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1712 Murray Ave., Squirrel Hill 412/421.8801 A new eatery gently nudges us to try fascinating Thai dishes. Mon.–Fri., 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. SMOOTH AS SILK ELEPHANT
Through a small foyer, we shook, shedding a small ocean of rainwater before entering the inner sanctum. The first thing to greet us - a monument to the elemental force from which we had just escaped - was a thin sheet of water babbling and dancing over a faux rock. "Looks like they've sprung a leak," quipped Brad, who was quickly drawn across the room to a larger-than-life Buddha face with deeply carved features. Posed in meditative bliss, Buddha seems to reassuringly exhort one to leave all worldly baggage at the door. It's easy to do. Silk Elephant's colors are lush but discreet, the lighting dimly glamorous, not glum. Co-owner Eileen Nareedokmai later shared the story of brainstorming the restaurant's storybook-sounding theme. Her 6-year-old son, Nolen, had been listening to the flurry of possible restaurant titles then suddenly interjected, "Mommy, did you say 'silk elephant'?" "That's it!" shrieked Eileen and husband and co-owner, Norraset - or Nor, as he's known to friends - as they delighted in their offspring's intuition. Elephants in various incarnations adorn the walls. Gentle, clever, loyal - they are Thailand's national symbol and among the sweet jumble of artifacts they brought from a buying trip to Thailand, Nor's country of birth. Billowy, buoyant silk canopies are as colorful and ethereal as a grand facade at a Renaissance puppet theater. Overhead, a golden rope grid frames a dark, open ceiling that tricks your depth perception and provides a 3-D illusion of boundless space or an endless night sky. Minutes before our arrival, our dining companions had snagged a plush little pod and were sipping Vin d' Alsace, a very dry pinot blanc. Six-year-old Margot, the youngest in our party, gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up while holding high her pre-dinner Shirley Temple. "Very absolutely good," she chirped, dipping a plate of chicken rolls into a tangy chili sauce. Dishes that are wrapped like presents have flavors that are highly concentrated, coddled in their essence, soulful yet profound because not a drop of juice is lost. Her comment proved to be a pithy and engaging barometer of the night's cuisine. Soup after rain! Even though I had tasted the esoteric tom yum on prior visits, I couldn't resist the clear, tart, tamarind-chicken broth with fragrant lemongrass, emitting the aroma of citrus tinged with ginger, which seemed to grow more complex with each mouthful. One small taste can momentarily arrest the flow of conversation. I especially like the fact that its fierce kick is not dulled for Western palates. Soups here are made from scratch, and we did our best to taste them all: tofu, wonton, mushroom, potak seafood and the classic tom kla - a bewitchingly aromatic coconut broth simmered with galanga, spicy roasted chili peppers and lime juice - or a subtle asparagus soup garnished with tarragon and lump crab.
Morning-glory salad: crispy-fried watercress leaves tossed with shrimp and chicken, topped with lemongrass, lime juice, green onions, chili paste and cilantro. PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA I was impressed by Silk Elephant's deft seasoning. Authentic Thai cooking depends on a subtle interplay among hot, sour, sweet and salty flavors - complex, beautiful and fragrant all at the same time, with flavors and textures unfolding in careful relation to one another without the familiar overemphasis on "sweet." Check the menu for the chili-pepper icon. It denotes a do-it-yourself seasoning spice-o-meter calibrated on a 1-to-10 scale. If you haven't noticed, the idea of Thai tapas - popular in New York, San Francisco and L.A. - is not a linguistic misnomer but a concept that satisfies the yen to sup adventurously on small portions while sharing the experience "without negotiating a third mortgage," chuckles Brad. It's actually a healthy way to eat. Diners construct customized selections that strike the right note for a particular mood at a particular moment. Servers are consistently well-trained and friendly about helping to create smart mixes of classic Thai paired with less-conventional dishes. While I can promise that an ensemble of spring rolls, dumplings, noodles and curries will not disappoint, some curry enlightenment can be useful to uneducated palates. The menu is one resource, describing each dish for the consumer. Or, you might find Eileen or Nor tableside, offering a mini-seminar. "Curries cover a wide, interrelated spectrum, with or without coconut milk, that move in terms of color and intensity from the very hot to the supremely sublime," relates Eileen. She explains: Wild curry with crushed fresh chili and green bean, eggplant, bamboo shoot and mushroom is the hottest; red curry is saltier than the rest - it's very spicy with ripe red pepper, bamboo shoots and baby corn. In mid-range, green curry is sweet and not as pungent or salty - it's used with eggplant, bell pepper, basil and snow pea; panang curry is creamy, smooth and even milder, and gets mellow with the addition of coconut milk. You choose beef, chicken, pork, tofu or shrimp in each case. Equally provocative: the morning-glory salad, made with crispy-fried watercress leaves tossed with shrimp and ground chicken and topped with a chunky lime-chili vinaigrette; haw mork fish, an aromatic steamed red curry and tilapia soufflé with a splash of coconut milk coddled in a delightfully tactile banana-leaf cup; and signature Siam Paragon, with jumbo shrimp, tails on, padded with crabmeat and crunchy egg noodles that shimmer like gold filigree on a mound of sticky rice, finished with a tangy, slightly sweet tamarind (sweet-and-sour fruit) glaze. To the list of things we're hooked on, add crunchy corn fritters with sweet chili paste, moo and goong steamed dumplings with minced pork and shrimp in translucent dumpling wraps with ginger-sesame sauce; crispy Thai crab "crown" wontons filled with crabmeat and cream cheese; crispy duck soy salad with ribbons of duck, pineapple and fresh green apple tossed with lime-chili vinaigrette and crushed peanuts. A long, attractive bar pumps out pear martinis and ginger coolers along with jet-black iced coffee that tastes like a milkshake, and dessert at Silk Elephant can be light: pineapple or ginger sherbet, pink-grapefruit or lime sorbet. We swooned over the signature taro cake, rich and caramel-y, egg-yolk-sweetened and spun into golden threads garnishing the top. The food is fresh, informal, made-to-order. Chefs in the open kitchen seem to move with unburdened rhythm. As Brad and I were returning home, the rain was still coming down hard and heavy. A Shirley Bassey version of "Try a Little Tenderness" kept us huddled in the old Toyota, waiting for Tony Mowod to announce the identity of the featured vocalist on his WDUQ jazz show. "Very absolutely good," we cracked up in unison, revisiting the critique of our junior food critic, Margot, no gustatory wimp, who thinks nothing of trying food from a culture that originated 3,000 miles away, and expressing glee at baby corn in her soup or chicken swaddled in a tantalizing rice wrapper. When you think about it, who among us isn't a fool for surprises?
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Each month, Deborah McDonald jump-starts appetites with lively restaurant reviews that scrutinize who's cooking what and where. She works anonymously, visiting each restaurant at least twice before writing her column. Do you know of a restaurant you'd like to have reviewed? | ||
For a complete interactive Dining Guide CLICK HERE. | ||
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Silk Elephant’s mango salad combines sweet mango with zippy red onion, crunchy spring mix and tangy lime-chili vinaigrette. PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA
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