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Restaurant review of Thai Culpeper--Asian authenticity and artistry. Date published: 1/20/2005
For THE FREE LANCE-STAR She: When the venerable Lord Culpeper Hotel was built in 1933, its original owners could never have foreseen that gang pah and kra pow would one day be served under its roof. But what might have once been considered a contradiction in terms--Thai Culpeper?--is now a fusion of Old Virginia architecture and Asian cookery. He: Two friends had been pestering us to try Thai Culpeper ever since its doors opened last autumn. He, a Vietnam vet who knows a thing or two about Asian food, sang the praises of the fresh spring rolls. She extolled its virtues as an establishment that caters to vegetarians, and although I've been known to jest that "vegetarian" is an Indian word for "bad hunter," we had been thinking we might be giving our noncarnivorous readers short shrift.
She: Once the four of us were seated in the delicately lit dining room, two things were clear to me. The first was that our vegetarian friend had not exaggerated. With the exception of a few chef's specials, every single entree in the multitude of offerings is available in a vegetarian version. In her words, Thai Culpeper "gets" vegetarians. The second thing that was clear was that an artistic genius had a hand in making the tables. The rest of the decor is muted and simple, all the better to showcase gently sparkling tabletops that are reminiscent of tie-dye work wrought in shades of sapphire, sea foam and scarlet. He: Nee Hopple, the daughter of owner Thipphawan Jaipayugton, explained that if you put any two of them together, they form a butterfly design.
1. Be respectful. No personal attacks.
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