Esaan

Esaan Restaurant Review:

About the restaurant: Easily the most unusual Thai restaurant in the area, this miniscule spot features Northeastern Thai food. The humble setting is starkly modern, and includes a small bar and large front windows. Seating is limited.

Likes: Crying Tiger.
Dislikes: Limited offering of sticky rice.

Food & Drinks: Pad Thai, massaman curry and tom yum soup, classics at most Thai restaurants, are not available. But the kitchen turns out Northern and Northeastern Thai dishes. Patrons will find fresh vegetable rolls wrapped in rice paper, green papaya salad, coconut chicken curry, spicy rice noodles with mackerel, and a topnotch version of Crying Tiger featuring grilled marinated steak sliced into thin strips; this dish may turn up at other Thai eateries, but Esaan’s rendition is very authentic. Most of the selections will seem exotic and unfamiliar, but each is worth a sampling to understand how Northeastern Thai cooks present their cuisine. There is the aforementioned bar, but it’s most likely you will order Thai beer to enjoy with the crispy chips that come out first.