Oct 10, 2008
| Search | NASSAU: North Shore | South Shore | SUFFOLK: North Shore | South Shore | Hamptons | North Fork | Pine Barrens | Weather |
Oct 10, 2008 |
| ||||||
| |||||||
The latest enterprise of 'culinary director' Thomas G. Schaudel opens as a colorful American-Asian-fusion production, done with typical flair -- big flavors and special visual effects, casual style and ample entertainment.
The kitchen specializes in cooked steaks and raw fish, concocting an east-west funhouse that effortlessly lets the twain meet. And, if you're on a protein kick, consider the joint mandatory.
The newcomer takes over the site previously occupied by Vagabondo. Murals are replaced by mirrors, continental colors by burnished, coppery earth tones. Table tops have marbleized designs, subver.sively competing with the beef. There's the obligatory calligraphy. It's all very stylized.
Schaudel, whose Asian accents over the years have included the departed Lemongrass of Roslyn and the current Tease! in Port Washington, fashions a clever and appealing menu that brings along some of his oldies hits.
Here, he and executive chef David Salony expand his kingdom of red curry mussels and "chocolate bag" dessert. But nouvelletiescq abound. Thom Thom is consistent, often excellent, and near three stars.
The "tuna poke," a mild tartare with ginger, lime and basil, arrives in a halved coconut, sporting a plume of endive and crisp banana. A spicy tuna roll is better than that at your local Japanese establishment. Likewise, the multi-fish rainbow roll.
Nigirizushi, the uncooked fish on ovals of vinegared rice, and unadorned sashimi are respectable in their pure forms. Tuna and yellowtail are tweaked with peppery spicing for 'new style' side trips.
On the western side, there's the familiar and fine Maryland crab cake, here with corn relish and tobiko-flecked aioli. The shrimp cocktail is steak-house quality. But the coconut shrimp satay stresses sweetness and crunch more than shellfish. Better: plump fried oysters, with vinegary cabbage slaw and a squeeze-bottle shoot-out of chipotle pepper-and-mango tartar sauce.
And Thom Thom brings you "kung 'pow' calamari," a sensational, super-squid appetizer, crisp and spiked with chiles, peanuts and a hot-sweet "secret sauce." For a richer, more leisurely opener, sample the lush riff on sushi pairing warm foie gras and eel atop caramelized pineapple, with an undercurrent of cinnamon.
Lacquered baby back ribs with a Kona coffee note are tender, a trifle sweet and stacked like building blocks. The wok-steamed mussels have the scent of red Thai curry, basil, coconut and lime.
An heirloom tomato salad rises like a small turret, held together with nuggets of Maytag blue cheese and walnuts, and buttressed by four leaves of endive. You feel summer truly has arrived. The Thai beef salad, with spinach, red peppers and grilled onions, is crowned with velvety slices of steak, for a heartier alternative.
The grilled steaks at Thom Thom are pretty good. You'll veer toward the Black Angus sirloin and the filet mignon. The rib eye is juicy. The porterhouse for two, dubbed "summo" steak, weighs in at 40 ounces. The solo diner who downs the whole thing is advised that a hall-of-fame plaque awaits. Such immortality shouldn't be too hard to achieve.
Short ribs braised with plum wine are generous and fine. A marinated, double-cut pork chop materializes pink and perfect, juiced up by a five-spice Fuji apple conserve.
Salmon cured with smoky, black Lapsang Souchong tea is recommended, accented with a mirin jus. The tempura of local fluke, with a black-bean vinaigrette, "sizzling sesame spinach," and wasabi-infused mashed potatoes spurs the beat, beat, beat of the Thom Thom.cq Slices of rare tuna are draped on a savory risotto of crawfish, completed with a mache salad and fried capers, for a diverting Eurasian union.
Desserts continue the pleasurable excesses. Schaudel's "chocolate bag," filled with bananas, ice cream, whipped cream and the like, has become a signature coda, here the container more horizontal than vertical.
The banana-macadamia nut bread pudding and the Key lime pie are on the dry side. "Too much chocolate" artfully layers a trio of mousses on a brownie. The lighthearted Hong Kong parfait means coconut ice cream, roasted pineapple, tamarind syrup, mango puree, whipped cream, fun.
But the apropos finale is the green tea ice cream sandwich, a witty confection made with almond cake and finished with shiso syrup that hints at mint and basil.
Befitting Thom Thom, it's a sparkler.
Hours: Every day for dinner. Reservations recommended.