Absolute Thai is Absolutely Wonderful

Last night on a whim, and with an intense desire for Thai food, the husband and I decided to venture away from Vienna and try out a highly rated restaurant in McLean called Absolute Thai. When the craving for basil, chili peppers, and lime juice strikes, we never have far to go since we live close to Natta Thai in Vienna, which until last night was my favorite Thai restaurant of all time. Their permanent "special" of chicken with crispy kale with that sweet and spicy sauce is so good, I want to take a bath in it...but I digress.

From the outside, the restaurant is not much. The flashing neon "open" sign on the window belies the warm and inviting gem inside. Rushing in from the cold we were greeted by a pastry display case full of the most beautiful, artistic, and precious little pastries. There was a rectangle of chocolate cake topped with a bruleed salted caramel mousse, a round devils chocolate cake topped with toffee crunch and coffee cream, a perfectly molded mound of mango cream covered in a rich dark chocolate shell, plus an assortment of cupcakes, macaroons, and more temptations. It was clear we were going to need to save room. This was no usual Thai dessert choice of mango sticky rice or fried bananas (though they had those on the menu as well).

We were greeted by a lovely little Thai woman who seated us promptly. Looking around the dining room it was clear that the artistry displayed in the pastry case extended to the interior of the restaurant as well. The room was lit by flickering tea lights on each table. Textural, three-dimensional modern art graced the walls, and a softly shimmering curtain of beads separated the dining room from the long colorful bar.

The menu is a mix of old and new - traditional Thai dishes like pad thai, curries, and satay plus more inventive modern dishes like the appetizer we shared of roasted duck wrapped in a crispy yet soft and chewy roti with tamarind sauce. I ordered the chicken panang curry because it's one of my favorite Thai dishes of all time and I was hopeful that Absolute Thai would do it justice. My husband ordered the whole crispy flounder with two sauces after the waitress excitedly told us that the flounder had just come in that morning and was delicious. The panang curry was wonderful. Spicy, but not too much, simply steamed broccoli with some crunch, and just enough sauce to accent the dish, but not so much the chicken was swimming in it. The dish was served with jasmine rice, but I asked for red and brown rice instead after seeing it in the "healthy dishes" section of the menu which was stocked full of interesting sounding vegetarian dishes like tofu and eggplant in a spicy basil sauce. It was a perfect compliment to soak up the remaining panang curry.

But the flounder was definitely worth the waitress' enthusiasm - especially the three flavor sauce served on the side that I will be trying to replicate for months. Sweet, spicy, and savory. I would swear fish sauce and sweet chili sauce, but the other flavor? Maybe some tamarind? Lime juice? Crushed red pepper? Garlic? Whatever was in it, there was none left by the end of the meal. The fish itself was lightly fried and beautifully served on top of the fried fish carcass which one member of our party may or may not have been picking apart for any extra bits of fish by the end of the meal.

Full and happy, we still could not pass up dessert, so we opted for something called La Petite Antoine, a confection of chocolate hazelnut crunch with coffee cream that was light and airy and tasted as good as it looked. Just the right amount of sweetness to cut the spice of the flavorful meal we just enjoyed.

Absolute Thai is no takeout Thai restaurant. Make a trip to McLean and prepare to enjoy yourself. Order a cocktail, read the menu, and then sit back and enjoy the journey of your senses. Don't forget to save room for dessert!

Martinis for Dinner

Cucumber Basil and Lime Martini - crisp, fresh, green, and fragrant. Plus, it's almost like having a salad, so it's healthy, right?

Just muddle a few slices of cucumber, juice of 1/2 a fresh lime, and a few leaves of chopped basil with some sugar. Add vodka of your choice and a few splashes of tonic and voila!

An Inspired Weeknight Dinner

When it comes to easy weeknight meals that require no planning, I usually fall back on the American staples of pasta, pizza, stir-fry, and of course, taco night. But last night I was feeling inspired by a recent class I worked at Culinaria Cooking School (where I work as an occasional class Assistant as well as help out with their marketing). The class was a Wine Bites-Piedmonte class where each delicious dish was paired with a wine from the famed region in Italy.

Chicken with Olives and Rosemary served with Quinoa

Though the original recipe made by Chef Stephen Sands used lamb shanks, and was braised for hours, my pared down version cooked up much quicker with chicken and used many ingredients I already had hanging out in the cabinet - tomato sauce, black olives, crushed red pepper, chicken broth, and a box of quinoa that I can't remember buying. Toss in some rosemary from the overgrown bush out front, and it was really something special to warm up a chilly November night. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts

2 tbsp. olive oil

salt/pepper

1 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 carrot, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup white wine

3 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup black olives (like kalamata)

1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary, plus more for decoration

1 cup quinoa

Directions:

1. Cut chicken breasts into 3 rough pieces. Salt and pepper. Saute over medium high heat until browned on both sides. Remove to plate and set aside.

2. In same pan used to brown chicken, saute carrots, onion, and celery until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for one more minute.

3. Add wine to pan and stir with whisk, getting browned bits off bottom. Add 1 cup chicken broth, tomato sauce, crushed red pepper, olives and rosemary to pan and stir. Bring to a boil and then down to a simmer for 10 minutes. 

4. Add chicken back to pan and simmer over low heat, covered, for 30-40 minutes until chicken is tender.

5. Meanwhile, mix quinoa and 2 cups of chicken broth in sauce pan. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve with chicken and sauce. Enjoy!

Crepe Amour or Crepe Eh?

After months of driving by the recently opened Crepe Amour on Maple Avenue West in Vienna, I finally stopped in today to give it a try. By all accounts, it should have been a wonderful experience. First, I was with my husband and youngest son - a rare weekday treat. Second, they serve nothing but crepes and coffee. How can you go wrong with that? And third, Nutella makes several appearances on the menu. But still, instead of walking away with a full stomach and a smile on my face, I left thinking...eh.

Crepe Amour does some things right, and some things just not quite. To start, there is virtually no space to sit down (or even stand) in the "restaurant" - maybe 9 seats total, 4 of which are bar seats at the window. On the streets of Paris, or even Georgetown, where the restaurant first opened, this works. Grab a crepe wrapped in foil and dripping with butter and sugar and take a leisurely stroll down the Champs Elysee, or even M street. But in Vienna, VA, land of 1960's strip malls, mattress stores, and traffic lights, a leisurely stroll is not quite as appealing. There aren't any benches outside yet, but I was told they are working on a permit for those, which should help the grab and go style a bit.

In addition to the very tiny space to sit, there is room enough for about 3 people to stand in line before you're on the other side of the door. As long as it doesn't get too popular, that's fine, but if things start to pick up, you can expect a nice appetizer of car fumes from the parking lot before you get your hands on a crepe.

On the bright side, the decor is modern and cute and almost makes you feel like you've found a gem in the city. The menu is quirky and varied, offering many choices of both sweet and savory crepes. I had a spicy tandoori chicken crepe with red peppers, cilantro, and spicy mayo. The filling was good and flavorful, but the crepe was lacking that traditional texture - soft and slightly chewy. The Crepe Amour version appears to be whole grain and a bit crispy. If there is a next time, I think I'll go for the tried and true Nutella and banana crepe. You can't go wrong with Nutella, right?