You couldn’t have two more different Asian cuisines than Cantonese and Thai. Southern Chinese food is seafood and vegetable-heavy, with funky and flat flavors that sometimes challenge the Western palate. Thai cooking celebrates hot, sour and sweet sensations that compel your brain to cry for more while your tongue is crying for help. Here’s a couple of faves, one off Spring Mountain Road on Jones, the other in the Southwest part of town, that ELV and his staff go to when they require a jolt of the real McGillicuddy. For other real McGillicuddys, see this guy and this guy.*
Kan’s Hong Kong Kitchen is run by a man named John Kan. He is there to greet you when you walk in the door, takes your order, and takes great delight in your appreciation of his food. I was expecting gummy, corn-starchy sauces and lots of over-sweetened, round-eye friendly dishes as I sat down to order, but nothing could be further from the truth.
My first tastes of his stir-fried lotus root or deep fried quail took me straight back to the streets of Hong Kong, as did his pan-fried chow foon noodles. I also admired the considerable time it took an order to make it from kitchen to table. Praising slow service may seem odd to you , but it’s not. That wait is because everything is made to order, and whether the place is empty or full, you will wait longer than you’ll probably like for your food to arrive….which is just fine with me when the Chinese food is as good as it is here.
Basil ‘n Lime – Thai basil and lime juice constitute two of the main seasonings of Thai food. And Basil n’ Lime, a new restaurant on South Fort Apache, can take its place among the main (meaning: best) Thai restaurants in town. It doesn’t suffer from a difficult location a la Lotus of Siam, or operating out of an ex-Baskin Robins a la Archi’s, and brings a certain upscale sensibility to one of Asia’s most fascinating (and spicy) cuisines. The service is friendly and helpful — but then again I’ve never been in a Thai restaurant anywhere when it was anything but – and the menu is basically a compendium of Thai classics that are done to a turn. Of the dishes tried, the fried squid and shrimp pad Thai were outstanding; the coconut chicken curry finger licking good (if you like your fingers on fire), and the pineapple fried rice just the thing for the less adventuresome in your group. And like Kan’s, the snap of textures and flavors coming off those dishes tells you they’re made with pride and to order.
If reading this far has caused too much mental heavy lifting for you, click here to hear my commentary on these restaurants on KNPR – Nevada Public Radio. Thus will you be able to bask in the smooth, sweet and honeyed tones for which ELV is justifiably famous.
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* If ELV had a first name like “Connie,” he’d change his last name too.
Kan’s Hong Kong Kitchen
3407 S. Jones Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89146
702.222.9553
Basil n’ Lime
3665 Ft. Apache Rd. Suite 100
Las Vegas, NV 89147
702.255.2581
I will be sure to try both places. And a special thanks for the Basil n’Lime. When you made a nod to Archi’s, I knew that you knew what you were talking about. My oldest son loves this restaurant and he was introduced to it by his many Thai friends. Always a good recommendation!
Irene
speaking of basil … tell us the best place to find the best caprese salad, surely the ELV legions can help.
Of course the ELV legions can help….but don’t call us Shirley.
I like Circo’s layered Caprese Salad with true Balsamico. But the Cafe at Valentino does a nice one as does Enoteca San Marco is the Venetian Shoppes. Mimmo Ferraro does a functional one, and I’ll have to think of others. L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon has done them before….and summertime would be the time to see if they’re on the menu.
Thanks for the post and try Chowhound as well for other food fanatic picks!
I had lunch at Kan’s and really enjoyed my salt-and-pepper squid. Flash-fried so that it wasn’t too heavy or greasy and had just the right amount of salt and heat. A little hoisin or oyster sauce on the side cools off the heat and sweetens out the salt – if that’s of interest. The stir-fried veggies in XO were also delicious. Crispy and tender with just the right amount of sauce to add flavor, but not overpower, the veggies. Haven’t tried Basil N Lime yet – as I am an Archi’s believer – but will give it a shot sometime soon!
“real McGillicuddy” looks like a bad link…or at least an ugly one.
The real MacGillicuddy in the first pic is Connie Mack (born: Connie MacGillicuddy) one of the early great managers in professional baseball (of the Philadelphia Athletics) – an obscure reference made solely for the amusement of ELV.
The second snap is of Connie Mack – a Congressman or something from Florida….therefore worthy of much less respect than Connie Mack #1.