M L.

Thai-Esan Cuisine is probably the best (and certainly the largest) of the several vendors operating in the food court in the rear of the Golden Globe Intl' marketplace. As is typical with the local Asian eateries, it's a family-run business staffed by a rotating crew which might include mom (Selena Xoing), pop, daughter, son, grandma and so on - based on time and day. While the building is rather industrial and the seating spartan, these folks will make you feel warm and welcome. But let's get to the nifty food! It's a blend of Hmong standards, Thai-style dishes, and pan-Asian noodle bowls - and I have yet to eat a single bad bite of it. Generally speaking, the offerings range from "yum, tasty.." to "wow, this is great!" to "OK NOW, I REALLY HAVE TO STOP BEFORE I EAT ALL OF THIS". My regular favorites include: Moo Sedong (thinly sliced pork in a hot and mildly sweet tomato-based sauce accompanied by tomatoes, cucumbers and mint - served cool) Kho Man Kai (major garlic-laced rice plate with poached chicken breast and special dipping sauce, served with a bowl of vegetable soup - the stock of which was used to poach the chicken) Laab Padouk (Catfish laab salad, if you don't know what laab is - look it up.. tasty bit of knowledge) Steamed fish with bitter sauce and special herbs (Not so bitter, really.. more like: Yum yum! Tasty fish!) Curried crabs (bit of a pain to eat, but the curry sauce and vegetables are full of flavor and just a delight) Esan-style Sour Bamboo soup (Not really a soup, I'd call it a lukewarm salad.. slightly crunchy, not overly sour, a little salty - just delicious, and full of fiber, Kyle) And last but not least: The HOT (!) pepper sauce. It's hot as hades, and bursting with bright herbal and citrus-y flavors. Quite unique, I've never had a hot sauce like this anywhere else. If you know what typical Hmong hot sauce is like, you will notice the similarities - but then it veers off in a totally different direction. I am very seriously addicted to it, I'm craving it as I write this. There are a couple of items on the menu that I didn't particularly care for (the Boneless Chicken Feet laab comes to mind) but that's not to say that they were 'bad' - just a little outside of my personal preferences. A couple other tips: The stall next to Thai-Esan ("HER kitchen") is the place to go if you like green papaya salad or chicken wings - no offense, Selena.. we just like HERs the best. She also makes a delicious, very rich peanut-based beef curry with sweet peppers. On the far end, "Asian Soul food" makes a wicked stuffed chicken wing. Finally, one amusing little detail. Once in a while, if they're not too busy, you'll catch mom and/or pop watching you eat your food. Just like when you cook dinner for your friends, and you slyly follow their expressions as they work their way though the meal. You gotta love that kind of pride, that sort of connection to their product. 4/5 stars.