By Lorraine and Phil Shapiro

The recently opened Cafe Talesai in a mini-mall on Olympic Boulevard in Beverly Hills is no mere branch of their elegant Talesai restaurants on Sunset and the San Fernando Valley. More casual, featuring fusion cuisine, it’s a destination for "Thai food for the new world," according to owner Prakas Yenbamroong.

This sleek glassed-in spot is artfully decorated with Thai Buddhas and other artifacts, a colorful fish mobile and white orchids. A lone potted cactus depicts their name Talesai meaning desert, playing up Southern California’s arid climate. Teak tables are set with plates sporting the "lucky coin" logo of a white triangle centered in a red circle, crisp white napkins and pointy striped chopsticks fashioned from Thai palm.

Prakas Yenbamroong, his wife and partner Sumitra and his mother and executive chef Vilai created a menu that’s a contemporary mix of Thai classics, lesser known regional specialties and Pan-Asian dishes. Unlike many Thai eateries, this east-west fusion uses light olive oil in place of coconut oil, crisp golden-brown pancakes (called latkes) are made with shredded taro root in place of potatoes, and fresh corn fritters are delicately seasoned with Thai basil.

A culinary amalgam of Chinese, Indian, Indonesian and European traditions and native ingredients, the thread that ties central Thai Cuisine to China is clearly seen in their pot stickers (chicken shu mai dumplings, punched up with ginger-soy vinaigrette). Kung pao chicken, orange chicken, Szechwan beef and Mongolian lamb also show strong Chinese roots.

The distinctive use of a variety of spices, especially chiles, defines Thailand’s regional dishes. From northeastern Thailand comes larb lanna of pork, lime juice, roasted rice flour and a heady dose or red pepper to be wrapped in Romaine and eaten burrito style, and green papaya salad. Southern Thai rib eye strips are stir fried and fired by aromatic red-hot chile paste.

The sophisticated cuisine from the central region, often called Royal or Palace cooking, is best known and has broad appeal. Tom yum (lemon grass soup with galangal and kafir lime leaves) and Pad Thai (their light version prepared with olive oil, chicken breast and egg white) are such dishes. Northern Chiengmai lamb curry and coconut curry with long-life egg noodles and chicken are mild yellow curries contrasting chile and spice with the sweetness of coconut cream.

With a well-chosen mostly California wine list, we found the 1999 Groth Napa Sauvignon Blanc was crisp and refreshing with its hints of citrus, at $25.

Desserts such as mango with sweet sticky rice made with coconut milk is a popular Thai dessert, especially in Northern Thailand, but we prefer the coconut ice cream.

Appetizers start at $4.95, soups are $2.95 for small, $5.95 for large, green papaya salad is $7.95, most curries are $8.95, kung pao and orange chicken are $8.95, pad Thai is $7.95, desserts start at $2.95.
The restaurant is open for lunch Monday through Friday 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., dinner nightly 5 to 10 p.m.

Cafe Talesai
9198 Olympic Boulevard
Beverly Hills
(310) 271-9345

Palms Thai Restaurant has been in the New Hollywood Plaza in the heart of Thai Town eight years, but it may be new to some.
The night we were there, it was crowded with young men, dating couples, seniors and a Chinese family wielding chopsticks at long rows of tables in the center of the open restaurant, at tables for four by the windows and at several booths. A testimony to multicultural Los Angeles, all share a desire for authentic Thai food in generous portions at reasonable prices, and an evening’s entertainment. Krevee "Kavin" Throngpreecha, a look-alike, sound-alike Elvis, is a one-man crowd pleaser.
Nightly, during the restaurant’s busy hours about 7 to 10 p.m., patient customers wait at the bar or brave the cold or rain outside on the parking lot. It’s even open until 2 a.m. for people who want a late bowl of noodle soup.
Thai eateries have flourished in L.A. not only because Los Angeles has the largest concentration of Thai people outside of Thailand, but because of the wide appeal of the cuisine. The abundance of local Thai restaurants here also reflects the Thai custom of frequenting street vendors for meals or snacks as well as neighborhood restaurants.
It’s the balance of hot, sour, salty and sweet using typical ingredients of chiles and curry pastes of all colors and intensities, lemongrass and lime juice, pungent fish sauce, sugar and coconut milk that has made Thai cuisine so popular.
Manager Somchai "Sam" Vongpiansuksa inquired, "Do you like spicy? Dishes listed as spicy are very spicy. You haven’t seen nothing yet!" The menu includes 36 ultra-hot "Wild Things" such as hen in jungle curry. Sam was right, even the "mild" sauces packed a punch. This is Thai food, not for the timid!

Opting for flavor over heat, we choose Thai sausage served with cilantro, fresh ginger root slices and fiery Thai chiles on the side. Mild chicken coconut soup, like most of their soups, is offered in two sizes: a big bowl serving two or more or presented in a large Mongolian pot with its characteristic moat. Pad Thai is the classic contrast of soft rice noodles and shrimp with crunchy bean sprouts, shredded carrots and crushed peanuts.

Like Thai carnitas, chewy beef jerky with a pungent sweet-hot sauce for dipping is popular. Another favorite is deep-fried trout fillets accompanied by a sweet-sour-spicy relish made with shredded apples, standing in for the hard-to-get green mango.

Service is fast and friendly, with dishes arriving all at once to be eaten in any order with a fork and large spoon. Although wine and beer are available, sweet, creamy Thai tea or coffee are the ideal beverages with such a spicy meal.

Thai jerky is $5.99, Thai sausage is $6.99, chicken coconut soup is $5.99 for a bowl, $7.99 for a hot pot, pad Thai is $5.50, deep-fried trout is $8.99, hen in jungle curry is $6.99, Thai iced tea and iced coffee is $2.

The restaurant is open daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Palms Thai Restaurant
5273 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood
(323) 462-5073