I'm back!!

Sorry folks I forgot to mention a couple weeks back that I was going on a sabbatical and by sabbatical I mean, being holed up in my bed with a nasty cold and early birthday celebrating in Las Vegas with some of my besties.  The trip was planned, the cold was not.  Wren and I spent 4 days in Las Vegas with some of our favorite friends, celebrating our birthdays and torturing our bodies.  I even got a surprise visit from my little sister Lena!

Between the cold and the vacation, the kitchen has been pretty quiet but I'm back and the oven is cranking.  Here are just a few photos from our trip, most of the food we ate was pretty miserable and mostly just to keep us fueled, but on the last night I took Wren to a little restaurant off the strip called Lotus of Siam for his birthday dinner.  I had done my research prior to our departure knowing that I wanted to take him somewhere different and most importantly away from all of the strip's glitz and glam.  This restaurant definitely filled that quota, located in a random strip mall with a dingy exterior and neon sign but the reviews were spot on and it was a perfect meal to end our trip.  Their menu is extensive, ranging from traditional Thai options to more unique Northern Thai dishes, and a wonderful wine selection.  We wanted to try everything but after much contemplation we decided on the following:

Koong Sarong (Prawns in a blanket), these little guys were crispy on the outside with salty bacon wrapped prawns on the inside and served with sweet and sour sauce, yum!

Next up was one of my favorites, Tom Kah Kai, a soup of course!  It was so good, a lovely balance of creamy coconut milk with a cut of lemongrass and lime juice and chunks of chicken and straw mushrooms strewn throughout.  They even topped it off with some fried chili peppers and chili oil.

Our first entree was a Thai style BBQ chicken, something I have never had before but was excited to try.  The meat was juicy and flavorful, I could have eaten it all but was holding out for our next dish.

This last dish we picked from the Northern Thai section of the menu, Khao Soi, egg noodles with a creamy curry sauce and delicate pieces of beef.  Although this dish may not look that appealing, it was delish!

Our dinner was wonderful and to think it cost the same as what we had been paying for sandwiches on the strip! If you are in Las Vegas and want to get some really good Thai, I definitely suggest the trip to Lotus of Siam.