We really enjoyed it, despite a few off moments.
I made the reservation for 7:45 - we were unsure of parking in the area so we left a little early and ended up there just after 7:00. Lively bar when you first walk in - must have been happy hour with the Adobe employees and other dot.commers in the 'hood. I assumed we would need to wait at the bar, and made eye contact with the bartender almost immediately - everything about his expression and body language suggested he was eager to serve us. We checked in with the hostess and she offered to seat us right away. She chose the table closest to the bar - which was a bit too loud for us given the bar patrons, but when I asked for another table she immediately took us across the room.
We started with cocktails. These are going to sound odd, but they were amazing: BC had one made of gin, watermelon, lemon juice and cilantro. Mine was bourbon, peach juice and sage. The spices were very subtle - BC's drink was light and refreshing, mine a bit heavier but still very tasty.
We ordered appetizers and a salad as the first course. Sizzling prawns with lemon grass, cilantro and Thai chili. Golden carrot - julienned carrots battered and fried, looked a bit like a very hole-y fritter, with a spicy sweet and sour sauce with peanut and cucumber. Heirloom tomato salad.
Shortly after placing the order, our server returned to tell us they were out of the heirloom salad. Insert scratching record sound here. We went with out second choice, the salad with seared tuna. Ooops, out of that, too. So we opted for the Mango salad - trying not to be too disappointed.
The appetizers came out basically together - both were AMAZING. That carrot dish - damn. Lightly battered, flavorful, just spot on. The sizzling prawns were perfectly cooked - nice carmelized coating on the outside, cooked just right on the inside. And tasty.
The salad arrived a bit later - and we were both very happy with it. Julienned mango, cashews, a bit of heat, fantastic fried shitake mushrooms in a lime vinaigrette. Spot on again - at this point, we no longer cared they didn't have the two salads we thought we wanted more.
Somewhere in there we ordered a bottle of Rose. A very cute girl with punky hair was serving us at this point (they have the formation where a captain-like server takes your order and checks in, but a different server runs your food and drinks and provides table side assistance). When she brought out the pail full of ice with a bottle of champagne, I apologized profusely and told her we'd meant the bottle of rose wine they had on the menu, not the bubbly. BC and I like red wine - they had a good selection of white, a less good selection of red, but red isn't the best Thai pairing, so we went with Rose which we both like better than white. She was sweet - no problem, brought us the wine. (Note, their whites and roses are served in a table top chiller to keep them cold at the table).
Half-way through the salad, we ordered an entree and rice (we were both getting full). The entree was Flower of the Sea - stir-fried prawns, calamari and scallops with snap pea, onion, carrot and lemongrass. So good! The prawns were big and as perfectly cooked as the appetizer, the scallops were also the big kind, also perfectly cooked, and the calamari was all ring (I love tentacles but I know many people don't).
Everything we were served was absolutely fantastic, and they ask you how spicy you want things so you have some control. They pay attention to the presentation of everything from drink service to food. Proper glassware depending on the drink, pretty garnishes and interesting plating (the Flower of the Sea came in a huge red cabbage leaf, the carrots on a bamboo rack).
All told, for 2 appetizers, a salad, entree, rice, 2 cocktails, and a bottle of wine - just under $100 - $120 with tip.
The decor was really sexy - dark woods, light walls, interesting textures, good lighting. The service staff all very cute.
Picture of the interior - not taken by me.
I really want the management to figure out the not-running-out-of menu items thing (or not having prepped, which I suspect is more the case given the time of night) - because the food at this place was fantastic, the overall experience very good, and the only downside was basically being told "no" when we wanted a couple of the menu items. We were certainly happy (more than happy!) with the salad we ended up with, but still - having everything on your menu is just basic good restauraterurship.
4.5 stars out of 5!
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