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!