Thai X-ing

Hello lover. I believe I may have found my new favorite DC restaurant.

Yesterday, my darling friend Crickett turned 30 and a group of lovely ladies gathered together to celebrate. Reservations were made at Thai X-ing (Thai Crossing) - a place that I have been dying to try.  

This unassuming eatery is tucked away in a rowhouse near LeDroit Park. You walk in to find what is basically a glorified living room with tables and mismatched chairs set up neatly throughout the space. The lights are dim and the room is warm, cozy, and filled with an almost intoxicating aroma of the goodness in which you are about to partake. The chef, Taw Vigsittaboot, serves up traditional, authentic thai recipes family-style in a genuinely down-home setting. A meal here feels like you are eating at a friend's house, which was perfect for the occasion. 

The birthday girl arrived and we cracked open a few bottles of wine - this place is BYOB, with no corking fee, so be sure to come prepared. In this group, that meant at least one bottle per person. Enough to cover the meal and a few to take home, considering it was a Tuesday night. After a few introductions and a bit of catching up, the first round of dishes made it to the table. The meal is set daily by the chef - there is no menu, in the traditional sense - and yesterday happened to be a vegetarian and fish night.

We started out with a coconut milk soup. This complex and flavorful soup, with not-so-subtle hints of ginger and lemongrass, was perfect for the chilly weather. Appetizers also included a fresh and brightly-flavored papaya salad and fish cakes served with some variety of pickled vegetables and a spicy sauce. And everything was delicious. Which is wonderful, until you realize that you do, in fact, need to pace yourself for what was still to come.

Stir-fried ginger with black mushrooms. Stir-fried green beans. Sweet-and-sour tofu. All with immaculately balanced notes of heat, sweetness, sour, salt, and just a touch of bitterness.

Then came the pumpkin curry. Oh, sweet mother of goodness. This dish was ridiculous. I could have easily just eaten this and only this for dinner (ok, probably not, but you get the point that I'm trying to make here). The pumpkin was tender and perfectly cooked, then coated with a creamy red curry sauce. Sweet, yet slightly savory, and totally melts in your mouth. I'm drooling right now just thinking about it.

And even after all of that, the main dishes: pad see ew with tofu and whole steamed pompano.

Once we had delighted in the many, many dishes over the course of the night, enjoyed a few bottles of vino, and cackled at the ridiculous stories offered up, it was time for dessert and the obligatory birthday serenade. The restaurant served an amazing mango sticky rice and our friend Jazmin baked a strawberry cake for the occasion. The cake was dense, moist, and delicious and topped with a delicate, almost meringue-like frosting and fresh strawberries.

It was a really wonderful night celebrating with a great friend. And I was glad to have finally experienced the tastiness that is Thai X-ing. Now I know what all of the fuss is about.