Upon the recommendation of my friend Rebecca Dameron, we checked out Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas, off Sahara Blvd. Often seen on a variety of food shows on TV, Chef Saipin Chutima's Thai-Issan restaurant was busy on a Thursday night with the crowd spilling out to the sidewalk. Locals and celebrities flock here to get their spicy on. We saw Marilu Henner in the lobby and pictures of Drew Barrymore and past Presidents on the wall. So what was all the hoopla about, I thought. I've never had really amazing Thai food. Can this place be that good? Verdict: holy chilies, holy running nose, was it ever good. The Crispy Duck in curry sauce was crispy ducky deliciousness. And the real stunner was the Thai sea bass on a bed of drunken noodles. Everything went great with the Singha beer. Usually after Thai food, my palate is overwhelmed with just heat. But after Lotus, it was heat combined with fresh Thai basil and curry and all sorts of flavors.
