The Diplomat's Guide to Dining: New York City & Beyond

Most Authentic Thai: Exceptional Food, Not Much Atmosphere

Thai food is very popular in New York, but which restaurant serves the food that is most authentic?  Murray had a chance to pose this question at a Thai reception held recently in the U.N. delegates' dining room. The Thai diplomat's response was at first to hesitate, but then to promise a follow-up.  This she did, via e-mail, recommending two different Thai restaurants in midtown.  One is in the heart of the Theater District; I have eaten there several times, and it is quite good, but also a bit touristy, and we just weren't in that kind of mood. So, we decided to visit the recommendation that is slightly further afield - Wondee Siam II, on 9th Avenue at 54th Street.

Even at first glance, Wondee Siam II seemed promising.  We had made a reservation in advance because of the size of our group - 6 in total.  When we arrived, we were directed immediately to our table, in a one-room dining area, brightly lit, very minimally decorated, and crammed about as full of tables as possible.  But this we did not mind, as we have found that the best food seems to arrive in the places that do not focus on atmosphere.

As often happens to us, we were intrigued by almost every item on the menu.  So we asked our waiter for help in deciding.  We made a list of everything he recommended, then edited a little based on the tastes of the group we had assembled.

For appetizers, we settled on two Wondee Samplers, which included chicken sate, beef sate, spring rolls, curry puffs, and vegetable dumplings, all of which were quite satisfactory.  This picture shows the contents of one of the platters.

The appetizer tasting got us primed for our main courses, which were:

• Thai basil with chicken
• Thai basil with soft-shelled crabs (on that day’s Specials menu)

• Royal vegetables, a stir fry combination of chicken, beef and shrimp with a variety of vegetables in a light garlic sauce
• Pla Kra Tiem, fried whole red snapper in a garlic sauce

• Tamarind duck

• Crispy Pork with Broccoli
• Lamb Chop Curry

• Kee Mao Noodles, flat rice noodles sautéed with beef, basil, and chili

 

My favorites were the duck and the lamb chops, but everything was wonderful, and the Thai basil dishes were among the best of that variety I have had anywhere.

The service was attentive, but the atmosphere was definitely lacking.  The restaurant is clearly very popular and was filled by 6:30 pm, so the sound volume was a little higher than I prefer.  The lights are bright, which was helpful in terms of getting photographs of our food, but hardly romantic.  Still, the food was exceptional, and well worth a sacrifice in atmosphere, as long as excellent and authentic Thai food is what you want.

Our bill totaled around $270 for all six of us, including wine, tip, and the fried ice cream we had for dessert.

 

Where and When

Wondee Siam II
813 Ninth Avenue (at 54^th Street)
New York, NY
(917) 286-1726

 

www.wondeesiam2.com (menu only)

 

Open daily
11:00 am – 11:00 pm

 

We Fall in Love with the Food of Afghanistan

The holidays slowed the pace of our diplomat dining a bit, but Murray and I were able to have one more great meal before the close of 2009.  This time, our adventure was with Afghan food.  A diplomat at the Afghan Mission to the United Nations recommended two Afghani restaurants to Murray, but his remarks made it clear that Bamiyan is his favorite.

We were a group of five for a fairly early dinner on the Sunday after Christmas.  Prior to our visit to Bamiyan, none of us had any particular knowledge of Afghani cuisine, but somehow we knew we were going to love the food.  And love it we did!

In doing a bit of research since our meal, I’ve learned that Afghanistan is geographically situated such that, over the centuries, travelers from numerous other cultures have brought in all sorts of influence, including culinary.  As a result, Afghan food bears some similarity to Greek, Turkish, Middle Eastern, Persian, Central Asian, and Indian foods.

When we placed our order at Bamiyan, we relied almost exclusively on our waitress.  Everything on the menu looked great, and we suspected we’d be happy with anything, but we wanted to make sure we were ordering items that were most authentic.  This is what we ended up with:

Appetizers

• Aushak, steamed scallion dumplings topped with yogurt-mint sauce
  
• Kadu, turnovers filled with pumpkin; with yogurt dip on the side
  
• Baunjaun Bouranee, eggplant slices layered over mint yogurt
  
• Fesenjan, sweet and sour tender pieces of boneless chicken with walnuts and pomegranate juice
• Dolma, grape leaves stuffed with lightly seasoned ground beef and rice
  

Our favorites were the kadu and the the fesenjan, both offering an unusual combination of flavors that I am still, almost two weeks later, thinking about.

Entrees

• Lamb Kabob (Bareh), a skewer of lamb pieces grilled with green peppers and onions; brown basmati rice topped with raisins and carrots

• Bamiyah Chalow, sauteéd fresh okra with tomatoes and fresh herbs
• Quorma Sabz with Lamb, sauteéd fresh spinach and herbs with tender pieces of lamb
• Lowand Chalow, tender boneless chicken breast sauteéd in savory yogurt sauce seasoned with dill and tarragon
  
• Shireen Palow with Cornish Game Hen Kabob, a sweet baked rice dish flavored with orange peel and saffron, and grilled cornish game hen

The entrees were as memorable as the appetizers.  The lamb, chicken and cornish hen were all extremely tender.  And even though all but one of us said ahead of time that we didn't really like okra, the okra disappeared quickly, and I think there's been a change of heart.

Even after eating all of that, we were interested in dessert, so we ordered:

• Malai-e, vanilla ice cream flavored with rose water and honey
• Phirnee, a creamy rice-flour pudding with pistachios and rose water
• Baklava, an especially tasty version of this rich layered dessert with nuts and honey

I do not hesitate to recommend this as a choice spot for vegetarians.  There are more than 10 vegetarian entrees, and -- given that Bamiyan was able to get us all to enjoy okra -- imagine what they can do with eggplant, peas, and beans! 

The bill for five of us totaled around $250, including tip and wine. All major credit cards are accepted.

I highly recommend Bamiyan, and hope to be able to return there soon.

Where and When

Bamiyan
358 Third Ave. (at 26th St)
New York, NY 10016

212-481-3232

www.bamiyan.com

(If for no other reason, look at the site to see the unusual interior and exterior decor of Bamiyan.  Unfortunately my photos did not do justice, so I didn't include them in this post.)

Open 7 Days a Week
12:00 noon - 11:00 pm