Unauthorized

Many people consider this to be the finest Thai restaurant in the United States. While I am not an expert on Thai food, there was little to quibble about. In short, this joint offers exquisite cooking in a dumpy, backwater section of Las Vegas. Even more remarkable than the food is the extraordinary wine list. The selection of German wines, the finest I have seen anywhere in the world, includes a who’s who of German producers, including J. J. Prum, Von Hovel, Jakoby-Mathy, Müller-Catoir, Robert Weil, Karthauserhof, Willi Schaefer, Schloss Vollrads, Dr. Loosen, Zilliken, and Donnhoff. Moreover, they had multiple selections from all these producers at prices that were outrageously fair. To my amazement they had some impressive offerings from elsewhere, including a strong selection of Pinot Noirs from California. These included such limited edition cult wines as Brewer-Clifton, Radio-Coteau, and Pisoni Estate. From France, there were good selections of Bordeaux and Bugundy, but the most amazing offerings were the number of Châteauneuf du Papes available, including some of the greatest wines I have had from that appellation, the Domaine de Pégaü Cuvée Réservée (both 2003 and 2004), Clos des Papes, Pierre Usseglio Cuvée de Mon Aïeul, Domaine de la Janasse, Grand Veneur, Domaine du Marcoux, Vieux Donjon, and Château Fortia. That’s more Châteauneuf du Papes than are offered by just about any top restaurant in America. Moreover, they are all available at prices just above retail. Since no oak is utilized in these offerings, they work beautifully with the restaurant’s spicy cuisine.

The wines included the French Laundry’s house rosé, the 2005 Country Lane made by Eric Sussman’s Radio-Coteau winery exclusively for that restaurant and a few of their top customers. It is a delicious Pinot Noir-based rosé, but it was eclipsed by a rosé recommended by Lotus of Siam’s sommelier, the 2006 Schlossgut Diel Spatburgunder from the Nahe region of Germany. It was one of the best rosés I have ever had (and I drink a lot of these wines during the summer). It was dry, crisp, minerally, and delicate. The 2003 Pierre Usseglio Cuvée de Mon Aïeul continues to be a magnificent bottle of wine. Full-bodied, opulent, and rich, with loads of peppery black cherry and raspberry fruit as well as some darker blueberry/blackberry notes, it worked exquisitely well with the spicy Thai food. I tend to think that Germany, Alsace, and non-oaked reds are the best way to go with this type of food.

As for the cooking, we had one outrageous dish after another, but my favorites included the prawns and lobster, especially the latter which was an amazing dish. The impeccable service, wonderful greeting and fondness of the entire staff made for a memorable evening. Frankly, by itself, it is worth the flight to Las Vegas.