Eating Las Vegas

The Roof Caves In (literally) at LOTUS OF SIAM

September 13, 2017September 13, 2017

LOTUS OF SIAM TO REMAIN CLOSED FOR MONTHS

A botched roof repair job, a negligent landlord, and a fairly typical late summer rain provided the perfect storm for a major roof collapse at Lotus of Siam last Friday night. Because of it, Las Vegas’s most venerable (and internationally famous) Thai restaurant will remain shuttered for a least the next three months.

When reached for comment, Penny Chutima, the general manager of Lotus, said that the landlord, Mark Kaufman, had begun repairs weeks before the fateful rainstorm, but that the roofing contractors were unlicensed, uncoordinated and unfit for the job. “They never coordinated with each other or the businesses in the (Commercial) Center about what they were doing,” Chutima said. “They tore up entire sections of the roof, leaving bare wood and the structure exposed. When I asked about it (because rain was in the forecast), they only tarped my hood ventilation system. “

Chutima then posted on Facebook: “I was forced to go up onto the roof to try to sweep the water away to protect my customers, but it wasn’t enough.”

According to Chutima, she became concerned about the pending rainstorms last week, but got no response from Kaufman, right up until the time “I (had) a legit waterfall in my restaurant.”

With severe damage to both the dining room and kitchen, the operation won’t be back on line “…at least for a few months,” says Chutima. Until then, she anticipates continuing issues with her landlord, but the business has taken steps to repair the roof and water damage itself, rather than continuing to fight with Kaufman about things that should’ve been repaired months ago.

Interestingly, Chutima’s and Lotus’s Facebook pages were filled with loyal customers and fans expressing sympathy, but also more than a few comments decrying the location of the restaurant as a “dump,” and “borderline dangerous,” with entreaties to the Chutima family to find a new location for their iconic restaurant.

The Chutima family (which won a James Beard award in 2011) expressed loyalty to both their employees and the neighborhood: “We’ve been here since November 1, 1999,” said Chutima. “I support this neighborhood because there are many working families who want a job than can get…a house (and) most of them live on this side of town.”

In the meantime, Chutima, her chef mother Saipin, and her wine-collecting dad Bill, are looking for a temporary location to continue serving what many believe is the best Thai food in America alongside one of the great wine lists of the world.

Don’t Try This At Home

September 10, 2017September 13, 2017

The Food Gal® and I recently subscribed to Milk Street – Christopher Kimball’s new food and cooking ‘zine. As an old Kimball fan, I’ve plowed through more issues of Cooks Illustrated than I can count, and still consider his old “America’s Test Kitchen” show to be the definitive television cooking show. Kimball’s Milk Street show on PBS recently debuted, and I’m sure that it will be every bit as good as his old enterprise.

Milk Street is very 21st Century in its sensibilities. Instead of the “perfect meatloaf” and “how to make a pie crust” articles of decades past, it is chock full of foreign foods and travel tidbits. There are also quite a few recipes for things like Peruvian ceviche, Indian curries and southeast Asian soups. All of which got our staff to wondering: What recipes are best left to the professionals, i.e., when are you biting off more than you can chew when you try to cook something at home that is always better in a restaurant?

The following lists are by no means definitive, but after 50 years of restaurant-going, and 40 years of serious home cooking, I’m a pretty good judge of when a recipe (or a type of food) is a waste of time for anyone but those who immerse themselves in it daily. These should give you a good start on what to avoid trying, even if a pro like Chris Kimball is doing the teaching. No offense to him (or avid home cooks everywhere), but no matter how hard you try, the best you can hope for is a distant approximation of what the pros turn out daily:

LEAVE IT TO THE PROFESSIONALS:

Sushi

Dim sum

Fried chicken

Bread (unless you bake all the time)

Vietnamese food (unless you’re Vietnamese)

Korean food (unless you’re Korean)

Chinese food (Take it from someone who spent the 80s cooking his way through a number of Chinese cookbooks.)

Indian food (unless you’re Indian and have a larder the size of ELV’s ego)

French food (Even simple French food has more steps than a Fred Astaire movie.)

Puff pastry

Doughnuts

French fries

Whole fish

Shellfish (raw)

Foie gras

Duck

Ramen

Wine

Chicken wings

Pizza

Barbecue (unless you have the tools and the patience of Job)

Paella

Chocolate

COOK AWAY:

Italian food

Mexican street food (sophisticated Mexican food is another animal entirely)

Burgers

Steaks (Although the best steakhouses always get the best beef, and they use higher heat, to get a better Maillard reaction than you can.)

Chili

Vegetables

Salads

Soup (Except ramen, pho and any number of other Asian noodle soups. NEVER try to make these at home. You will never master them so don’t even try.)

Stews of any kind

Salsa

Whipped cream

Salad dressing

Roast chicken

Rack of lamb

Sandwiches

Filets of fish

Pork chops

Hot dogs

Potatoes

Rice

Shrimp

Shellfish (cooked)

Fruit (Fruit is its own best friend in the kitchen. You can get away with anything when you’re using good, ripe fruit.)

Beer

Eggs

Home cooking is like any other skill: you have to do it all the time to be any good at it. Milk Street is a great place to learn, but never forget that your cooking reach should never exceed your cooking grasp.

Bon appetit!

The Joys of Dining Alone

September 5, 2017

The great Roman general Lucullus was known to throw the most elaborate feasts in all of Rome. Cicero, it was said, would decline invitations from him out of guilt at knowing all the expense Lucullus would go to to impress even a single guest. A famous story goes that one night, the general had no plans for his evening meal; no guests to entertain; no one to impress. Upon learning this, Lucullus’s chef remarked, “Sir, since you will be alone this evening, I thought I would prepare something simple.” “What?” Lucullus replied. “Did not you know, then, that today Lucullus dines with Lucullus?”

Single friends, solitary Romans, dateless gastronomes, lend me your ears. There’s a lot you can learn from Lucullus. He understood that the greatest dinner guest you will ever have is yourself. Instead of shying away from good meals when you’re traveling alone, without a mate, or waiting for your spouse to leave the slot machines, you should seize the day, and find a restaurant in which to indulge your wildest fantasies. And by “wildest fantasies” I mean eat and drink anything you damn well please. The joys of dining alone are many, and if you can get past your self-consciousness, you just might find yourself appreciating your meal in ways you didn’t think possible.

These days, you see single diners in good restaurants much more frequently. Gone are the stigmas attached to unaccompanied women (loose), and solitary men (loser), freeing them both to enjoy themselves. Just think about it: when you show up solo, you are the master of your domain. You can proceed at your own pace. Cocktails before dinner? No problem. Spend a half hour with the wine list? Why not? Dip your bread right in the butter dish? Of course! Flirt with the waiter? Great idea! Eat the butter straight up? It never tasted better. (You can also post all the pictures you want to social media without having to uphold your end of some pesky conversation…but I digress.)

Look upon eating solo as a chance to make your own excitement and you’ll find yourself enjoying things in unexpected ways. The key is to take control of the situation, and let the staff know right up front that you are not someone to be trifled with. Eating alone forces you to deal with your meal in a serious manner. When you dine by yourself, you will notice everything more: the taste of the food, the texture of the wine, the interplay of the service. Alone, you can digest everything in a more thoughtful way — and become a more thoughtful and appreciative diner in the process.

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