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| - If you are looking for an unassuming ethnic restaurant located in a strip mall in not the best part of town that serves authentic high-quality food from a James Beard award-winning chef at reasonable prices ... well, many people would tell you that you're insane, and such a place cannot possibly exist. But such a place does exist my friends. It's called Lotus of Siam - known to many as the best Thai restaurant in America for over a decade, and home to the culinary masterpieces of multiple-time nominee and 2011 James Beard award-winning chef Saipin Chutima.
I first went to Lotus on my first trip to Vegas in 2008, after hearing continuous raves from my close friend and Yelper Jay F. They were already starting to get a buzz then, with one magazine proclaiming them the best Thai restaurant in America, and it's been great to see how the buzz has grown to Beard Awards and feature episodes on Top Chef Masters. A couple of weeks back was my first trip there in about four years, and it was nice to see that the restaurant has been expanded and renovated inside to better reflect it's reputation and quality cuisine.
My friend and I arrived at close to 9PM on a Monday night. They close at 9:30, but true to Lotus form, they were PACKED and more were flocking in. We took a seat at the nice bar (new since I last visited) and was pleased to see a small but thoughtful selection of bottled beer (many people were enjoying Stone IPA) and a selection of sake. (Wine is the thing to come here for - they have an impressive selection and showcase their wine storage room prominently - but I'm just not a wine person.) Shortly after ordering and receiving my hot sake, we were called for our table.
We started with 2 apps - the Issan Style Beef Jerky (13a) and Nam Ko Tod (14), which is essentially a crispy rice salad served with minced sour pork sausage and unlike anything I have ever had. Amazing. As always, we ordered both a 10 spicy, but felt these were a little lower - maybe a 7 in "Lotus Spice", which is equal to the "10" at most other places.
For my entree, I decided to bypass the "go to" dishes I had tried in the past and went with a traditional Massaman curry. And that's the great thing about Lotus - they have a huge menu with some truly creative and unique offerings that will blow you away. But for the less adventurous, they offer the same traditional Thai dishes that you can get at any neighborhood Thai restaurant, and at the same price. The difference is that it is prepared by a highly decorated chef, and it will be the best version of the traditional Thai dish you have ever had. I'll put my neighborhood Thai restaurant in Manassas up against any Thai restaurant in America - except Lotus. This was, hands down, the best Massaman curry I have ever had. And this time, the 10 spicy was indeed a 10 ... several pitchers of water were needed. (And you certainly are reminded the day after that you indeed did order the "10")
If there is any issue with Lotus, it's that the service can be a little bit hit or miss. There was some confusion with the server, and my friend was served the wrong entree. However, after pointing this out, our server went back to the kitchen and produced the proper entree in minutes ... and it was spot on. They make mistakes, but they handle them properly and professionally.
Lotus isn't just the best Thai in Vegas ... it's the best Thai in America, the best restaurant in Vegas, and one of the best restaurants in America. All at prices that are no more expensive than your typical Thai restaurant. Any foodie that's been to Vegas and hasn't been to Lotus can't call themselves a foodie or say they've really been to Vegas. It's THAT good.
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