Night + Market Song - Silver Lake

Wow, I am impressed. I didn't think there would be a place in LA I could hate more than Hollywood, but there may be nowhere worse than Silver Lake. My initial impression Night + Market Song wasn't exactly sweet. My last Song didn't go so well at Saladang so I wasn't exactly eager for another, but there was a birthday party to through LA traffic we came. 

We got there 15 minutes early and showed up 20 minutes late. No valet, no parking lots along an entire strip of restaurants and bars that are undoubtedly the hot spots of Silver Lake.

I was shooting fire out of my ears by the time we actually sat down. I was fuming from finding parking and about to faint from the sweltering half-mile walk. The standard Som Tum did nothing to cool my rage.

Fortunately the Coconut Sticky Rice was a buffer for my hypoglycemia, and unlike the high-strung party guests, it didn't clash with anything.

The Moo Yang Nom Khon lightened the mood even more - it's hard to pick a fight with fatty grilled pork in a festive tunic of turmeric.

The Pork Toro is an even fattier, browner version of the previous. A variation on a theme that works. This one is simpler, just slabs of fatty pork grilled as-is, dipped in something hot.

The Pla Meuk Tod Gratiem was better as a concept. The baby octopi were chewy and chile, but they were soggy by the time they hit the table.

Like the Silver Lake strip it sat upon, the Grilled Corn with Curry had potential, but it was as successful as this area was classy. The thick layer of powdery sweet curry is grainy and crude, and it didn't disguise the rock-hard, undercooked ear of corn beneath.

The Salmon Poke was a special...a-specially out of place. Deliciously smooth and fresh, it was a breath of fresh air; simply soyed among the heavily spiced, raw among the heavily cooked.

I didn't know anyone at this party so the family-style sharing got awkward really fast. The fight for the Panang en Neua was fair, fast, and absolutely necessary. The soft chunks of beef tendon are heavenly in a sweet panang curry, and I almost stabbed someone to snag a square of flaky, crispy roti.

They can't have my roti, but the Pad See Ew Gai is all theirs. It's a staple, but I don't recommend this one as a fallback. The soggy rice noodles with dry chicken and rock-hard Chinese broccoli seems like it was made for the 'muricans.

The Khao Pad Pu was better, a common fried rice with a hint of crab. 

The starches weren't all that special...with the exception of the Khao Soi Nua. The noodles were softly al dente and tasted like they were rolled by hand. The curry soup with tender tendon and hangar steak sent sparks, and half the soup was gone before I could even take out my camera.

I can only describe this strip of Silver Lake as "what Hollywood wouldn't have". It is a regurgitation of all that is pretentious-but-pretending-it's-not except it's ill-equipped to handle the sheer volume of Silver Lakeans desperate for entertainment on a Friday night. I've heard it's a lovely place to live, and I'm sure the bars add life to your night, but I'm certain I won't be returning, even for the tasty Thai until they build a freaking parking lot.