About a month ago, at the $20 Dinner Hell Gate party in Bushwick, I was asked what my Platonic ideal $20 Dinner restaurant would be. As I recall, I sort of fumbled the answer, muttering things like "rice and beans" and "pizza" (both of which, by the way, are among my hall-of-fame favorite foods).
But as I sat last week at Khao Kang in Elmhurst, wolfing my way through seven very different, all very delicious dishes, I realized: "Dude. This is it."
Khao Kang, which chef and owner Sopon "Tor" Kosalanan opened 11 years ago on a pleasant stretch of Woodside Avenue, serves a tight menu of loaded Thai curries and other, less soupy dishes, all presented steam-table style and ladled out for you over, or in a small bowl next to, a generous mound of steamed rice. You can get two or three "entrees" with your order, for $16,50 or $17, respectively. It's a lot of great food for an exceptionally reasonable price.
Need guidance on spice levels, or just general suggestions? Your server is happy to provide either or both. Literally though, everything is delicious, so feel free to just wing it. Tor told Hell Gate that six of the 10 dishes are permanent menu fixtures, and four are daily specials, so like all the best neighborhood spots, you could eat at Khao Kang a couple of times a week and not get bored. And it's all made from scratch, Tor said, "not like the other restaurants around here that sell canned food." Oh, snap!
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