date: 8/20/08
location: st. paul
grade: a

supatra's has been around in their current west seventh for a few years or so, before that her restaurant was closer to the farmer's market building, if i recall correctly. it's about halfway bewtween where 494 ends and where downtown st. paul begins, aka between the condos and the bars (so yes, there's parking without driving around forever and yes, it's free). the area looks a bit different every time i go through it (more condos).

though one of the long-lasting major names in the area for thai (she even has a cookbook out) though the hot dog and french fry appetizer ($6.95) looked interesting, i figured as i had state fair plans later in the week, it probably wouldn't make the best introduction to the food here. someone did order the thai fish cake to start (4 cakes, $6.95). they come with a dipping sauce with bits of peanuts in it, and reminded me of a fishy version of egg foo yong, in a good way, with onion bits and that eggy taste.

for some reason, i didn't get my usual first dish that i have in almost every thai restaurant i go to, the ubiquitous pad thai. i just didn't want to. instead, i got the peanut curry stir fry, a.k.a. pra rahm long song with chicken ($10.95). way better than the taste of thailand one, as the sauce was thicker (i.e. didn't remind me of watered down peanut butter) and the spice in it more balanced and subtle. with the white meat shredded chicken and fresh spinach, it tasted strangely healthy for that kind of dish. maybe because it didn't taste sugary, like peanut sauce can. perfectly done rice came with it.

i think someone was sorry when i ordered it first. but they didn't get a bad hand dealt to them. they got a a red curry with beef ($11.95). that and the mild massamun curry with beef ($11.95) also had the same combination of lovely, subtle yet flavorful sauces with fresh veg and tender meats and spot on rice. the other dish, crying tiger, is a supatra original based on the cooking from the area she was born in (again, if i remember that correctly), and is the title recipe from her cookbook. it was beef with vegetables (tomatoes, oil-fried lettuce), special dipping sauce, and sticky rice ($13.95). the sauce was especially interesting on that one.

many of the dishes you can choose between tofu, vegetables, chicken, pork, tofu, beef of shrimp, sometimes other seafood, which gives everyone a range of, well, many, many choices of what they want. i'd do the math, but as we all know... math is hard. beyond the entree selection, there's also the apps, soups, salads, and an interesting looking range of desserts (anyone want to try durian? it's on the dessert menu with sticky rice). the beer and wine list is also quite decent, with some locals brews (flat earth, summitt) and thai beer (singa) among the selections.

good service, too. the water never was empty, we weren't rushed, everyone's food came out at the same time and was hot, the servers weren't pissed off at life... you know, the kind of service i rarely see.

the place has a light, bistro feel to it, with none of the artwork you see as standard set pieces in many asian restaurants. a lot of thought went into it, and the result shows (yes, the restrooms, too). it was nice to see the place quite full on a wednesday. hopefully the convention'll bring them a lot of business, too. they deserve it. it's the kind of place that should be in every neighborhood.

i'll have to come back again to see how the pad thai compares with naviya's, but both places seem to have the same sort of cooking style, using fresh ingredients and such.