Spicy, inventive and offering supreme hospitality.
No beefs about the new edition of Pig and Khao on the Upper West Side.
Pig and Khao has been a Lower East Side mainstay for over 12 years, serving fun Southeast Asian-influenced renditions of American favorites.
Last week I strolled up to Amsterdam and 81st Street.
The intimate restaurant was empty at 5pm, but literally within the half hour it was hopping.
Chef-owner Leah Cohen and her husband and business partner, Ben Byruch, decided they were due for a change and the Upper West Side Pig and Khao was conceived.
The staff is outstanding, especially the manager, Ben who is the most welcoming gentleman. He took great care of us the entire evening.
We sat at the chef’s counter and watched the staff whip up an enormous amount of dishes.
We started with the Green Papaya Salad which was crunchy and flavorful with green papaya, crispy taro, peanuts, herbs, fish sauce and a dash of lime juice ($15).
The Pancit Palabok rice noodles dish with grilled shrimp, tinapa, chicharones and egg was good, but too spicy for me. The shrimp were well grilled and tasty ($22).
The P&K Famous Coco Rice made with Jasmine rice gently cooked with coconut milk, offering a subtle coconut flavor, was fantastic ($5).
The Whole Fried Fish was meaty and delicious with chuu chee curry, coconut cream and sweet and sour thai basil sauce ($39).
As indicated by the name, Pig and Khao serves up a multitude of meat dishes. I was dining with a pescatarian. The Ribs and Pork Belly are purportedly fabulous.
If spicy is in your wheelhouse then Pig and Khao will be a delightfully delicious choice.
Children are welcome and the kitchen will prepare some mighty fine chicken tenders for the kiddies.
Sadly, a screaming little boy did not take a breath, rendering him unable to munch on the crispy chicken and being fabulous parents they just let him have a free wheeling tantrum for at least 20 minutes before any action was taken. I really wanted to shove the chicken in his pie hole for a scrumptious stop gap, but the act would been inappropriate and probably gone viral.
On a happier more satisfying note, we met a divine couple who are expecting a baby girl on February 2nd…always looking for a highlight during these challenging times!
Pig and Khao 433 Amsterdam Avenue New York City. Open Tuesday-Sunday 4-10pm. Reservations on OpenTable.com.
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