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THE FREE LANCE-STAR
It's nice to see a favorite restaurant revitalize itself. That's why I was so happy when I walked into the Bangkok Cafe with friends the other day for a casual dinner.
I've long liked Bangkok, because it was among the first restaurants to offer Thai food in the Fredericksburg area and because of its downtown location and pleasant setting.
But in recent years, that setting got a little bedraggled. The glass covering the white tablecloths hadn't really done the job of keeping the linen unstained. The place often looked like it could use a spruce-up. And in the winter if you sat near the front door, you froze when anyone came in and out from the street.
Those problems have been addressed. New tabletops are of the wipe-clean variety, with neat painted Thai scenes and words under a laminate. There's new artwork on the walls. And the restaurant has enclosed its foyer so heat doesn't whoosh out every time the door opens.
The menu remains the same, and the food as good as it was in 2000, when the restaurant was last reviewed in this space.
There are tasty choices aplenty from appetizers through dessert.
Satay ($4) is one of the simplest appetizers and a good way to introduce children or timid adults to Thai cuisine. Four strips of chicken, beef or pork are skewered and grilled, then served with vinegary chopped cucumbers and a thick peanut sauce with hints of coconut and red pepper.
Wonton soup ($3, $5), tom yum and tom kha gai ($4, $6) are available by the small or large bowl.
Tom kha gai strikes me as the Thai-est of Thai soups, with slices of white-meat chicken, whole straw mushrooms, fresh coriander, lemongrass and bay leaf in a coconut milk broth.
Like other dishes, this can be ordered mild, medium, American hot or Thai hot.
A Thai hot version of tom kha gai comes loaded with chunks of green chilies that look deceptively like spring onions. It's not for the faint of palate.
I prefer the medium, with just a bit of red-pepper fire but not enough to overwhelm flavors of coriander and coconut.
The entree menu is extensive, with chicken, pork, beef, tofu and seafood dishes.
I like drunken noodle ($10), wide, flat and transparent rice noodles with basil, fried tofu chunks and whatever vegetables are on hand. It's "drunken" because it's thoroughly besotted with a thin, luscious brown sauce.
The beef with Thai curry ($10) is pretty to look at and hearty to eat. Strips of beef and plenty of green beans are cooked with garlic, ginger, coriander, chilies, lemon grass and other spices.
Mussamun, an Indian-influenced curry of sweet spices, coconut milk and hot red pepper, holds its flavor served American hot. The mixture of peanuts and potatoes makes this a satisfying dish. Served with a choice of beef, chicken or pork ($10), shrimp or scallops ($12), it's Thai comfort food.
For dramatic presentation, nothing beats pla-lard, or crispy whole fish with basil (market price; $23 this night). We were served flounder, cleaned but with fins, tail and head intact. It's pan-seared and served on a bed of lettuce, with basil leaves, red and green bell peppers and baby corn on top.
This dish, easily enough food for two, is an experience. The skin is crusted with spices and crackles when you bite. Underneath, the white fish is flaky and readily soaks up a thin, brown sauce. The vegetables are tender and infused with the flavor of the fish.
I love pad-thai, the Thai dish most familiar to Americans, with its rice noodles, peanuts and vegetables in tamarind sauce.
But I find Bangkok's version ($9.50) surprisingly bland and oily. It lacks--and sorely needs--the punch of lime juice that is frequently used in this dish, either added during cooking or squeezed from wedges served on the side. Most recently I tried it with added shrimp, which I found slightly tough and lackluster.
That, though, was the only negative I encountered in several visits.
Bangkok also serves American and Thai desserts. Many start with a simple dish of sweet rice in coconut cream ($3.50), to which mango or jackfruit may be added when they're available.
My favorite is the deep-fried banana tempura topped with honey and sesame seeds ($3). They're like banana-filled spring rolls, crispy outside and creamy inside, with just enough honey to sweeten, not drench. One serving is three rolls, so it's a good dessert to share.