Sticky situation: Thai food and festival in Chicago
By Louisa ChuSticky situation: Thai food and festival in Chicago
By Louisa ChuThai food generates heat unlike any other exotic cuisine in Chicago, literally and figuratively. In fact the current darling of local food fans is Rainbow Cuisine in Lincoln Square. The hidden in plain sight, one-year-old, 12-seat restaurant was first discovered by LTH Forum member Matt Zatkoff (aka laikom), and since covered by the Reader‘s Mike Sula, Tasting Table‘s Heather Sperling, and soon by the Hungry Hound himself, Steve Dolinksy.
Chicago’s Thai Consul General, Songphol Sukchan, hosted an “authentic” Thai media dinner at trailblazing Sticky Rice restaurant in North Center last night to ostensibly promote the upcoming 11th annual Thai Festival. Starting two weeks from today, the three day event (June 19 to 21) takes over Federal Center Plaza downtown with not only food and fresh coconut juice, but traditional dance and music, Muay Thai kickboxing, and even Thai massage.
- Eat with spoon and fork, no knife, or right hand fingers only, but never chopsticks.
- With rice dishes, use fork to push food on to spoon then eat, but spearing food like sausages is acceptable.
- With sticky rice, use it as your only utensil.
- Beware, the rice is hot, very hot. With fingertips only, quickly pull off a bite-sized piece, then rapidly roll into a ball, again fingertips only.
- Mrs. Sukchan said Thai mothers roll tiny sticky rice balls for their children, lining them up along the edge of their plates.