From Bangkok with love

BY CARLA WALDEMAR

Krua Thai
432 University Ave W. St. Paul
651-224-4053

You won’t find a Leeann Chin — or, heck, even a  McDonald’s — on West University Avenue in St.Paul—the stretch that segues from the Dale exit of I-94 to the State Capitol. If they ever were loony enough to open here, they’d stand empty, because the street is crammed with far tastier options run by folks living in this “LittleAsia” section of the city, who charge their neighbors very little money for very fine food.

First-timers, start at the top with a sure-to-satisfy destination, which I’ll be happy to recommend. Well-traveled diners and pros at the ins and outs of authentic Asian eating, I’ve got a spot for you, too. In fact, Krua Thai provides a primo answer for both of the above, and that’s one big reason I love it.

It’s a hole in a brightly-lit wall, short on atmosphere but long on hospitality (and guidance, should you seek it): a family enterprise that, according to the foodie grapevine, delivers the most authentic Thai food in the metro. (I’ve had the good fortune to visit Thailand a couple of times, and I’d have to agree: none of those pacify-the-Minnesota palate apps that bastardize more than a few glossy menus around.) Instead, Krua Thai presents a literal translation of the deeply-favored dishes of the homeland, minus the risk of Siam’s Revenge you run there at food stands where the water supply and lack of refrigeration prove risks for Western tummies.

First off, this is not rocketfueled food (unless you makeit a point to ask for “hot”), nor stocked with ingredients you cannot recognize with ease. Instead, I’m talking about nuanced flavors married to panache that leave you begging for more. The best plan is to round up a posse of friends, for dishes surely are meant for sharing, and trust me: the more, the merrier your food experience will be. Appetizers actually are unnecessary. Just order a bunch of mains, at least one per diner and one or two extras, perhaps.

But if you do want to wade in gradually, the papaya salad makes a good intro. It stars green papaya —sharp, unripe and almost citrusy  in its delivery rather than the sweet Caribbean fruit we more easily recognize. Stringbean-size shreds are tossed with peanuts, actual string beans, chili pepper, tomato, a spritz of lemon and another of fish sauce for balance ($7).

Chicken skewers presented with homemade peanut sauce are another easygoing starter (4 for $5). Then check out the list of curries. The most popular, says the owner, is C54, curry in sweet peanut sauce, a medley of bamboo slices, tomato, eggplant, carrot and more, made wonderful by a special blend of chili paste, coconut milk and that suave, nutty homemade peanut sauce that, together, give birth to dark, dense flavors.

It’s way too rich and way too good and I can’t get enough of it. (Add the protein of your choice in all dishes: chicken, pork, tofu, beef, mock duck, shrimp, or a seafood mix of shrimp, squid and mussels, ranging from $9 to $13). The curry comes with a mound of steamed rice to dollop onto your plate to absorb the liquid sauce spooned over it.

Next, proceed to a vastly different green curry, featuring many of the same veggies (and protein of your choice) in a huge bowl, brothy with coconut milk and seasoned with basil. Again, spoon generously over a mound of rice. Now, for variety, add a stirfry.

We chose the basil number, based on straw mushrooms, carrots, green beans, onions and, natch, lots of basil. Good, for sure, but the blandest and least-memorable dish of our recent evening. Maybe the fresh ginger or garlic stir fries would incite more passion on the palate. Five fish entrees are listed
($14), but we whipped on over to the appealing rundown of noodle dishes and settled on Pad Thai, the icon of the nation’s kitchen.

It’s based on thin rice noodles, fried to take on an amber hue, then tossed with bean sprouts, chunks of roasted peanuts, green onions, morsels of dried chilies and a still-runny poached egg to sluice over the whole plate and drench it with further flavor. Pho, another national culinary shrine, appears on the noodle list, too. It’s a far soupier version of the above, with noodles that have been steamed rather than fried, and here includes both beef and beef meatballs along with Chinese broccoli, bean sprouts and basil. It’s another winner for anyone the least hesitant to approach “exotic” flavors. (It’s also rumored to serve as a hangover cure, not that I’d have any experience with that phenomenon.)

We didn’t save room (are you kidding?) for dessert this round. But if you dine more sanely and foster a love of sweets, consider the sweet sticky rice with mango ($5), an uncomplicated classic.

And if you’re in the neighborhood for lunch, lucky you: Most offerings, including that glorious pho, are priced at $7, which includes choice of soup or salad. What to drink? Well, there’s the uber-trendy bubble tea (afloat with black tapioca pearls) available in five flavors, or try Thai tea, Thai coffee or coconut juice, fresh or roasted. But hold on, I’ve got some more good news. This is a BYOB establishment, which means you’re invited to tote a bottle of vino. Because the food is not fiery-spicy, pairing it with wine isn’t as challenging as Asian dishes can be. I’d suggest something fruity and mildly spicy on its own, such as a Gewurtztraminer, or maybe a Chenin or Riesling. And are these people hospitable, or what?

When we hinted that the purpose of our visit was to celebrate my daughter’s college graduation, almost instantly a gorgeous centerpiece composed of a tomato rose and sculpted carrots sped to our table. It was the night after the election, so we also traded jubilant political thoughts with our host. Okay, now that you knowhow to find the place, also peek in nearly next door, where Little Szechuan offers again an authentic menu, this time from China. But that’s another story….