Thai Pastry & Restaurant
Cho Mung
Som Tum (Papaya Salad) 3
With Bok Choy Greens 4
Just south of Argyle Street is this cheerful Thai eatery where contrasting tastes and textures find balance and harmony. There’s a broad selection of appetizers, noodle soups, and curry dishes plus house specialties like frog legs, whole red snapper, and eel. The combination of hot, sour, sweet, and salty flavors, at times within a single dish, calls for wines that emphasize balance rather than strike a single powerful note. It’s best to avoid wines made from big and often pungent grape varieties like cabernet sauvignon and new-world chardonnay; wines lower in alcohol and higher in acidity, with soft tannins and a fair amount of residual sugar, are the best bets. The consulting expert on this trip was Scott Tyree, sommelier at Tru.
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5 1999 Vins de Vienne Cotes du Rhone “Les Cranilles” (Rhone Valley), $19-$20. This cotes du rhone from the southern Rhone valley (one of the finest regions in France, and often overlooked) has nuances of violets, pepper, and spices. The blend of grenache and syrah grapes stands up to the chilies and garlic in the Cried Tiger, while the tannins are moderate enough to mitigate the bitter combination of fish sauce and mint. The muscle of the beef is softened by the structural fullness of the wine. Consumed together, the wine takes on a milder flavor (although it’s still rich and oaky) while the dish becomes increasingly savory on the palate. (Sam’s)
