the previous course. So much so that we wished we'd saved a little more of it when the next course, the green papaya salad, came out.
I have had green papaya salad at many an Asian restaurant. I rarely find it spicy, so I dug into this one with aplomb. And then spent the next ten minutes with tears in my eyes. Although the flavor was excellent, it was hard to move past the sting from the chilies, which I'd apparently eaten several of. The waitress, seeing the table in pain, quickly brought us several baskets of sticky rice, which helped sop up the chili oil, but which also, as she'd warned us, filled us up quickly. Fortunately, the next course was lighter: seafood Tom Yum, a Thai soup which the waitress told us: "This one, we made less spicy for you." We imagined her in the kitchen with the chefs, laughing at our papaya-induced pain, and deciding to give us a break. It was still spicy, but in a really pleasant, innocuous way that left a few lips tingling but nobody crying.
The fifth course (the first four had taken over an hour, so we knew we were in for the long haul) was duck larb: a special, crispy preparation of ground duck served over chilled greens, with a side of jasmine rice. We were prepared, after our last salad, to be in pain all over again, but found that the larb was hardly spicy at all. It was really delicious and the table favorite. We couldn't imagine things getting any better. Until the next course: chili-crusted red snapper in tamarind sauce. Those of us at the table who could eat seafood (alack, one member of the party is very allergic, and while most of our courses included a chicken option for her, this one didn't) all agreed that this was the best course yet. The outside of the fish was crunchy, but once you bit in, the fish practically melted in your mouth. The tamarind and chilies worked nicely together, ensuring that the dish was neither too sweet nor too spicy.
The snapper was still on the table when the waitress brought out bowls of Thai green curry (which, unfortunately, I can't review here, as I can't eat many foods that contain coconut milk) loaded with fresh vegetables, and three plates of "smoked" vegetables, primarily Chinese watercress, in a brown sauce that included soy, sesame oil, chilies, and a lot of garlic. The veggies were the perfect savory end to our meal, their smoky flavor likely derived from the sauteing process rather than any actual smoking.
Dessert was Top Tim, a sweet coconut soup served chilled with assorted fruits in it. Although I usually avoid coconut milk, I decided I should at least try this one. While it didn't appeal to me, the rest of the table really enjoyed their dessert, finding the coconut milk a good way to dilute the last of the spiciness that lingered on their palates.
The special banquet menu is available at Erawan for forty dollars a person (before tax and tip) and includes Thai iced tea or Thai iced coffee (those at the table who had either were quite happy). Erawan does not serve alcoholic drinks, but it is a BYO.
All in all, the banquet is definitely worth it -- but if you're worried about spicy foods, make sure you tell the restaurant ahead of time.
Erawan Thai Cuisine
123 South 23rd Street (at Sansom)
215.567.2542
I didn't have any pictures of last night's meal, so I'm posting these very adorable Thai elephants, courtesy of AsianInfo.org's Thailand page.
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What's the minimum number of people for the banquet menu?
While I was in southeast Asia (mainly for the food, though also for the music and dance/ritual theater), my spice tolerance increased to ridiculous levels. After a bit of serious (and largely pleasurable---at the very least, intense---pain (but then I'm a masochist...), and a little bit of pungent diarrhea.) Now my tolerance is back to being much lower, though I eat at Zocalo or Tandoor or Sitar almost every other day. Have you been munching jalapenos every day?... maybe your tolerance is just down a bit since your days of being a tough Texan gourmand.
to eat spices strong as boiling metal, -- as my dear ancestors did around their fires.
I don't think there is a minimum; you have to call in advance and tell them how many people you are and how much you wish to spend and that determines how many courses they'll feed you.
I highly recommend trying it -- I have had real Thai food (in Bangkok) and this was as exotic to me. Authentic or not, it was really delicious (request red snapper for sure).