'I began with shredded duck salad ($6). Slivers of buttery duck confit mingled freely with frisee, sheer slices of pickled onion and a star anise vinaigrette. The crab and mango summer rolls ($7) were as narrow as pencils and stood on one end, in a chili mayonnaise. Inside were threads of green mango, bits of crabs and whole mint and basil leaves. And the rice paper was wrapped in loose folds so that it felt delicate on the tongue. Such subtlety is common. Imagine fried calamari ($6) that tastes like calamari vieled in a faint web of batter. It exists here. A number of other wonderful dishes, like the broad noodle with beef ($8), which is described on the menu as "a Thai Bolognese." Noodles as wide as a ruler are tossed with lumps of ground beef in a sauce fragrant with tomatoes, fresh coriander and coriander seed. It is fusion cooking, but don't let that distract you. The massaman lamb curry ($9) was brothy and creamy without coconut milk. The yellow curry ($9) was like a spicy elixir with cubes of butternut squash and corn. And the grilled duck ($13) is surrounded by a sweet and tart tamarind sauce. It's a good idea to come thirsty. The litchi martini ($7) and a full bodied and citrusy plum wine sangria ($4) lead a long list of drinks. A thoughtful winelist follows. One dessert, a simple one, stands out: a warm heap of rice flavored with coconut milk, with a mango half ($5) sliced and turned inside out (a technique called the hedgehog; you will see why). Both times I ordered it, I swore I could not eat another bite. And both times the plate was removed from the table empty.'
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'The lemongrass is always greener at Long Tan, the most recent addition to the Lower Slope's restaurant row. The menu is "modern Thai" and the surroundings are Republic-esque (minus the forced communal experience). Chef Jeff Hardinger, formerly of Ruby Foo's, jungle curry is spicy but not menacing; the pad thai is fine; and "Junior's pork, rice and garlic sausages" evoke descriptions like "demure" and "supple", but "friggin' excellent" is the final verdict. The greens are great - whether accompanying the sausage or heaped beneath the tangy three-flavored snapper. Nice touch: mustard greens. Better still: loooow prices.' |
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'Long Tan is that kind of place. On one side, a trendy bar serving supersize martinis and a "Most Excellent Cosmopolitan" ($7). On the other, a spare, red-and-white new-Thai restaurant with an open kitchen where kids can perch on stools to watch their dinners being made. The food is excellent: clean, fresh and brilliantly flavored. If it's not authentically Thai, it's Thai for the trendy young New Yorkers who have filled it since it opened. Our main courses were the same mix of old and new Thai. The pad Thai from the noodle section was familiar comfort food with its crunchy peanuts, chunks of tofu and sprouts ($7). Massaman lamb curry was a bowl of luscious, coconut-creamy lamb chunks, pearl onions and new-potato wedges seasoned with lemon-grass stalks ($9). But the duck with tamarind sauce was best of all: slices of well-seasoned duck breast and sauteed bitter greens in a sweet and tart tamarind sauce ($12) that was excellent.'
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'Long Tan, a sprawling minimalistic-chic Thai restaurant and lounge with a snug garden, house-infused cocktails, an intriguing Australian wine list, and a kitchen that challenges nearby Blue Ribbon's late night supremacy...'
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As "stylistically up-to-date" as Park Slope gets, this "to-cool-for-scool" Thai restaurant/lounge ensures that scenemakers "never have to leave Brooklyn"; silky "sleek" with crimson banquettes, Japanese lanterns and temple candles, it brings "tasty" specialty drinks and resident DJ's who can scratch with "the best" to fans who sigh, it's been a "Long Tan coming" |
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'Full-tilt hipness hits Park Slope with this neo-Thai trendster; after satays and curries in the high-concept dining room (think a communal table and wide-open kitchen), chic sorts retire to the adjacent orange-lit bar, red-on-red lounge or petite garden to groove to a DJ's tunes over spicy ginger kamikazes.' |
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'Enter the recently opened Thai restaurant Long Tan. Cool. Clean. Fresh. Sleek. Elegant yet relaxed. Ultra modern yet fun. Sophisticated yet young. The entrance to Long Tan takes you into the smaller of the two rooms where there are a few tables and a bar. In the dining room an open kitchen underscores the vibrancy of this friendly, relaxed atmosphere, and a large window looks out onto a charming little graden area with flamingo-pink plastic chairs and tables for fair-weather dining.'
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'New or recently opened restaurants include the Chip Shop, with its flair for British fare; the minimalist stylings of Long Tan, an upscale Thai eatery; and the red-awninged Vaux Bistro...'
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'Long Tan's bar is now open. The sexy red room is the setting to sip on summer fun cocktails like green tea martinis, their own sour-apple flavored vodka, and a bang-up margarita. The soon-to-be-open nouveau Thai restaurant's on track to become one of Park Slope's hottest hangouts.' |
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