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Sticky Rice - New Thai Place

Sticky Rice - New Thai Place
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  • Sticky Rice - New Thai Place

    Post #1 - August 27th, 2004, 9:38 am
    Post #1 - August 27th, 2004, 9:38 am Post #1 - August 27th, 2004, 9:38 am
    This place sounds good. Any experiences?

    Sticky Rice
    4018 N. Western Avenue
    Chicago, IL 60618
    773-588-0133

    Hours:
    Mon -Thur: 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
    Fri - Sat: 11:00 AM - 12:00 AM
    Sun: 12:00 PM - 10:00 PM
  • Post #2 - August 27th, 2004, 10:44 am
    Post #2 - August 27th, 2004, 10:44 am Post #2 - August 27th, 2004, 10:44 am
    I haven't been there myself but a friend of the A-team,* who is very knowledgeable about Thai cuisine, has been there and told us a bit about the place and their offerings. It looks as though they have an interesting menu with plenty of regional specialties from the north.

    So then, on the basis of what we've heard, it sounds like those who like Thai food should check the place out.

    A

    * I actually look a little bit like Mr. T., the actor, that is... Is our LTH-comrade Mr. T. the 'real-life' friend of Hannibal? :)
    Alle Nerven exzitiert von dem gewürzten Wein -- Anwandlung von Todesahndungen -- Doppeltgänger --
    - aus dem Tagebuch E.T.A. Hoffmanns, 6. Januar 1804.
    ________
    Na sir is na seachain an cath.
  • Post #3 - August 27th, 2004, 11:22 am
    Post #3 - August 27th, 2004, 11:22 am Post #3 - August 27th, 2004, 11:22 am
    Antonius, thanks for that bit of update.

    You know maybe a Thai food expert like Erik or maybe even Critical 1 can pip in one the intracies of Northern Thai food, especially as compared with other forms of Thai food such as Issan.

    I know a bit of what seperates Northern style Thai. My understanding is that it is a bit "wetter" and less hot than other styles, certinly less spicy than the food from the next door North-east (Issan). From Thompson's book (I think), they often use a spice similar to szechuan peppercorn that produces a numbing effect on the tongue. The Northern style laab at Thai Avenue (a restaurant that specializes more in Issan style Thai, but has a Northern Thai chef and a few Northern style dishes on the menu) is definately spiced differently than other laabs I have, and when I ate there a few weeks ago, I detected a presence of coriander.

    A very traditional dish of the North is a soft vermicelli noodle served with pork and/or pork blood cubes and assorted condiments. It was specially prepared for us when we had a dinner at Thai Avenue and quite special, blood or not. I've grabbed a pic from Gwiv's web site:

    Image

    Anyways, more info on the Northern specialities would be appreciated.

    Rob
  • Post #4 - August 27th, 2004, 12:12 pm
    Post #4 - August 27th, 2004, 12:12 pm Post #4 - August 27th, 2004, 12:12 pm
    Vital Information wrote:You know maybe a Thai food expert like Erik or maybe even Critical 1 can pip in one the intracies of Northern Thai food, especially as compared with other forms of Thai food such as Issan.


    I don't know this to be true at all, but I would be surprised if Erik hasn't sampled the fare here several times, yet cannily holds back, waiting to compile enough information for a full report, or more likely, a menu listing. :shock:

    When Erik says he hasn't been to a restaurant enough times to comment, it's like a native Frankfurter telling me in my native tongue he doesn't speak English very well. :lol:

    Perhaps we need a docent to guide us through the menu. 8)

    (Man, I'm just going all out with emoticons lately, even though half the time I don't know what the heck I'm doing.)
  • Post #5 - October 2nd, 2004, 9:25 am
    Post #5 - October 2nd, 2004, 9:25 am Post #5 - October 2nd, 2004, 9:25 am
    I had a mostly excellent meal at Sticky Rice last night, thanks to Erik's behemoth translation and some specific recommendations he emailed. We started with a piece of "sai ua" (apologies for not including the tonal diacriticals markings, "sai ua" is #1 on the northern thai section of the menu, although the waitress was able to recognize my rendition of the word, american tonelessness notwithstanding). This is a link of steamed northern style sausage, filled with pork, lemongrass and herbs, with a distinct chili hit, and a really pleasant texture. It came with thin slices of ginger, cilantro, and raw cabbage. The waitress brought us a basket of sticky rice, and for 5 minutes after it arrived, my girlfriend and I were struck dumb by the need to wrap up perfect little cabbage cilantro sausage ginger sticky rice mouthfuls and put them in our mouths one after the other until the whole plate was clean.

    Then came nam prik ong (#9 on the nothern thai section of erik's translation). A little tub of deep red oily ground pork with garlic, funk and ferment, and tomatoes, surrounded by blanched broccoli and cauliflower, and raw cukes and cabbage. This was a revelation. The nam prik I had at the $27/plate westernathon benefit for spoon thai was too funky for me, crossing the line from challenging to rotten. But sticky rice's version was nothing short of spectacular - harmoniously balanced, savory, sour, spicy, delicious. I can't wait to go back and try the green one.

    Naem Sot (yam #25) was good, but not as good as the nam prik. I asked for petpet (thai style heat) but it was noticeably less spicy than the khao soy which followed. Naem, which I gather is a northenr that sort of pressed ham product, looks like nothing so much as large chunks of gournd chicken, and has a general savory meat taste, without too much individual character. The salad also had slivers of fresh ginger, cilantro, sugar, lime, peanuts, purple onion and fishsauce, with some sliced green chili scattered throughout. Kerensa detected fresh mint, I thought I saw little scallions. It was very good, but I wouldn't immediately order it again.

    Khao Soy (chiang-mai style curry with egg noodles, northern thai #6) was a huge bowl brimming with deep fried eggnoodles, preserved greens, chunks of intense purple onion, some potent chili oil paste, and pieces of stewed chicken in a coconut/peanut broth. I though it was very good. Next time, I'll ask for slightly less onion - or at least smaller chunks, strong onion was the dominant note, and overpowered even the chili oil in every bite. I also felt like lime would've been a good addition to this, but I wasn't sure if that was a usual condiment for khao soy - Erik?

    We finished up with sweet sticky rice and mango, the only low point in the meal for me - i thought the mango was poor, fibrous and sour, like it had been refrigerated unripe.

    Overall however, a great meal. The thing which realy struck me was how good the basic ingredients were - every piece of ginger was fresh bright and juicy, every cilantro leaf was unbruised and green, each vegetable was pristine, there wasn't a wilted cabbage leaf in the bunch. And the staff was very helpful and good natured. The waitress inquired abhotu where I got my crib sheet, and when I mentioned Erik she nodded and laughed.

    Things for next visit - definitely the other nam prik, and a mussel fritter - every other table had one of these plate sized deep fried battered pancakes and they looked awesome. Thanks again to Erik for the leg work that made this meal possible: Erik M's Translated Annotated Sticky Rice Menu.
  • Post #6 - October 2nd, 2004, 9:37 am
    Post #6 - October 2nd, 2004, 9:37 am Post #6 - October 2nd, 2004, 9:37 am
    Seth, on Erik's rec., I liked the Chiang Mai noodles as well. I'm a sucker for robust flavors (I prefer the bleu cheese-like (the same organism just has to be involved in both) tang of Spoon's namprik), so I enjoyed the flavor of what I believe to be thai shallots in the khao soy. The curry here seems almost malaysian, like what comes with roti canai.
  • Post #7 - October 2nd, 2004, 9:48 am
    Post #7 - October 2nd, 2004, 9:48 am Post #7 - October 2nd, 2004, 9:48 am
    JeffB - aah. shallots make much more sense than giant chunks of bermuda onion in the khao soy. Thanks.
  • Post #8 - October 2nd, 2004, 11:31 am
    Post #8 - October 2nd, 2004, 11:31 am Post #8 - October 2nd, 2004, 11:31 am
    Seth,

    I ate a little while back at Sticky Rice and had many of the same dishes you tried. ( I wrote a little about it at http://www.chowhound.com/midwest/boards/chicago/messages/53960.html

    I also really loved the sai ua, and agree with you on the naem sot, fro me I thought the nam prik ong (which I really liked at TAC quick)which was also served with bamboo shoots to dip was ok, but I do prefer the funkier nam priks.

    The gaeng som on the specials board I thought was also pretty outstanding (though I have to admit I'm pretty much a sucker for this dish), and I liked the uncommon for thai restuarants flavors in the burmese curry.
  • Post #9 - October 2nd, 2004, 12:02 pm
    Post #9 - October 2nd, 2004, 12:02 pm Post #9 - October 2nd, 2004, 12:02 pm
    I'll have to order the nam prik at TAC quick next time - I can't remember whether I've had it or not. The other nam prik style dish that I recently loved was at Nhu Hoa the burmese place on argyle at the dinner that RST put together, which was more veggie and less pork, but still tasty in the vein of italian marinated red peppers. I wrote about it here:

    http://www.chowhound.com/midwest/boards ... 42278.html
    I wrote:There was another dip - Jiao mac len. This was more like a ratatouille, a more fluid stewed eggplant and red-pepper condiment, with very little heat, but intensely satisfying flavor. Another one not to miss at this restaurant. It brought me back to the marinated hot pimentos on the Va-Ce italian subs of my washington DC youth.
  • Post #10 - October 2nd, 2004, 4:53 pm
    Post #10 - October 2nd, 2004, 4:53 pm Post #10 - October 2nd, 2004, 4:53 pm
    Seth Zurer wrote:Khao Soy (chiang-mai style curry with egg noodles, northern thai #6) was a huge bowl brimming with deep fried eggnoodles, preserved greens, chunks of intense purple onion, some potent chili oil paste, and pieces of stewed chicken in a coconut/peanut broth. I though it was very good. Next time, I'll ask for slightly less onion - or at least smaller chunks, strong onion was the dominant note, and overpowered even the chili oil in every bite. I also felt like lime would've been a good addition to this, but I wasn't sure if that was a usual condiment for khao soy - Erik?


    If the following items are not already incorporated into, or topping a bowl of khao sawy, they often accompany it, alongside: sliced shallots (hawm daeng), sliced pickled cabbage (phak kaat dong), and wedges of lime (ma-nao). So, yes, Seth, you are right on track. Big surprise. :P

    I should hope that a tangle of boiled egg noodles were present in addition to the "deep fried eggnoodles" that you mention. The deep-fried egg noodles are supossed to be a supporting cast member, providing some textural and visual contrast.

    Erik M.
  • Post #11 - October 2nd, 2004, 6:32 pm
    Post #11 - October 2nd, 2004, 6:32 pm Post #11 - October 2nd, 2004, 6:32 pm
    I should hope that a tangle of boiled egg noodles were present in addition to the "deep fried eggnoodles" that you mention.


    Of course, you're right Erik, there were far more boiled noodles than fried. An inadvertent omission. :lol:

    Seth
  • Post #12 - October 3rd, 2004, 6:47 pm
    Post #12 - October 3rd, 2004, 6:47 pm Post #12 - October 3rd, 2004, 6:47 pm
    The Burger-King booths at Sticky Rice don't inspire confidence. The food does. No. 41 (on Erik M's menu trnaslation), Ph?t Ph?t P?t P?a, or Spicy 'Jungle' Stir-Fry with Duck is fast becoming my favorite dish. The duck is succulent. And small trees of Thai peppercorns pop in the mouth a la caper berries.
  • Post #13 - October 3rd, 2004, 8:14 pm
    Post #13 - October 3rd, 2004, 8:14 pm Post #13 - October 3rd, 2004, 8:14 pm
    LTH,

    My one solo visit to Sticky Rice whetted my appetite to explore their menu. I found, as did Seth, the Sai Ua excellent and the Northern style larb with bits of offal quite good. The chalk board special of Khao Tung Nar Tung, crisp rice cakes with a thick sauce to be spooned on the silver dollar sized crisps delicious.

    The sauce/dip accompanying the rice cakes, no not Quaker Oats, but wonderful little in-house made gems, seemed to be coconut milk/peanut/ground pork/fish sauce along with spices and herbs. I cross referenced with my Thompson Thai Food book and there seems to be a similar recipe on #486, Kao Dtang Nar Dtang, for those interested.

    I took an order of papaya salad to go, which was a perfectly reasonable rendition with small dried shrimp and an order of Thai fried chicken. The Thai fried chicken was the only disappointment of the evening. The pieces were small, bony and overcooked. Basically bits and pieces left over after the chicken had been stripped of 90% of it's meat. Insult to injury was the fact that, at least in the take home service, there was only bottled sweet chili sauce for chicken as a dip.

    Service was quite good, with a friendly efficient waitress who spoke English well and much of the menu sounds excellent. One of the cooks, the sister of the owner, who also cooks, was a former cook at Spoon.

    Looking forward to my next visit, though I'll steer clear of the Thai fried chicken.

    Enjoy,
    Gary
  • Post #14 - October 5th, 2004, 11:02 pm
    Post #14 - October 5th, 2004, 11:02 pm Post #14 - October 5th, 2004, 11:02 pm
    In an attempt to try a new-to-us Thai place tonight, the fam made a short trek to TAC Quick. I try tod do a little research before heading someplace new, and so spent a bit of time seeking out other TAC Quick experiences. Appetite sufficiently whetted and ordering ideas percolating, we arrived to find TAC Quick closed on Tuesdays.

    So we turned to Sticky Rice as a back-up option, utterly unprepared.

    I recalled just about nothing from this thread, though I luckily inquired if Erik had left a translated menu, and he had. I would have been okay with the English menu, since so many of the Thai-menu dishes appear there as well. As it turned out after ordering, one of the dishes we got was not on the English menu, so I was glad I asked.

    We ordered:

    khao tung nar tung--on the specials chalkboard but not on either menu as far as I could tell, this was eight small crispy rice cake-type things served with a ground chicken, coconut milk, peanut sauce. I believe the sauce is often made with shrimp, and I think that would have made it considerably more interesting. As it was, I liked it okay. Luckily, they looked like little cookies, and along with the rice and satay peanut sauce, provided a nice opportunity for our 3-year-old to participate in the meal

    chicken satay--this is what I had hoped the boy would eat, and while he liked the sauce, he wasn't too interested in the chicken. Sometimes I like chicken satay, but Kate and I discussed on the way home how dull the once exotic flavors of chicken satay and pad thai seem in relation to some of the more vibrant Thai offerings

    nue nam tok (in Erik's translation "n?ua n?am t?k: 'waterfall' beef // grilled beef filet salad")--salad flavors were good, especially heavy on the mint, with lots of big, whole mint leaves on top, but the beef was fattier than I would have liked and showed no hint of the grill. I was disappointed in the meat. Heat level was not searing, but perfectly acceptable to me. I didn't make any special heat requests. My wife, who has a fairly low heat tolerance, found it too hot.

    "kaeng hangleh: Burmese-style curry // pork, pickled garlic, ginger and red chile in a pungent, oily, and complex curry sauce [no coconut milk]"--as zim points out above, this dish has flavors you really might not expect at a Thai restaurant. This dish really hit the spot for me, with tender stewed pork and nice cardamom overtones. I would definitely order this again.

    The biggest thing that strikes me about this place is just how huge the menu is, and it's not empty hugeness. There is great diversity, and not just in regards to exotica and offal. A very enjoyable meal.

    Oh, one disappointment, the namesake dish did not seem as well-prepared as one would expect from a namesake dish--too moist and gloppy for my taste, and my wife's as well. In fairness, my son was so enamored of it that he proclaimed to the waitress that they "make the best rice in the whole wo-yuld," which has become his favorite compliment to a chef of late.

    Cheers,

    Aaron
  • Post #15 - October 13th, 2004, 10:02 am
    Post #15 - October 13th, 2004, 10:02 am Post #15 - October 13th, 2004, 10:02 am
    I've now been to Sticky Rice twice ... and eagerly anticipate further mining the menu on future trips. My second trip to Sticky Rice was more impressive than the first. Don't get me wrong - I was very happy with the first trip. It was, however, right after it had swapped names cuisines and before I knew they had the extensive Thai menu. I'm getting ahead of myself.

    On the first visit I had the naam phrik num - described in the menu translation as "Northern Thai-style green chile 'dip' with crudites." The flavors wouldn't have been unexpected in a very good table salsa, providing a kind of revelation about similarities between certain Thai and Mexican foods ... the presence of lime, chile, cilantro, balance (above all, balance) of salty/sour/sweet, certain "primitive" preparation techniques (pounding, for example), the absence of wheat (not completely true in Mexico), etc. Obviously these similarities are about climate and resource rather than influence ... but it stimulated some thought. The crudites also made me think that naam phrik is sort of the equivalent of a grand aioli. I also had the kaeng som tun - "'sour' curry with catfish and taro shoot" - and a dish with young rattan. The taro shoot, if I'm not mistaken, was a light green/white vegetable with a texture somewhat like crispy eggplant ... a cross in flavor and texture of eggplant and celery. It was very porous, almost as if it was comprised of a bundle of fine tubes running the length of the shoot - ideal for holding the curry broth. I've seen this at markets around town. Uncooked it comes in long shoots - 2/3 + feet - and even looks somewhat like celery ... only thicker, with a less pronounced curvature. It is comically light in the same way as an enormous piece of styrofoam. Rattan is also interesting. A bit woodier than bamboo, but similar for obvious reasons ... and recalling the childhood amusement of eating bamboo shoots. I believe I also tried a fermented bamboo shoot dish. I find fermented bamboo to be totally approachable while others find it difficult. Which brings up an interesting digression ... there are "difficult" flavors that one may love while still appreciating their difficulty. For example, I love very heavily hopped beers but understand how the bitterness (and often floral notes) drives people away. On the other hand, I dislike the wine-like overtones and syrupy texture of some Kenyan coffes, but I perceive their nuances and understand how others may find them appealing. Fermented bamboo, though, does not strike me as the type of flavor that would be divisive.


    But, as I said, the second trip was even more enjoyable. I shared the yam het krawp khao ("'crunchy white mushroom salad" of reconstituted agar agar), tam kha-nn ("'pounded' jackfruit salad with chile'), kaeng som ("'sour' curry with fish"), and the kaeng phet pet yaang kap liit-chii ("spicy grilled duck curry with lychees"). The waitress recommended sticky rice for the jackfruit salad and plain rice for the curry and duck. The total for this mass of food was, by the way, $27.

    The agar-agar was a surprise since I have never come across agar agar or really much seaweed-ish products in Thai food (though my experience is limited). It was refreshing - a sparkling citrusy dressing, ground pork (which I ate around, as I avoid four-legged meats), slivered onion, lettuce, maybe a touch of cilantro (I can't recall) - but not the best selection to accompany the rest of the items ordered. It would make an excellent salad at the end of the meal, Italian style, to close the meal and cleanse. The pounded jackfruit was the revelation. I've never eaten jackfruit. Apparently it is a large (up to about 100 lbs), spiky relative of breadfruit. Eaten young it is fibrous and not sweet. I believe it is sweeter when older but I've never had it. It almost looked like pounded jerky or shredded meat - the fibrous fruit pounded together with chile paste, a bit of fish paste, cilantro, assorted other spices, and bits of fresh chile. The waitress said that the fruit the used is from a can leaving me to wonder how different it would be were the fruit fresh. Regardless, this was an excellent "salad" - much more substantial than the word implies - with an almost meaty flavor. The sticky rice that came with it was much better than the sticky rice that I had on my previous visit. Name similarities aside, the sour curry was completely different than the sour curry with catfish listed on the regular menu. The waitress - who, if I'm not mistaken, also works at TAC Quick - recommended this "if we want something different." It can be prepared either with mixed vegetables or with omelette. After soliciting her recomendation, we ordered it with the omelette. A thin broth, redish brown, pleasantly sour and spicy, with a few shrimp (the "fish" of the description) and bobbing cubes of omelette. The omelette was more a minced green bound with egg and thoroughly cooked so that it was dry enough to absorb some of the broth. Very good. The duck with lychee was was in a coconut milk curry with sweet peppers. Grilled skin separated away from the meat and they swirled around the bowl separately as one went bobbing for lychees. Though not as impressive as the sour curry or the jackfruit, another very good dish ... the fatty duck and smoothness of coconut milk were a nice foil for the slightly astringent/thin/dryness (all in a good way) of the kaeng som.

    rien
  • Post #16 - October 13th, 2004, 10:14 am
    Post #16 - October 13th, 2004, 10:14 am Post #16 - October 13th, 2004, 10:14 am
    I wonder if we were there at the same time last night, Rien ... I was there with two women - we had a pretty good meal of mussel fritter (immense crispy pancake with bean sprouts etc), nam prik num, northern laap (with lots of offal), som tam thai (no heat, but still tasty), and tom kha gai. I esepecially liked the mussel fritter, and enjoyed the nam prik, but overall wasn't as totally enamored as the first visit. I've still got a long list of other dishes to try.
  • Post #17 - October 13th, 2004, 10:33 am
    Post #17 - October 13th, 2004, 10:33 am Post #17 - October 13th, 2004, 10:33 am
    rien wrote:The waitress - who, if I'm not mistaken, also works at TAC Quick - recommended this "if we want something different." It can be prepared either with mixed vegetables or with omelette. After soliciting her recomendation, we ordered it with the omelette. A thin broth, redish brown, pleasantly sour and spicy, with a few shrimp (the "fish" of the description) and bobbing cubes of omelette. The omelette was more a minced green bound with egg and thoroughly cooked so that it was dry enough to absorb some of the broth. Very good.


    She used to work at T.A.C.

    The omelette contained cha-om, or Accacia leaves.


    Erik M.
  • Post #18 - October 17th, 2004, 12:35 am
    Post #18 - October 17th, 2004, 12:35 am Post #18 - October 17th, 2004, 12:35 am
    drove by sticky rice Friday right after my disappointing buffet @ Song Do... drive by 2 weeks ago when I was buying my PJ1 chainlube @ the motorcycle shop...

    really need to stop just 'driving by'...

    so have you all abandoned TAC???
  • Post #19 - October 18th, 2004, 5:01 pm
    Post #19 - October 18th, 2004, 5:01 pm Post #19 - October 18th, 2004, 5:01 pm
    TonyC wrote:so have you all abandoned TAC???


    We are not exactly a flock of lemmings who drop into one place, then turn cheek and descend on someplace else! :)

    Friday night, I had a date with friends at TAC. Unfortunately, they were closing at 8:30 for a private party. Rather than rushing through dinner and the very pleasant conversation I was anticipating; we shifted over to Spoon Thai. Dinner at Spoon Thai, as well as the conversation, was exquisite.

    One of my friends has a co-worker who is Thai. He had forgotten the name of the place but remembered his favorite Thai restaurant was around Broadway and Lawrence. He also intimated he liked it for its' home-style cooking. I have a bet he is referring to Siam Noodle and Rice. No plates of oysters for this one, but I am almost 100% sure I've got the right answer.

    Life in the fast lane is a lot of fun...
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #20 - October 18th, 2004, 6:05 pm
    Post #20 - October 18th, 2004, 6:05 pm Post #20 - October 18th, 2004, 6:05 pm
    Cathy2 wrote:One of my friends has a co-worker who is Thai. He had forgotten the name of the place but remembered his favorite Thai restaurant was around Broadway and Lawrence. He also intimated he liked it for its' home-style cooking. I have a bet he is referring to Siam Noodle and Rice. No plates of oysters for this one, but I am almost 100% sure I've got the right answer.

    Life in the fast lane is a lot of fun...


    Probably Thai Super Chef, on Lawrence, just east of Broadway. For a while, Thai Super Chef was my favorite Thai place in Chicago because its flavors most reminded me of Thailand. It was, however, limited in its offerings. I know find Spoon Thai, Thai Avenue, and Yum Thai (and perhaps Thai-Home-made but not enough meals to test) better. I have not tried either Sticky Rice or TAC.

    Rob
  • Post #21 - October 18th, 2004, 6:16 pm
    Post #21 - October 18th, 2004, 6:16 pm Post #21 - October 18th, 2004, 6:16 pm
    VI wrote:Probably Thai Super Chef, on Lawrence, just east of Broadway.


    Yeah, that idea is on the table also.

    I think you will find TAC quite a nice addition to your Thai Database, up there with Spoon. Sticky is quite memorable for the length and breadth of their menu.

    No matter what, we are privileged to have so much excellence in Thai, and other cuisines, in our area.[/quote]
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #22 - November 22nd, 2004, 1:42 pm
    Post #22 - November 22nd, 2004, 1:42 pm Post #22 - November 22nd, 2004, 1:42 pm
    Another data point for Sticky Rice. For a quick, pre-Dominicks lunch yesterday, K and I stopped in at Sticky Rice (which is now graced with Steve Dolinsky's smiling face and handwritten thank you for the Chiang Mai curry). I had a truly delicious bowl of khanom jeen nam ya, the white rice flour noodles in a rich ground-fish coconut gravy, with chopped pickled greens, chicken, sprouts on top, garnished with a sprig of fresh basil. Excellent. Kerensa ate a bowl of pretty good tom kha gai, and we split an order of the delicious northern thai sausage - sai ua. I also ordered a side of pork rinds more out of curiousity than anything else. They were just like the rinds you get in a bag at your finer liquor stores, but with no nacho seasonings.
  • Post #23 - January 10th, 2005, 3:43 pm
    Post #23 - January 10th, 2005, 3:43 pm Post #23 - January 10th, 2005, 3:43 pm
    Seth Zurer wrote:I had a mostly excellent meal at Sticky Rice last night, thanks to Erik's behemoth translation and some specific recommendations he emailed. We started with a piece of "sai ua" (apologies for not including the tonal diacriticals markings, "sai ua" is #1 on the northern thai section of the menu, although the waitress was able to recognize my rendition of the word, american tonelessness notwithstanding). This is a link of steamed northern style sausage, filled with pork, lemongrass and herbs, with a distinct chili hit, and a really pleasant texture. It came with thin slices of ginger, cilantro, and raw cabbage. The waitress brought us a basket of sticky rice, and for 5 minutes after it arrived, my girlfriend and I were struck dumb by the need to wrap up perfect little cabbage cilantro sausage ginger sticky rice mouthfuls and put them in our mouths one after the other until the whole plate was clean.


    Image
    s?i ?a: Northern Thai-style spicy red sausage at Sticky Rice
  • Post #24 - January 10th, 2005, 3:47 pm
    Post #24 - January 10th, 2005, 3:47 pm Post #24 - January 10th, 2005, 3:47 pm
    Aaron Deacon wrote:We ordered: [...] "kaeng hangleh: Burmese-style curry // pork, pickled garlic, ginger and red chile in a pungent, oily, and complex curry sauce [no coconut milk]"--as zim points out above, this dish has flavors you really might not expect at a Thai restaurant. This dish really hit the spot for me, with tender stewed pork and nice cardamom overtones. I would definitely order this again.


    Image
    kaeng hangleh at Sticky Rice

    Regards,
    Erik M.
  • Post #25 - January 11th, 2005, 4:38 pm
    Post #25 - January 11th, 2005, 4:38 pm Post #25 - January 11th, 2005, 4:38 pm
    Wow, that curry looks really good. I of course had to tried the Fried Worm, and it was basically all salty crispiness. I have pics somewhere that I can dig up.

    Also had the fried quails, which were good but not remarkable vis-a-vis flavor. The sausage was interesting to try once but I wouldn't get it again. Had some Tom Kha ka soup and it was quite good. I'm eager to go back and try all the other interesting things on the menu, as everything I had was done nicely.
  • Post #26 - January 11th, 2005, 5:54 pm
    Post #26 - January 11th, 2005, 5:54 pm Post #26 - January 11th, 2005, 5:54 pm
    sti3 wrote: [...] Also had the fried quails, which were good but not remarkable vis-a-vis flavor. The sausage was interesting to try once but I wouldn't get it again. Had some Tom Kha ka soup and it was quite good. I'm eager to go back and try all the other interesting things on the menu, as everything I had was done nicely.


    We just had the quails on Saturday. I was set against it, as the first two times that I had them they were piss-poor. These, however, were delicious. They had been fried perfectly, and for something like quail, which is all scrawn and a puffed-out breast, that is not an easy feat.

    We just had the quails on Saturday. I was set against it, as the first two times that I had them they were piss-poor. These, however, were delicious. They had been fried perfectly, and for something like quail, which is all scrawn and a puffed-out breast, that is not an easy feat.


    n?k th?wt kr?-thiam phr?k thai: deep-fried garlic and black pepper quails

    I have found that they do a consistently good job with the basic stir-fries in the repetoire. Saturday's Chinese broccoli with salty fish was quite good.


    kha-n?a plaa khẽm: Chinese broccoli with 'salty fish'

    Right now, Christie has k?ng ph?t ph?ng k?r?i on the Specials board. This was the highlight of Saturday's meal, as far as I was concerned. I've been busy circulating a special curry powder around town, and she surprised us by incorporating some of it into this dish.


    k?ng ph?t ph?ng k?r?i: Shrimp stir-fried with curry powder

    Regards,
    Erik M.
  • Post #27 - January 11th, 2005, 6:04 pm
    Post #27 - January 11th, 2005, 6:04 pm Post #27 - January 11th, 2005, 6:04 pm
    Erik M. wrote:We just had the quails on Saturday. I was set against it, as the first two times that I had them they were piss-poor. These, however, were delicious. They had been fried perfectly, and for something like quail, which is all scrawn and a puffed-out breast, that is not an easy feat.

    Did you eat the bones? I did. Then again I eat shrimp shells (sometimes), peanuts in their shells and chicken bones when they're fried-out enough.
  • Post #28 - January 11th, 2005, 6:13 pm
    Post #28 - January 11th, 2005, 6:13 pm Post #28 - January 11th, 2005, 6:13 pm
    Hi,

    Erik was certainly on a mini-quail tour since he had quail with me on Friday night. Where Erik does not eat the bones, I certainly do when they are crispy from baking or frying. I especially like the tip of a avian's wing.

    When I was at LTH recently with Gary, Steve Drucker and all, Steve influenced me to chew and eat the crunchy crab swimmerettes/claws. You know it tasted great and took all the work out of trying to retrieve crab meat from the tips. I also like crispy fish fins as well as shrimp shells.

    If it crunches and tastes good, then there's a solid chance I will eat it. Wondering out loud: will I still say that 20 years from now?
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
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  • Post #29 - January 13th, 2005, 7:02 pm
    Post #29 - January 13th, 2005, 7:02 pm Post #29 - January 13th, 2005, 7:02 pm
    I saw a review last week on Chicago Tonight of SIam Noodle & Rice. I went to the Siam place at 4654 N. Sheridan and the staff said it was not the place.

    Does anyone know where it is?

    THanks.
  • Post #30 - January 16th, 2005, 3:31 pm
    Post #30 - January 16th, 2005, 3:31 pm Post #30 - January 16th, 2005, 3:31 pm
    DebbieR wrote:I saw a review last week on Chicago Tonight of SIam Noodle & Rice. I went to the Siam place at 4654 N. Sheridan and the staff said it was not the place. Does anyone know where it is?


    I saw the segment to which you refer, and this is the shop.

    I suspect that you mistook Siam Cafe for your intended destination.


    Regards,
    Erik M.

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