Finally after many years of reading posts on the boards about dinners there, it looks like I will make it to LoS this weekend. Perhaps it isn’t quite at the top of its game as a few years ago but I am looking forward to it. There don’t seem to be as may comments in the last year or so as in the past. Any current advice on favorite dishes and/or wine pairings off the list? Any must order dishes? Any must order wines?
Thanks!!
Get the KOONG SARONG! I also like the drunken noodles with either the sea bass or duck.
Do note that if you really want it spicey you may have to make that abundantly clear as there is a tendency to tame it down for those who are not regulars. On one trip I actually had my server trying to tell me that I did not understand how hot they can make the food and I should reconsider my request. It would not have bothered me if it was stated once but it took me three times of assuring him I understood before he accepted it and I still don’t think he put the order in as I wanted.
crispy duck in cognac sauce
Larb
Thanks for the comments - keep them coming.
Any thoughts about wine?
To illuminate the obvious…make a reservation. Last weekend on my “I don’t want to move to Vegas but am going to look anyway” trip, I tried to get in on Sunday night…no go. In my defense, I didn’t know what our real estate search schedule would be, so couldn’t plan ahead. But anyway…
Chada. Seriously.
I ate lunch at LoS on Wednesday and it was mediocre. Again.
I ate dinner at Chada Wednesday and again last night. Excellent all the way around.
+1 on Chada - used to love lotus, but it is not the same…
Before Chada opened, and when Bank was still at Lotus, the wine list was exceptional. Back then you really needed someone to help you navigate or, if you were going to do it on your own, enough time because the list was massive and super interesting. Now list pales in comparison. You can spend a few minutes going over it and find something that is price appropriate for you or simply the most interesting and you will be fine.
Went last night.
Still a great meal
Whole fried catfish rocked.
Went with the four horsemen of riesling
The 2004 Prum auslese was sublime So was the egon muller
And the Thai iced coffee is perfect dessert
There is a 1976 JJ prum BA 750ml and a 2001 gunderloch TBA 375 that looked tempting. Relatively cheap
I will say the list has gotten thinner and more expensive but still unusually deep and reasonable
I still favor telling the server “chef’s choice” and seeing what comes out.
The wine list is still good.
Chada is awesome, as well. As noted above. Bank is the bomb. The pinnacle. I can’t say enough great things about him.
I think Thai is the best cuisine on earth.
This has got to be the most over hyped eating establishment on earth. Its crazy adulation is simply credited to a web based wine board built around a wine list that at the time was seductive and wildly well priced. Never had a meal there that made me a convert unfortunately, even though we did give it multiple chances. Nice folks, they were in the right place at the right time. If there was ever a restaurant that benefited from social media LOS is the pin up girl of the month.
Cheers,
Bud
I think it all depends on the dish, or maybe the expectation.
It’s more a “Northern Thai” kinda experience, so there can be times where it doesn’t seem to fit a classic Thai expectation.
The whole fish is maybe the best whole fish I’ve ever had.
Some dishes, I don’t even know what they are and loved 'em.
Lotus is more of a ‘umami’ experience that what other people may think of Thai.
Thanks to all for the comments. I had a terrific meal there on Sunday night - both for the food and the wine. I was there with a couple good friends and we ordered far to much food. We ordered:
Koong Sarong
Nam Kao Tod
Spicy Sliced Beef
Squid Larb
Crispy Duck with Panang
Drunken Noodle Prawns
Braised Short Rib with Panang
Another noodle dish that I cannot remember
Another prawn dish that I cannot remember
Sure, it was far too much food for 3 people, but it was my first time and I wanted to try lots of things…
Overall there was not a single dish that disappointed and a few such as the Koong Sarong, Nam Kao Tod, Short Ribs and Crispy Duck were excellent and ones that I would definitely order on a return visit.
I have no idea what it was like a few years ago, but compared to what I have in Chicago and all but Arun’s (another league both in food and price and one I haven’t been to in a while) it is head and shoulders above. I am disappointed that I had never made the effort to get there before and will be sure to go back. In my view, even after years of reading posts, it is not at all overhyped.
Wine list - wow, what a wine list for an unassuming Thai restaurant in a strip mall - some high end reds that I couldn’t do anything but gawk at. Prices weren’t bad for non-trophies and there were quite a few good to very good choices in my opinion. If the current list pales in comparison to prior years, I can only imagine what it was like…
We ordered the 2011 Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Spatlese which for $80 struck me as a terrific deal (given what I think is around a $50-60 retail and 96pt WA review). Was young as expected but oh so delicious!! We also brought a bottle of SQN The Moment which had been opened the prior night but not poured but alas it was not showing well with the food so we ordered a second bottle of the Donnhoff (perhaps regret not delving back into the list but it was a quick request when we realized that we needed more wine).
At any rate, I would highly recommend going to anyone thinking about it.
I will note that we asked for “medium” spicy on the dishes. Though I do like spicy food, to my taste it was on the quite spicy side - no issue in enjoyment of the food but next time I might tame the spice down a bit as I think too much spice hinders the wine part of the experience. If I was drinking beer than fine, but with the Donnhoff I would have preferred slightly less hotness.
The list is great, but I’m baffled that anybody drinks high end red at LoS. Any of you going in there looking for CdP with your larb?
I agree - lots and lots of great high end cab and syrah based wines (even pinots) but hard to imagine that people order $300 or $500 bottles of great reds to drink with spicy Thai food. I suspect they must sell them or otherwise there would be no reason to have so much money tied up in the wines but the sales must be few and far between… maybe the owner is a wine collector and on a lot of mailing lists and figures someone might order them for a lot of money, otherwise they’ll just take them home to drink at some point…