Thai Newcomers Kao Soy and Lan Larb Rack Up More Praise from the Critics

This week the Underground Gourmet reviews two Thai restaurants that have been on the critic radar lately: Kao Soy in Red Hook and Lan Larb in Soho. The latter earned four stars from Eater's own Robert Sietsema back in December, while Kao Soy just got a generous one star review from Pete Wells last week. The Robs mostly agree, though the stars shake out differently in the end. On the food at Lan Larb:

The som tum (papaya salad) is at once spicy hot and refreshingly cool. The grilled Isan-style sausage served with roasted peanuts and slivers of ginger is snappy, smoky, and mottled with fat. Some of the entrées are impressive: The pla krapong rard prik, a deep-fried whole red snapper bathed in a sweet-tart chile sauce, is good to the last shred of crispy-skinned meat

Ultimately, Kao Soy, which is a little more refined in atmosphere and presentation, gets three stars, while Lan Larb – bare bones, sans liquor license – gets two.