May 9, 2014 Thai prix fixe dinner at the Greenhouse Bistro and Bakery

May 9, 2014 Thai prix fixe dinner at the Greenhouse Bistro and Bakery

Suzette invited me down for a massage at the Garden Gate Day Spa and dinner at the Greenhouse Bistro because Executive Chef Derren Den-Ridder had created a special Thai menu for the month of May.

After getting straightened out and relaxed at the Garden Gate Day Spa I walked across the parking lot to the Greenhouse Bistro and Bakery for dinner at 6:00.   Both are located at the Center for Ageless Living just south of Los Lunas at 3216 Hwy. 47 South.

When I arrived at the Bistro and looked at the prix fixe menu, I did not recognize all of the dishes but it looked great with a pleasing price of only $19.95 for the four course Thai meal.

Suzette and I each chose the Thai prix fixe dinner.

Soon we were brought a small bowl filled Tom Yum Goong; a spicy soup with a broth of lime juice and a Malay seasoning base with red chili in which were three shrimp, lots of chunks of soft tofu, wood ear threads, fresh galanga root, and slices of red onion slices.  The soup was very spicy and I coughed a couple of times from its hotness but soon my taste buds adjusted and I ate the soup to the last drop.  The spices flavoring the soup are mortared by the chef to mix their flavors and reduce them to a paste that can be cooked into the broth without losing the brightness of their flavors.

I drank lemonade and Suzette drank a beer to wash the spicy exciting food down. 

Soon after we finished the soup, we were served the most unusual dish of the night, a banana flower filled with a scoop of banana flower salad.  The salad was similar in consistency and taste to a light cole slaw with a light lime juice dressing made with a bit of water and chili instead of mayonnaise.  The salad combined julienned threads of cucumber, banana flower, daikon, carrot, red bell pepper and green onion into a crisp, light flavorful, cool salad.  I had never eaten banana flowers and I had to ask how they were prepared.  Chef Derren told me he soaks the sliced inner leaves of the banana flower in lime juice in order to soften them and remove their alum flavor before making the salad.  I loved the salad, especially since I had never eaten a banana flower.   There were several other couples in the restaurant who were eating the Thai dinner and they were also amazed at the bright flavors and interesting textures of every dish.

Banana  Flower Salad

Our entrée was chicken served in a green curry sauce with vegetables.  The chef had cooked coconut milk and green curry paste until it thickened to a creamy texture.  As the sauce thickened, for the last few minutes he added boiled chunks of potato and julienned strips of icheban eggplant and red onion.  The combination of chunks of chicken and potato stewed in the sauce with the red onion and eggplant strips was delicious beyond description.  I have never had such a wonderful green chicken curry. 

The dish was even more interesting because, instead of rice, the curry was served next to a pile of crunchy deep fried cellophane noodles.  The juxtaposition of the crunchy noodles with the thick spicy creamy chicken curry was amazing.  We had forgotten how hot everything was and ate every bite of the curry, although I kept drinking lemonade and Suzette ordered a second beer to wash everything down. 

Finally, dessert was served and we had another surprise.  Three surprises in one night, what a meal.

The dessert was Sweet Coconut/Mango Rice;  a large scoop of cooked sweet rice with an alluring flavor served with slices of green mango and garnished with a coconut milk, lime and palm sugar cream.   Again I had to ask the chef how he made the dish.  He said that he soaks two parts liquid to one part Japanese sweet rice for ½ hour.  The liquid contains star anise, coconut milk and some palm sugar.  Then the rice is boiled at a very low heat with the lid ajar stirring regularly.  As the rice coagulates, the heat is turned down and when the liquid is almost evaporated, the lid is slid onto the pan and the rice is allowed to sit for one hour so the rice will absorb the remaining liquid and become sticky. The chef uses slightly green mangoes because their acidic slightly sour taste contrasts nicely with the slightly sweet rice and sauce.  The sauce is simply coconut milk, palm sugar and lime juice cooked until it thickens.   The sticky rice dessert was another beautiful and delicious dish.

I know of no better Thai prix fixe menu for $19.95.  Chef Derren has convinced me that great thing are yet to come from his kitchen at the Bistro.

The Bistro is featuring a special regional cuisine each month with a fixe prix menu. June is Moroccan Cuisine, July is Spanish, August is the Art of Food (for Restaurant Month) and September is Chinese Cuisine.

Chef Derren grew up in Australia near Perth and has lived and cooked all over the Pacific Basin before moving to the U.S., so he is very familiar with what we view as the exotic foods of the Far East.

If you want to eat some really delicious an authentic Thai food you should rush to the Greenhouse Bistro and Bakery as soon as possible to try the fixe prix menu for $19.95.   

It seems to me that Chef Derren actually tailors his exotic dishes to the tastes of American and New Mexican tastes.  Dishes are selected that appeal to American tastes and although spicy, the heat is not so over powering that you can not taste all the flavor components in the dish.  If you want your dish spicier, ask for the small bowl of chopped Thai bird chiles and toss some on your dish.  I found the dishes hot but not too hot to enjoy.

chopped Thai bird chilis

Bon Appétit

P.S.   Be sure to save the date June 21, 2014 because you will want to go to this year’s annual Field to table feast at the Center for Ageless Living that features all local ingredients and wines,   This year’s special ingredient is thyme and the theme of the meal is Thyme to Celebrate.  If you have never eaten an entirely local gourmet meal, you owe it to yourself to attend this year’s meal on the summer solstice for a special meal to celebrate a special evening and the event is for a good cause.  The Center’s non-profit foundation, SC, Inc., that will hopefully raise enough money to build a greenhouse at the Center to grow vegetables and herbs year round to deliver fresh vegetables to the home bound elderly citizens of Valencia County.