Sooner or later, you are going to go to Keo's. It has been the recipient of a zillion awards, including Zagat, Gourmet, Bon Appétit and others. It's quite a fascinating story about a Laotian who opened a Thai restaurant. Many of the herbs used in his cuisine are home grown, and so are the magnificent flowers which punctuate the seating area.
We sat by a window, so we could do our usual people watching and there were some good ones.
The menu is described as a " modern interpretation of classic Southeast Asian and Thai dishes". We both started with daiquiris, mine was virgin and mango. Chuck's was strawberry. Forty-five cents separate the virgins from the rest of the world.
You are meant to really enjoy your food leisurely here and take in the surroundings; Thai art adorns the wall and is for sale. Inquire with the owner.
The appetizers are fairly standard, and you'll find satay, spring rolls and summer rolls which were a novelty to me. Making use of local fish, there is also an Ahi dish with lemongrass, and minced Opakapaka mixed with vegetables, kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass formed into patties. Actually anything that has lemongrass in it has my vote. Bangkok wings, shrimp and calamari round out the appetizer menu.
We had the Yum Vun Sen salad which are glass noodles, with shrimp, seasoned perfectly. No crumb lived to tell the story of this salad. It went down totally unhindered. And yes, they do serve the traditional Papaya Salad, the very one that brought me to tears in Bangkok later that year. We also enjoyed the Chicken with Cashew Nuts but opted out on the chilies. Super tender and flavor laden. There are also beef selections, with garlic and coconut milk, ribs and pork chops; however, the entrées are heavily weighted by chicken dishes. There is one tofu entrée for the vegetarians which is served with eggplant and stir fried.
Another section of the menu is entirely devoted to seafood: salmon, snapper, scallops, crab, lobster, catfish,-you name it. This group is followed by the "curry" dishes, which both of us don't favor if we have a choice. Coconut milk is used to temper the strong curry flavor in all the offerings.
The prerequisite noodles follow: have you ever had bad Pad Thai ? For the least adventurous, this dish is a "can't miss"! Also, a few rice side dishes as well before you get to desserts. I found the menu a bit disappointing in that area, as I love to have fried bananas in coconut milk, or some other Thai ethnic preparation. The listing consisted mostly of sweets like carrot cake, cheese cake, brownies with ice cream, crème brulée and sorbet. They did have something called Thai tapioca that was short on appeal, so I didn't go for it. Otherwise, the meal and ambiance were well worth it.