PALM THAI, MADISON
The menu has the usual suspects of vegetarian, curry, rice and noodle dishes, all crowd pleasers, along with a section of “Old School Thai Food” with choices such as Thai basil, wild ginger and garlic and pepper in which chicken, beef, tofu or shrimp can be added to the mixture. What caught our eye though, was the section called “New Thai Generation” with three different duck preparations, as well as salmon, shrimp, fish, lamb and sea bass choices. For starters, we shared a Tom Yum crepe/pancake made with coconut milk that had a crisp exterior and creamy interior. It was topped with shrimp, lemongrass, tender squid, cabbage, red and green peppers and scallions in a spicy sauce; deliciously different and can be shared by two. Tofu soup with Napa cabbage, mushrooms and scallions was a pretty presentation but bland. Crispy roasted duck topped with a red-wine tamarind reduction did not disappoint and was served with an impressive mound of fresh vegetables: string beans, yellow squash, broccoli, carrots, asparagus and baby bok choy. The flat rice noodles in the Drunken Noodles dish sautéed with chicken, peppers, onions, egg, tomato, chili and carrot came medium spicy as ordered; a dish we would not hesitate to order again. As with most Thai restaurants the menu is large and we look forward to returning here to try other enticing entrees such as salmon with claw fish sauce; shrimp miso; mango papaya red snapper; and baby rack of lamb with pepper and lemongrass. A creamy but light palate-pleasing green tea crème brulee was a perfect finale for this dinner.
Tom Yum crepe
Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein
Palm Thai Restaurant
75 Main Street
Madison
973-845-2963
BYO
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