Metro Denver might not boast an outright plethora of pan-Asian restaurants, but it has its share, including the exemplary Street Kitchen Asian Bistro near the Tech Center.
About 3½ months ago, Phat Thai invited itself to the party.
Housed in a cavernous, contemporary room at 2900 E. Second Ave., Phat Thai takes pains to announce that it is not a Thai restaurant, the name notwithstanding.
Phat Thai's website announces that it aspires to be a place where "hole in the wall noodle joint and lounge meets something a little more sophisticated." Well, there's a lot more sophistication here than there is noodle joint. For the latter, you still need to drive di di mau to one of Federal Boulevard's mom-and-pop
Mark Fischer is the chef-owner at Phat Thai. He's also behind Phat Thai's sister restaurant in Carbondale, plus the acclaimed Six89 in that same town.
His food is a melange of influences: Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Malay. And it by and large pleases.
I wasn't a happy camper when I entered Phat Thai on a recent evening, having endured the 11th circle of hell known as Cherry Creek parking. Remember that scene early in "Cool Hand Luke," where Paul Newman's character takes vengeance on some parking meters? Was it filmed at Second Avenue and Clayton? Just wondering.
A Phat Ass cocktail — oh, you daring kids! — citrusy with lime-leaf vodka, set that aright. Soon, food began arriving, improving the mood even more.
First up, a salad of watermelon (fresh pulp and pickled rind) with crispy pork. At $9 it was a generous, artfully plated portion with loads of flavor, thanks to the addition of chile, mint and lime.
Pork buns ($9), a nearly irresistible menu item, were spiked with hoisin and sriracha and came with a savory cucumber slaw. The bun was a tad sticky, however, and could have used a bit more cooking.
A side of kimchee delivered fire and vinegar. Coconut rice,
Mama phat ($14) was excellent, a mix of ramen noodles, ground pork and cabbage, seasoned with mint and coriander. The flavors were at once deep and bright in the mouth.
Massaman pae ($15) was a goat stew, with slivers of goat — a little more generosity with the cabrito, please — studded with peanuts, sweet-potato chunks, cardamom, tamarind, lemon grass and red chiles. Kaeng kiew wan ($16) was a tasty take on chicken curry, augmented with Thai eggplant and basil, plus a touch of coconut.
Another winner: the sticky pork ribs ($16), which were enlivened by that fiery kimchee plus — shades of a '50s-era chop
Folks with gluten sensitivities will be happy to know that gluten-free items are marked on the menu, and the kitchen is also willing to try to make any order gluten-free, when possible and upon request.
Phat Thai is a sprawling room, it largely neutral palette punctuated by splashes of bright yellow and cantaloupe.
The crowd is a mix of middle-aged diners and 20-somethings who have arrived to mix and mingle and stick around for the evening, given that Cherry Creek's night life scene these days is largely nonexistent, thus making a club-to-club crawl moot.
But hey, how nice to stow the cellphone and, you know, talk instead of text.
William Porter: 303-954-1877 or email@example.com