Spicy Tastes of Thailand, With Vegetables as Stars
By Joanne Starkey
Published: April 15, 2007
KENNY CHEN, the chef and proprietor of the new Thai Station Restaurant in Merrick, has come full circle. Years ago Mr. Chen owned and cooked at an equally modest place, Pad Thai in Oakdale, before trading up to two Thai restaurants, both called Lemon Leaf, in Hicksville and Carle Place. Then he sank everything into his pride and joy, Shangri-La of Asia, a fusion restaurant in Garden City Park. It was there, in 2003, that he first crossed my radar.
Mr. Chen is back in the kitchen at his Merrick restaurant, a cheery little storefront with bare wood tables and paper napkins that opened in December. Its walls glow with large, brilliant, color photographs of Thai food and sites in Thailand.
Waiters are friendly and eager to please. Dishes arrive at the table one by one, as they are cooked, so sharing is a good idea; that way no one is left waiting.
The quality of the food at Thai Station sets it apart. As at most Thai restaurants, the spicy soups and salads are the leading starters. We loved both the steak and chicken salads with their grilled meats served over tomatoes, cucumbers, greens and onions. Both were moderately spicy, not mouth-numbing as at some Thai restaurants. Tom kha gai, chicken soup with its heat somewhat moderated by coconut milk, was full of flavor. A soothing shrimp and rice soup was pleasant but could not compete with the spicy brew.
Light, airy shrimp dumplings, with nearly transparent wrappers, led the appetizers. Crisp lettuce cups were also top-notch, holding a delicious mixture of chicken, tofu, onion, mushrooms, celery and water chestnuts. When considering the various rolls, choose spring over summer. The mini spring rolls, each the size of one’s little finger, were crunchy treats. The summer roll, though, had a dry rice paper wrapper and an ice-cold filling. (The tofu in the mixture was still frozen.)
Dry, tough pork chops were the only strikeout among the entrees. Instead, go for the flavor-packed spicy beef with basil, the yummy garlic chicken or the big, firm lemon-grass shrimp. Another pleasing entree was the red snapper fillets fried till crisp but still flaky, then touched with a just-spicy-enough chili sauce.
Vegetable dishes were the unexpected stars of two meals: chunks of Asian eggplant in a sweet-spicy chili sauce and a stir-fry of crunchy asparagus and shiitake mushrooms.
Other hits were the massaman curry with beef, coconut milk, onions, potatoes and peanuts and that signature dish of Thailand, pad Thai. The latter was flavor packed and crunchy with bean sprouts and ground peanuts. We tried another noodle dish, chicken with fresh round noodles, broccoli and lime leaves, which was soothing but not in the same league as the pad Thai.
There are three desserts, all served hot. The best was the fried banana with its crisp spring roll wrapper and honey sauce. Also passing muster were the mango with sticky rice, a cousin of rice pudding paired with slices of fresh fruit, and a dish called coconut cake. It was not a cake but three tiny ramekins of steamed coconut pudding.
Two of my dining companions one night were aficionados of Thai food. After we had finished a meal that included over a dozen dishes, I asked them to compare the food to that at their local place. The verdict: Thai Station had better food and better prices. They bemoaned the fact that this restaurant was not in their neighborhood. Give Mr. Chen a bit of time, and it could happen.
Thai Station Restaurant
2161 Merrick Avenue
Merrick
(516) 868-1168
VERY GOOD
THE SPACE Small, modest storefront. Complete wheelchair access but tight quarters.
THE CROWD Couples and small groups from the neighborhood.
THE BAR The restaurant did not yet have its liquor license at the time of my visits; patrons were welcome to bring their own wine or beer.
THE BILL Lunch entrees, $6.95 to $7.95. Dinner entrees, $6.95 to $19.75. (Most main dishes are around $10.) All major credit cards accepted.
WHAT WE LIKE Chicken-coconut soup, steak salad, chicken salad, mini spring rolls, shrimp dumplings, lettuce cups, pad Thai, eggplant, asparagus and shiitake mushrooms, fried snapper, lemon-grass shrimp, massaman curry, garlic chicken, beef with basil, banana spring rolls.
IF YOU GO Open 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, till 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday. No reservations.
Reviewed April 15, 2007